If your goal is to build wide, dense lats and carve out that classic V-taper physique, your pull day needs to do more than just check boxes. It needs to be intentional, hypertrophy-driven, and centered on targeting every fiber of your back with precision. Whether you're training for aesthetics, strength, or overall muscular balance, a smart pull day workout can radically improve your upper body width and posture.
This guide provides a science-backed pull day hypertrophy workout, complete with form cues, rep ranges, and strategic progression methods. You’ll leave each session with a deep lat pump and a clear path to long-term growth.
Why Focus on Pull Day for Lats?
The lats—or latissimus dorsi—are the largest muscles of your back and play a crucial role in posture, arm movement, and spinal support. When fully developed, they create width and shape across the back, giving your frame that desirable tapered silhouette. Lat development isn't just about aesthetics—it directly impacts performance in compound lifts, improves shoulder stability, and contributes to overall upper body strength.
A dedicated pull day that emphasizes the lats through different angles and resistance profiles ensures balanced growth and injury prevention. Smart lat exercises, including single-arm dumbbell row, lat pulldowns, and arm dumbbell row variations, target different muscle fibers and stimulate more comprehensive development. Make sure to use proper form, especially in high-rep work sets, to avoid compensating with your traps or lower back.
To stimulate muscle growth, prioritize progressive overload—gradually increase resistance or volume over time. Don't worry if you're not lifting heavy right away. Building wide lats comes from consistency, not brute strength. Maintain a stance with your feet shoulder width apart during pulls, and control every rep from start to full contraction. By focusing on activation and recovery across different muscle groups, you’ll drive hypertrophy and symmetry where it counts most.
Key Principles for Pull Day Hypertrophy
To build wide lats, your workout routine should apply these essential hypertrophy principles:
Volume: Perform enough total sets per week to drive growth (10–20 working sets for lats).
Progressive overload: Gradually increase reps, sets, or load over time.
Exercise variety: Target the lats through multiple joint angles and grips.
Full range of motion: Stretch and contract the muscle fully to stimulate all available fibers.
Mind-muscle connection: Feel the lats working—don’t just go through the motions.
Pull Day Workout Overview
This is a hypertrophy-focused workout structured around compound and isolation movements. It includes exercises that bias the lats over the traps and rear delts while also incorporating biceps and supporting back musculature.
Training Split: Push Pull Legs (PPL)
Frequency: 1–2x per week
Goal: Maximize lat hypertrophy and upper back development
Pull Day Hypertrophy Workout: Exercise Breakdown
1. Dead-Stop Lat Pulldowns (4 sets x 10–12 reps)
Start your session with a controlled, vertical pull. The dead-stop at the bottom of each rep forces you to engage your lats from a stretched position and eliminates momentum.
Execution Tips:
Use a wide grip
Lean slightly back to allow lat contraction
Pause for a second at the bottom to feel the lats squeeze
This primes your lats while protecting your joints from early overload.
2. Chest-Supported Machine Rows (4 sets x 8–10 reps)
Machine rows allow you to lock in your torso and isolate your pulling muscles without lower back fatigue.
Execution Tips:
Pull through your elbows, not your hands
Keep your chest glued to the pad
Don’t let your traps take over—focus on your lats
This is your heavy compound movement for upper-mid back thickness and lat depth.
3. One-Arm Dumbbell Rows (3 sets x 10–12 reps each side)
Unilateral rows help address muscle imbalances while giving your lats a deep stretch at the bottom.
Execution Tips:
Keep a neutral spine
Let your arm hang fully at the bottom for a lat stretch
Row back toward your hip to bias the lats
This movement combines load and range of motion perfectly for hypertrophy.
4. Cable Lat-Focused Rows (3 sets x 12–15 reps)
Using a neutral or slightly supinated grip, cable rows allow constant tension throughout the entire range of motion.
Execution Tips:
Sit tall and slightly lean forward at the start
Pull low toward your bellybutton
Pause for a beat in the contracted position
Cables excel at creating continuous resistance, making them ideal for hypertrophy workouts.
5. Straight-Arm Pulldowns (3 sets x 15–20 reps)
This isolation movement directly targets the lats without engaging the biceps, making it an excellent finisher.
Execution Tips:
Slight bend in your elbows, arms stay straight
Initiate the pull from your shoulders, not your arms
Squeeze your lats hard at the bottom
Great for creating that mind-muscle connection and pre-exhausting the lats.
6. Barbell or EZ-Bar Curls (3 sets x 10–12 reps)
Pull day isn't complete without direct bicep work. Compound curls build overall arm thickness and assist with pulling volume.
Execution Tips:
Keep elbows tight to your sides
Don’t swing—use a controlled tempo
Focus on the contraction at the top
Strong biceps support better lat work and complete the pull day stimulus.
7. Incline Dumbbell Curls or Concentration Curls (3 sets x 12–15 reps)
An isolation bicep movement to finish the day, focusing on muscle tension and control.
Execution Tips:
Stretch the biceps fully at the bottom
Use light-to-moderate weight
Avoid shrugging or elbow flaring
Capping your session with higher rep curls improves muscular endurance and vascularity.
Total Volume & Rest Guidelines
Total sets: ~23–25 working sets
Rest between sets: 60–90 seconds for hypertrophy; 30–60 seconds for isolation work
Tempo: Focus on 2-second negatives and controlled, explosive concentric phases
Rest days: Pull day can be followed by legs or an active recovery day
Pro Tips for Wider Lats
Stretch between sets: Perform doorway lat stretches or hang from a bar between sets to elongate the lats
Train with intention: Visualize the lats contracting and lengthening during each rep
Focus on elbow path: Pulling your elbows down and back (not up) biases the lats, not the traps
Maintain consistency: Hypertrophy comes from repeating progressive overload weekly
Lat-Centric Mobility Drills
Don’t overlook mobility—it enhances your range of motion and prevents injury.
Include these drills before or after training:
Foam roll your lats and thoracic spine
Perform banded lat stretches
Include shoulder pass-throughs for scapular mobility
Lat mobility improves your ability to fully engage and stretch the muscle fibers.
Nutrition for Pull Day Progress
You can’t out-train a poor diet. Fuel your pull day hypertrophy workout with:
Adequate protein: Aim for 1g per pound of bodyweight
Complex carbs: Fuel your heavy rows and compound pulls
Hydration: Lats are 70 percent water—don’t train dehydrated
Pre/post workout meals: Include a protein + carb meal 1–2 hours before and within 90 minutes after training
Recovery and growth happen outside the gym—so your nutrition must be aligned with your training goals.
Sample Pull Day Stack (Supplements Optional)
Creatine monohydrate: Improves strength and volume tolerance
Citrulline malate: Enhances blood flow and muscular endurance
Whey protein: Convenient post-workout protein source
Electrolytes: Help sustain hydration and contraction quality
Supplements can aid your performance but should never replace smart programming and proper recovery.
Final Thoughts
A hypertrophy-focused pull day is more than just rows and curls—it’s a strategic session designed to stretch, contract, and fatigue the lats with maximum intent. If your goal is to build width, emphasize elbow path, variety in movement angles, and full muscle engagement.
Stick to the plan, refine your execution, and stay consistent. In 8 to 12 weeks, you’ll notice wider lats, stronger pulls, and a back that commands attention.