Upper Body — Pull

Row

Horizontal pulling for upper back development. Builds the scapular retraction strength that keeps your thoracic spine extended when running fatigue sets in — preventing the rounded shoulders and collapsed posture that kills breathing efficiency. Can be bilateral (barbell) or unilateral (KB/DB single-arm).

Equipment: kettlebells, full_gym | Reps: 8-12 (kettlebells) · 6-10 (full_gym) | Rest: 90s

Regions: Primary: upper_posterior · Secondary: core

Coaching Cues

• Flat back, hinged forward at the hips
• Pull your elbow back toward your hip
• Squeeze your shoulder blade toward your spine at the top
• Lower with control — don't just drop the weight
• Keep your core braced and back flat throughout

Common Mistakes

• Rounding the upper back — stay flat
• Using momentum to swing the weight up
• Not pulling through full range — shoulder blade should retract fully
• Rotating the trunk on single-arm rows — keep hips and shoulders square

Pull-Up

Vertical pulling for lat and upper back development. Gold standard for upper body pulling strength. Builds the posture-sustaining muscles that keep your torso upright and your breathing open through marathon distance. Only available to full gym tier (requires pull-up bar).

Equipment: full_gym | Reps: 3-8 | Rest: 120s

Regions: Primary: upper_posterior · Secondary: core

Coaching Cues

• Grip slightly wider than shoulders
• Start each rep from a full dead hang — arms completely straight
• Pull by driving your elbows down toward your hips, not by curling your arms
• Chin over the bar at the top
• Lower with control all the way back to dead hang

Common Mistakes

• Kipping or swinging — use strict form
• Partial range of motion — full dead hang to chin over bar
• Shrugging shoulders to ears — keep shoulders pulled down and back
• Only using arms — initiate with lats, not biceps

Barbell Row

Bent-over barbell row — heavy bilateral horizontal pull for upper back and lat development. Builds the thick scapular retraction strength that keeps your thoracic spine extended during marathon-distance running, preventing the rounded-shoulder collapse that kills breathing efficiency and wastes energy.

Equipment: full_gym | Reps: 5-8 (full_gym) | Rest: 120s

Regions: Primary: upper_back, lats · Secondary: arms, core

Coaching Cues

• Hinge forward at the hips, back flat, chest facing the floor at roughly 45 degrees
• Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width, arms hanging straight down
• Pull the bar to your lower chest/upper abdomen — drive your elbows back, not up
• Squeeze your shoulder blades together hard at the top for a full second
• Lower with control — don't just drop the bar and let your shoulders round forward

Common Mistakes

• Standing too upright — you need enough forward lean to get a full pull
• Using body English to heave the weight — jerking your torso up kills the back stimulus
• Rounding the lower back under load — if your back rounds, the weight is too heavy
• Pulling to the wrong spot — the bar should hit your lower chest, not your belly button

Single-Arm Bent-Over Row

Single-arm kettlebell row from a hinged position. Builds unilateral upper back and lat strength while demanding anti-rotation core stability — your obliques must resist the weight pulling you into rotation, training the same lateral stability your trunk needs stride after stride during running.

Equipment: kettlebells | Reps: 8-10 | Rest: 60s

Regions: Primary: upper_back, lats · Secondary: arms, core

Coaching Cues

• Hinge forward, free hand on a bench or knee for support, back flat
• Let the KB hang straight down, shoulder packed — don't let it pull you into a shrug
• Pull your elbow straight back toward your hip, keeping it close to your body
• Squeeze your shoulder blade toward your spine at the top — hold for a beat
• Lower with control and resist the urge to rotate your trunk toward the weight

Common Mistakes

• Rotating the trunk to cheat the weight up — keep hips and shoulders square
• Shrugging the shoulder to initiate the pull — the movement comes from the back, not the trap
• Rushing reps and losing the squeeze at the top — that contraction is where the value is
• Rounding the upper back — maintain a flat spine throughout the set