You can do various bodyweight pull exercises at home and the gym to build strength and muscles. Bodyweight pull exercises are excellent for developing upper body muscles, particularly the latissimus dorsi, traps, rear delts, lower back, and biceps.
From beginner to advanced level, I’ve shared various bodyweight exercises in this article that you can do on your pull day to improve your overall fitness and body composition. You can also use these exercises while creating a bodyweight workout routine for you.
Top 15 Bodyweight Pull Exercises For Strength, Muscles, & Balance
1. Pull-up
Exercise Level: Intermediate
Muscles Worked: Back, Biceps, and Core
Equipment: Pull-up bar
How to: Grip the bar with an overhand grip and keep your hands wider than shoulder-width apart. Hang on the bar with your arms straight, and legs slightly bent. Pull yourself up until your chin reaches above the bar. Pause for a moment and lower yourself to the start.
Pro Tips: 1. Perform each rep in a controlled fashion. Using too much momentum can reduce the number of reps you can actually do, 2. Keep your chest up and your shoulder slightly back.
Recommended Reps: As many reps as you can x Three sets
2. Inverted Row
Exercise Level: Beginner
Muscles Worked: Trapezius, Posterior Delt, Biceps, and Abs
Equipment: Parallel bar, smith machine, or a firm four legs table where you can get underneath
How to: Get under the bar and grab it with an overhand grip with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Walk your feet out and lean back. Keep your arms straight and your legs extended with your heels on the ground and your toes facing upward. Now, pull your torso up until your chest is close to the bar. Pause for a moment and lower yourself to the starting point.
Pro Tips: Keep your core engaged throughout the movement. You can bend your knees softly if you like.
Recommended Reps: 15 x 3
3. Chinup
Exercise Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Muscles Worked: Biceps, Latissimus Dorsi, Infraspinatus, and Core
Equipment: Pull-up Bar
How to: Hang onto the bar with your palms underneath it and your hands hip to shoulder width apart. Pull yourself up until your chin reaches above the bar. Pause for a moment and return to the start.
Pro Tips: Keep your core tight and chest up as you pull yourself toward the bar.
Recommended Reps: 10 x 3
4. Superman Pull
Exercise Level: Beginner
Muscles Worked: Lats, Lower Back, and Traps
Equipment: No equipment
How to: Lie prone on the floor with your face down and arms straight in front of you. Lift your chest slightly off the floor and pull your arms inside your torso. Hold for a couple of seconds and extend your arms back to the start.
Pro Tips: Keep your lower body engaged during the movement and focus on contracting your back muscles when you bring your elbows in.
Recommended Reps: 15 x 3
5. Bicep Leg Curl
Exercise Level: Beginner
Muscles Worked: Biceps
Equipment: No equipment
How to: Stand against the wall with your hips and glutes resting on it. Keep your knees slightly bent with your feet flat on the ground. Bring your right foot on your left knee and grab it with your left hand, palm under the foot. Curl your arm until you feel the contraction in your biceps. Pause for a moment and then uncurl your arm.
Pro Tips: Slightly lean your torso forward and focus on contracting your biceps during the movement.
Recommended Reps: 12 x 3 on each side. You can do more reps on your underdeveloped arm to correct muscle imbalance.
6. Plank Row
Exercise Level: Intermediate
Muscles Worked: Shoulder, Arms, and Back
Equipment: No
How to: Get in a high plank position with your arms straight below your shoulders and feet shoulder-width apart. Lift your right hand off the floor and pull your elbow at your side. Hold it for a moment and then lower it down and repeat on the opposite side.
Pro Tips: Your core should be tight and back straight during the exercise.
Recommended Reps: 10 on each side x 3
7. parallel Towel Row
Exercise Level: Beginner
Muscles Worked: Lats, Traps, Rear Delt, and Biceps
Equipment Needed: A bath towel
How to: Wrap the towel around the standing pole like object and grasp the ends firmly with a neutral grip. Lean your torso back until your arms are straight, and maintain a flat back. That’s the start. Now, standing in the same position, pull yourself forward until your hands are close to your ribs. Squeezing your back muscles, pause for a moment and extend your elbows to return to the standing position.
Pro Tips: Stand with your feet together, focus on pulling your torso toward the pole, and perform every repetition in a controlled manner contracting your back muscles.
Recommended Reps: 15 x 3
8. Lying Y Raises
Exercise Level: Beginner
Muscles Worked: Traps, Lats, Rear Delt, and Lower Back
Equipment: Only bodyweight
How to: Lie on the floor with your face down and arms out in front of you. Keep your arms slightly wider, so your body looks like a Y letter shape from behind. Lift your arms off the floor as high as possible until you feel the full contraction in your back muscles. Hold your arms at the top for a couple of seconds before you lower them back on the floor.
Pro Tips: Keep your thighs and glutes engaged, always look down, and breathe throughout the entire exercise.
Recommended Reps: 15 x 3
9. Incline Towel Row
Exercise Level: Beginner
Muscles Worked: Back, Rear Delt, and Biceps
Equipment: A bath towel
How to: Set the towel at a height higher than yours. You can attach the towel to your door or wrap it around a firm object. Standing with your feet together, lean your torso back until your arms are straight. Now, pull yourself toward the door until your working muscles are entirely engaged. Pause and return to the start.
Pro Tips: Focus on muscle contraction to get the best results.
Recommended Reps: 15 x 3
10. Door frame rows
Exercise Level: Beginner
Muscles Worked: Back and Shoulder
Equipment: Door Frames
How to: Grab the door frames and lean back until your arms are straight. Standing with your feet together, pull yourself forward until your elbows are bent. Pause for a moment and return to the start.
Pro Tips: Keep your arms in line with your shoulders and pull yourself in a controlled manner.
Recommended Reps: 15 x 3
11. L Pull-Up
Exercise Level: Intermediate
Muscles Worked: Back, Biceps, and Core
Equipment: Pull-up Bar
How to: Hang onto the bar with your palms above it and hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lift your legs up until they are parallel to the floor. Keep your arms straight and brace your abdominal muscles. Now pull yourself up until your face reaches the bar height. Staying in an L shape, lower into the start and repeat for suggested reps and sets.
Pro Tips: Keep your core engaged and maintain an L shape throughout the movement.
Recommended Reps: As many reps as possible (AMRAP) x 3
12. Lying T raises
Exercise Level: Beginner
Muscles Worked: Upper Back and Rear Deltoid
Equipment: No equipment
How to: Lie flat on the floor with your face down and arms straight out to your sides, like your body forms a T letter shape. Lift your arms and chest off the floor until you feel the work in your targeted muscles. Hold for a couple of seconds, and then lower your arms back on the floor.
Pro Tips: Keep your neck in a neutral position and your lower body engaged throughout the movement.
Recommended Reps: 15 x 3
13. Reverse Crunches
Exercise Level: Beginner
Muscles Worked: Rectus Abdominis
Equipment: Only bodyweight
How to: Lie on your back and keep your straight arms at your sides, hands below your glutes. Lift your legs off the floor and brace your abdominal muscles. This is the start. Now, pull your knees toward your chest until your abs are entirely engaged. Extend your legs to return to the start.
Pro Tips: Your hips and lower back should come off the floor when you bring your knees in, but your middle back should be rested on the floor.
Recommended Reps: 15 x 3
14. Muscle Up
Exercise Level: Advanced
Muscles Worked: Back, Biceps, Shoulders, Triceps, and Core
Equipment: Pull-up Bar
How to: Stand two-three steps far from the bar. Walk out and quickly grab the pull-up bar with your hands a bit wider than shoulder-width apart. Make sure your thumbs are on the bar with your other fingers, and your arms extended. Pull yourself up toward the bar until your chin crosses it. And from that position, perform a dip until your elbows are extended, and then return to the starting position.
Pro Tips: Drive your hips to create momentum when the knees begin to rise. There are multiple things to look out for when you perform a muscle up, so it’s best to check out a detailed video on muscles up to learn more about it before you perform.
Recommended Reps: As many reps as possible x 3
15. Seated Bodyweight Pulldown
Exercise Level: Beginner
Muscles Worked: Back
Equipment: Only Bodyweight
How to: Sit on your knees with your back straight and arms extended over your head. Contracting your back muscles, pull your elbows down in a steady manner until your hands come to your ear level.
Pro Tips: Maintain an upright torso during the entire movement.
Recommended Reps: 15 x 3
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