If push day gets all the attention, pull day is where the balance gets built back in. Pulling movements, the TRX Row above all, work your entire posterior chain: lats, rhomboids, traps, rear delts, biceps and forearms, while bracing your core through the whole rep.
Every exercise below can be done with nothing but a TRX Home2 Suspension Trainer and an anchor point. No cable stack required.
What Is a Pull Exercise?
A pull exercise is any movement where you draw an object, or your own bodyweight, toward you rather than pushing it away. Rows, pull-ups and curls all fall into this category. Training pull movements regularly balances out all the pressing you do on push day, and it’s one of the most direct ways to improve posture, since a weak upper back is what drags your shoulders forward in the first place.
Pull day mainly targets:
- Back muscles: lats, rhomboids, traps, erector spinae
- Biceps and forearms
- Rear deltoids
- Core, when the movement is performed with a braced plank
TRX Pull Exercises
| Exercise | Difficulty | Targets | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
| TRX Row | Beginner | Lats, back, core | The foundation movement. Full setup and form cues: TRX Row guide. |
| TRX Single-Arm Row | Intermediate | Lats, obliques, core | Pulling one side at a time forces your core to resist rotation. Full guide: TRX Single-Arm Row. |
| TRX Inverted Row | Intermediate | Full back, biceps | A flatter body angle for a harder pull. Full guide: TRX Inverted Row. |
| TRX Wide Grip Row | Intermediate | Rear delts, upper back | Wider hand position shifts emphasis onto the rear delts and upper back. Full guide: TRX Wide Grip Row. |
| TRX Table Top Row | Beginner | Lats, core stability | A more supported row, useful for building pulling strength before progressing to the standard row. Full guide: TRX Table Top Row. |
| TRX Squat Row | Intermediate | Full body | Combines a squat with a row for a genuinely full-body pull movement. Full guide: TRX Squat Row. |
| TRX Face Pull | Beginner-Int. | Rear delts, rotator cuff, posture | Often skipped, but one of the best exercises for shoulder health and posture. Full guide: TRX Face Pull. |
| TRX Bicep Curl | Beginner | Biceps, forearms | Face the anchor, palms up, curl your hands toward your face keeping elbows pinned to your sides. |
Full-Gym Pull Exercises
If you split your training between home TRX sessions and a full gym, here’s how the same pull day looks with barbells, dumbbells and cables.
| Exercise | Targets | Cue |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift | Posterior chain, back, hamstrings, grip | Hinge at the hips, keep the bar close, drive through your heels to stand. |
| Lat Pulldown | Lats | The best machine-based alternative to a pull-up, and a good regression while you build toward one. |
| Seated Cable Row | Lats, traps, rear delts | Pull with your back, not your arms, keeping your torso still through the movement. |
| Pull-Ups | Lats (highest activation of any pulling exercise) | The gold standard. Bend your knees for an easier regression if you can’t yet do a full rep. |
| Barbell Bicep Curl | Biceps, forearms | Keep your elbows pinned to your sides through the whole curl. |
| Dumbbell Shrugs | Traps | Lift straight up toward your ears, don’t roll your shoulders. |
| Rope Face Pull | Rear delts, rotator cuff | Pull to your face, elbows out, squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top. |
Three Pull Day Workouts
TRX Pull Day (Bodyweight Only)
| Exercise | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| TRX Row | 4 sets x 12 | 60 sec |
| TRX Single-Arm Row | 3 sets x 10 per side | 60 sec |
| TRX Bicep Curl | 3 sets x 12 | 45 sec |
| TRX Face Pull | 3 sets x 15 | 45 sec |
| TRX Table Top Row | 2 sets x 8 | 60 sec |
Dumbbell Pull Day
| Exercise | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Single-Arm Dumbbell Row | 4 sets x 10 per side | 90 sec |
| Renegade Row | 3 sets x 8 per side | 60 sec |
| Dumbbell Shrugs | 3 sets x 12 | 45 sec |
| Hammer Curls | 3 sets x 12 | 45 sec |
Full Gym Pull Day
| Exercise | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift | 4 sets x 6 | 2-3 min |
| Lat Pulldown | 3 sets x 10 | 90 sec |
| Seated Cable Row | 3 sets x 10 | 90 sec |
| Rope Face Pull | 3 sets x 15 | 45 sec |
| Pull-Ups | 3 sets to failure | 2 min |
Three Tips for a Better Pull Day
- Pull with your back, not just your arms. Initiate every row by squeezing your shoulder blades together before your elbows bend. If your arms are doing all the work, your back isn’t getting trained.
- Vary the angle. Standard rows, wide grip rows and single-arm rows all load your back slightly differently. Rotating through a few variations each week builds a more complete back than repeating one row endlessly.
- Master form before adding load. Heavy rows and deadlifts done with poor form cause more harm than good. Start with the TRX Row to build the movement pattern before progressing to loaded variations.
How Often Should You Train Pull?
Twice a week is the sweet spot for most people, enough frequency to drive real strength and back growth, with enough recovery between sessions. Adjust based on your goals and how quickly your back and biceps recover.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Rounding your back to compensate for a weak pull, instead of bracing your core and pulling with your lats
- Letting your hips sag during TRX rows, turning a back exercise into a sloppy core exercise
- Skipping face pulls and rear delt work entirely in favour of bigger lifts
- Rushing the eccentric (lowering) phase instead of controlling it back to full extension
Getting Set Up
Every TRX pull exercise on this list needs only a TRX Home2 Suspension Trainer and an anchor point. No ceiling beam? A Workout Door Anchor or Wall Mount Bracket sets you up in any room.
New to suspension training? Start with The Best TRX Exercises for Beginners. Training a full-body split? Pair this with The 20 Best TRX Exercises for a Full-Body Workout to cover push, legs and core.
Final Thoughts
The TRX Row is the single best pull exercise you can do with a suspension trainer: it’s scalable, it builds real back strength, and it needs almost no space. Build a pull day around it, add in face pulls for shoulder health, and train the pattern twice a week for a back that keeps pace with everything else in your program.
Ready to build your pull day? Shop the TRX Home2 Suspension Trainer or browse the full TRX Exercise Library for more moves.
