HWN #005: 5 Pulling Exercises for Shoulder Health and Performance

I LOVE pulling exercises. 

They are incredibly important for both improved shoulder health and better performance in sport and in life.

Yet they are always overlooked for pressing exercise (like benching).

The problem is, when you overlook pulling exercises and only focus on  resting exercises it is only a matter of time before you are dealing with shoulder pain. 

I firmly believe that we all need to double down

on our pressing exercises to stay healthy long term.

 Today, I am sharing my favorite (5 of them) pulling exercises that we all should be doing.

 Let’s dive in. 

5 Pulling Exercises for Improved Health and Better Performance

Here are 5 of my favorite pulling exercises that will both improve your health and lead to better performance;

• Chin Up
• 1-Arm Dumbbell Row
• Chest Supported Row 
• Standing Cable Row
• Ring Row

Exercise 1: Chin Up 

The Chin Up is is the king of all upper body pulling exercises, hitting all the muscles of the back, posterior shoulder, and biceps. 

You will get similar results from Pull Ups, Chin Ups and Neutral Grip Chin Ups, though I tend to favor Chin Ups and Neutral Grip Chin Ups with the clients I work with.

Exercise 2: 1-Arm Dumbbell Row 

A major reason the 1-Arm Dumbbell Row is so great is because it trains the muscles in direct opposition of the muscles we use during the bench press, muscles that are often overdeveloped compared to the pulling muscles.

The exercise is also single arm, which will help balance out any imbalances you may have from one side to the other.

Exercise 3: Chest Supported Row 

A phenomenal horizontal pulling exercise that you can really load up and get strong on.

Beyond that, it is also an exercise that is very hard to do incorrectly because of the set up.

It's hard to cheat.

It's hard to create any momentum.

Your pulling muscles have to do all the work, which is a good thing. 

Exercise 4: Standing Cable Row

Very similar to some of the other rowing variations, this rowing variation adds a core component to keep you upright and in a great position.

The exercise is also great because it can be performed with either two arms at a time or one arm at a time, giving you a little more variation within the movement.  

Exercise 5: Ring Row  

The Ring Row is a classic!

The exercise is a great bodyweight exercise that is also extremely shoulder friendly because it allows one to internally and externally rotate at the shoulder.

Additionally, you can progress the exercise in so many different ways. 

In Summary 

Improving your shoulder health is incredibly important if you want to maintain your quality of life as you age.

By simply putting more of a focus on pulling exercises in the gym you can go a long way in doing so.

In health,

Craig

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