Max Effort (ME) Pull Workout

​MAX EFFORT (ME) PULL Workout

I'm very happy to see people doing the workouts at Westminster! I got a request from a teammate for a "pull" workout to complement the "push" routine they were doing yesterday. The pulling muscles mostly involve the posterior chain (spinal erectors, glutes, hamstrings, etc.) otherwise known as the "back end" or the "back side." They also involve the biceps, often indirectly. The three best types of pulls are deadlifts (and deadlift variations), rows, and chin-ups/pull-ups, all of which can be very challenging and daunting at first so start small and work up with time. This following workout is unconventional but extremely effective at building strength and confidence. You'll be moving more weight than you've probably ever moved before!
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1. Rack-Pulls Above the Knee (Third Rack Height)

* Please use one of the brown bars because they are already bent. If you don't know your deadlift max, use your bodyweight instead. A lifting belt is recommended but not required.

Progression:
Bar-Only (45 lbs.) 1 set of 10 reps
50% of One-Rep Deadlift Max 1 set of 5 reps
100% of One-Rep Deadlift Max 1 set of 3 reps
5 lbs. more than One-Rep Deadlift Max 1 set of 1 Reps
10 lbs. more than One-Rep Deadlift Max 1 set of 1 rep
15 lbs. more than One-Rep Deadlift Max 1 set of 1 rep
25 lbs. more than One-Rep Deadlift Max 1 set of 1 rep
35 lbs. more than One-Rep Deadlift Max 1 set of 1 rep
45 lbs. more than One-Rep Deadlift Max 1 set of 1 rep

Tips: Line up as you would for a deadlift and have the bar as close to your body as possible. Take a BIG BREATH in first, brace by contracting your core, and then push against the floor with your feet while pulling your upper body back, hinging at the hip. This should not be an exhausting or overly difficult exercise despite the weight being heavy because of the upright torso angle and the short range of motion. This will teach you how to brace for a heavy lift and show you what you are capable of if you can stay upright during a deadlift. It will also build the traps, lats, and rhomboids quite well and develop grip strength.

ACCESSORY EXERCISES:

2. Seated Rows
3 sets of 10

Tip: choose a weight you can do 12 times and stop at 10; this technique of stopping 2 reps before failure is sometimes abbreviated RCM for 'reps circa max' and allows for greater recovery and equal gains; focus on pulling your shoulder blades together

3. Chin-ups or Assisted Chin-ups / Heavy Lat Pulldowns
5 sets of 5 reps

4. Cross-Body Hammer Curls
3 sets of 6 reps (per arm, 12 total per set)

Tip: You can go heavier on these curls than any other type of curl; try not to swing them as you can hurt your shoulder

5. Roman chair sit-ups (or any available sit-up)
3 sets of 10 reps