How To Do a Dumbbell High Pull: 3 Easy Variations

The dumbbell high pull is a compound exercise that works your upper body and your posterior chain (the muscles along the back of your body). It uses an explosive movement, which helps prepare your body for more advanced explosive lifts. It builds control and trains your muscles to produce force quickly.

Power exercises like this one burn energy, help build lean muscle, and train the fast-twitch muscle fibers used in explosive movements.

dumbbell high pull

It looks like an arm exercise, but it works the whole body. Let’s have a look at which parts this pull workout works and provide strength to the muscles.

Targeted Areas In Dumbbells High Pull

Along with the arms, the high pull works the shoulders, upper back, hips and legs. It builds strength and power.

Targeted areas of the dumbbell high pull include:

trapezius (upper back and neck)
shoulders (deltoids)
rhomboids
biceps
lower back
abdominals (core)
glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps (hips and legs)

How To Do Dumbbell High Pull

Before doing this exercise, warm up your body with a few minutes of light movement and some practice reps with very light weights. Skip the exercise if you have a shoulder, back or wrist injury, and ask a health care provider or qualified trainer if you're unsure.

Steps to do dumbbell high pull position are the following:

Hold a pair of dumbbells with an overhand grip and get into a quarter squat position.
Your feet should be shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
Hold the dumbbells at arm's length slightly below knee height, keeping your lower back flat and chest up.
In one quick, controlled movement, drive through your legs to stand up and pull the dumbbells up toward your chest, leading with your elbows. Keep the dumbbells close to your body the whole way up.
At the top, your knees and hips should be straight, your core braced, and your glutes squeezed.
Lower the dumbbells under control to the starting position.
Repeat.

You can vary this exercise in several ways. Whatever version you choose, warm up first and keep good form.

1. One-arm dumbbell high pull

Maintain the posture by keeping your hips and shoulders confronting forward.
Avoid turning your body.
Stand together with your feet hip-distance apart.
Use an overhand grasp to hold a dumbbell in your left hand.
Extend your arm straight.
Straighten your hips and knees as you explosively pull the dumbbell up toward your chest, leading with your elbow.
Slowly lower the weight back to the beginning position.
Start with 2 or 3 sets of 5 repetitions and build up as your form improves.
Repeat on the opposite side.

2. Dumbbell high pull to overhead press

Stand together with your feet hip-distance apart.
Use an overhand grasp to hold a dumbbell in each hand.
Hinge at your hips to lean forward slightly.
Position the weights just below your knees.
Straighten your hips and knees as you explosively pull the dumbbells up toward your chest.
At the same time, rise onto the balls of your feet. From here, press your arms straight overhead.
Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.
Start with 2 or 3 sets of 5 repetitions.

3. Squat to dumbbell high pull

Stand with your feet keeping them apart at hip-distance.
Use an overhand grasp to hold a dumbbell in each hand.
Hinge at your hips to bend forward slightly.
Position the weights just below your knees.
Slowly lower down into a squat.
From here, straighten your hips and knees as you explosively pull the dumbbells up toward your chest.
At the same time, rise onto the balls of your feet.
Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.
Start with 2 or 3 sets of 5 repetitions.

Things To Do

Increase the weight slowly and gradually.
Wear stable, supportive shoes.
Do strength training on at least 2 days a week, as CDC physical activity guidelines recommend, working all major muscle groups.
Leave at least a day of rest between hard sessions for the same muscles.
Breathe steadily: breathe out as you pull, and in as you lower.

Things Not To Do

Don't start with heavy weights.
Don't do this workout twice a day.
Don't swing the weights with a rounded back.
Don't hold your breath.
Don't skip your warm-up.

Conclusion:

The dumbbell high pull is a useful exercise that builds power and strength. It works many areas at once, including the shoulders, upper back, hips and legs.

The key is good form. Keep your back flat, use a weight you can control, and stop if you feel sharp pain.