# Dumbbell Pull Session A full pull session for the back, rear shoulders, and biceps. Eight movements with real rest between sets. - URL: https://formaroutines.com/routines/dumbbell-pull-session/ - Duration: About 38 min - Admin slug: dumbbell-pull-session ## Before you start Move gently and stop if you feel sharp pain, dizziness, numbness, or symptoms that feel unsafe. This routine is general fitness guidance, not medical care. ## Exercises ### 1. Dumbbell Single Arm Row 3 sets · 10 reps · 60s rest · both sides Support the free hand on a bench, keep the hips square, and row to the hip rather than the shoulder. #### Steps - Place one knee and the same-side hand on a flat bench with your back parallel to the floor. - Hold a dumbbell in the opposite hand with your arm hanging straight down beneath your shoulder. - Set a flat back, brace your core, and keep your hips square to the bench. - Pull the dumbbell up to the side of your ribs by driving your elbow back along your body. - Squeeze your shoulder blade in toward your spine at the top of the row and pause briefly. - Lower the dumbbell slowly until your arm is fully extended again, then repeat for reps before switching sides. #### Cues - Brace on support. - Elbow drives back. - Keep hips square. #### Common mistakes - Rotating the torso to throw the dumbbell up, which turns the row into a swing and offloads the back. - Pulling with the arm only and letting the elbow flare wide, which trades lat work for rear-shoulder work. - Rounding the lower back instead of bracing flat, which puts the spine at risk under load. - Cutting the bottom range short and skipping the lat stretch, where most of the growth stimulus happens. ### 2. Dumbbell Upright Row 3 sets · 12 reps · 60s rest Pull the dumbbells up close to the body and stop below chest height. Elbows lead, wrists stay relaxed. #### Steps - Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand resting in front of your thighs and palms facing your body. - Set your feet shoulder-width apart with knees soft and core lightly braced. - Keep your chest up and your shoulders pulled back and down before starting the pull. - Pull both dumbbells straight up along the front of your body by leading with your elbows. - Stop the pull when your elbows reach about chest height, with the dumbbells just below your collarbones. - Lower the dumbbells slowly back down along the same path until your arms are fully extended. #### Cues - Elbows lead up. - Stop at chest height. - No shrugging. #### Common mistakes - Pulling the dumbbells higher than the collarbones, which can cause front-shoulder strain at the top. - Using too much weight and swinging the body to throw the dumbbells up, which removes the shoulder work. - Letting the elbows drop below the wrists, which turns the pull into a curl instead of a row. - Rounding the upper back during the lift, which removes the upper-trap engagement. ### 3. Dumbbell Laying Reverse Fly 3 sets · 12 reps · 60s rest Lying face down isolates the rear shoulders completely. The range is small on purpose. #### Steps - Set a bench to about a 45 degree incline and lie face-down on it with a dumbbell in each hand. - Let the arms hang straight toward the floor, palms facing each other, with a slight bend in the elbows. - Brace the core, plant the toes on the floor, and lock the slight elbow bend for the set. - Open the arms out to the sides in a wide arc, leading with the elbows toward the ceiling. - Squeeze the rear delts and the middle of the back together at the top of the lift, pausing briefly. - Lower the dumbbells under control over 2 to 3 seconds back to the hanging start position. #### Cues - Face down. - Small lift. - Neck stays long. #### Common mistakes - Bending and straightening the elbows mid-rep, which sneaks the triceps and traps into the lift. - Pulling the dumbbells back like a row, swapping rear-delt isolation for mid-back rowing work. - Shrugging the shoulders up at the top, which trades rear-delt work for trap engagement. - Loading too heavy, which forces swinging form and removes the strict isolation the bench enforces. ### 4. Dumbbell Seated Rear Delt Fly 3 sets · 12 reps · 60s rest The rear shoulders are usually the weak link after desk work, so keep this light and precise. #### Steps - Sit on the edge of a bench with a dumbbell in each hand and your feet planted shoulder-width apart. - Hinge forward from the hips until your chest is close to your thighs and your arms hang straight down. - Keep a small bend in the elbows and palms facing each other, with the dumbbells underneath your shoulders. - Raise both dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. - Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top and feel the rear shoulders working. - Lower the dumbbells under control along the same arc and reset before the next rep. #### Cues - Hinge forward. - Lead with elbows. - Squeeze the back. #### Common mistakes - Using too much weight and swinging the torso, which turns the lift into a row instead of a fly. - Bending the elbows and pulling instead of keeping a fixed angle and lifting from the rear shoulders. - Shrugging the shoulders up at the top, which transfers the work to the upper traps. - Sitting upright instead of hinging forward, which lets gravity bypass the rear shoulders entirely. ### 5. Dumbbell Shrug 3 sets · 12 reps · 60s rest Shrug straight up toward the ears and pause briefly at the top. No rolling the shoulders backward. #### Steps - Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides and your feet shoulder-width apart. - Let your arms hang straight down with palms facing your thighs and core braced. - Keep your chest up, chin neutral, and shoulders relaxed in the starting position. - Shrug your shoulders straight up toward your ears as high as they will go without bending the elbows. - Pause and squeeze the traps hard at the top of the shrug for one full second. - Lower the dumbbells back down under control and feel the stretch before the next rep. #### Cues - Arms stay long. - Lift shoulders up. - Lower with control. #### Common mistakes - Rolling the shoulders forward or backward, which adds joint strain without making the lift more effective. - Bending the elbows during the lift, which turns the shrug into a partial pull and reduces trap work. - Bouncing into the bottom of each rep, losing tension and bypassing the trap stretch. - Going too heavy and barely moving the dumbbells, which leaves the traps under-stimulated. ### 6. Dumbbell Curl 3 sets · 10 reps · 60s rest Keep the torso still and the elbows at your sides so the biceps do the work, not the shoulders. #### Steps - Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing forward. - Set your feet shoulder-width apart, brace your core, and pull your shoulders back and down. - Curl both dumbbells up toward your shoulders by bending at the elbows, keeping the upper arms pinned to your sides. - Squeeze the biceps hard at the top with the dumbbells close to your shoulders for a brief pause. - Lower the dumbbells slowly to full arm extension over 2 to 3 seconds. - Reset at the bottom with the arms straight and the shoulders set, then repeat for reps. #### Cues - Elbows stay pinned. - Lower slowly. - No swinging. #### Common mistakes - Swinging the torso back to throw the dumbbells up, which removes the biceps from the lift. - Letting the elbows drift forward on the way up, turning the curl into a partial front raise. - Cutting the range short at the bottom by never fully straightening the arms between reps. - Dropping the dumbbells fast on the way down and skipping the slow lowering phase where most growth lives. ### 7. Dumbbell Hammer Curl 3 sets · 10 reps · 60s rest Neutral grip with the palms facing in. Curl without swinging and lower over about two seconds. #### Steps - Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, arms at your sides, and palms facing your thighs. - Keep the elbows pinned to the ribs and the shoulders pulled back and down throughout the set. - Curl both dumbbells up by bending only at the elbow, keeping palms facing each other the whole time. - Squeeze hard at the top with the dumbbells just below shoulder height and the wrists locked straight. - Lower the weights under control over 2 to 3 seconds back to a fully straight-arm position. - Pause briefly at the bottom with the elbows extended, then curl back up for the next rep. #### Cues - Elbows stay close. - Wrists neutral. - Lower slowly. #### Common mistakes - Swinging the torso to throw the weight up instead of curling cleanly with the arms. - Letting the elbows drift forward at the top, which turns the curl into a half front raise. - Rotating the wrists at the top and rushing the lower, missing the brachialis-building tension. - Using too heavy a weight, which forces partial reps and short-changes the muscle stretch. ### 8. Dumbbell Incline Curl 3 sets · 12 reps · 45s rest Lying back puts the biceps under a longer stretch, so start lighter than your standing curl. #### Steps - Set a bench to about a 60 degree incline and sit back with a dumbbell hanging from each hand. - Let the arms fully extend straight down, palms facing forward, and pull the shoulder blades back into the bench. - Keep the elbows pinned at your sides and resist letting them swing forward as you start the rep. - Curl both dumbbells up by bending at the elbow only, squeezing the biceps as the weights rise. - Stop the curl just shy of the elbows traveling forward, then squeeze hard for a brief pause at the top. - Lower the dumbbells under control over 2 to 3 seconds back to the fully stretched bottom position. #### Cues - Arms hang back. - Full stretch low. - Squeeze at the top. #### Common mistakes - Letting the elbows drift forward at the top, which removes the long-head stretch the lift is designed for. - Rolling the shoulders forward off the bench, swapping biceps work for front-shoulder strain. - Rushing the lower portion and skipping the stretched bottom where most of the growth comes from. - Going too heavy, which forces a swinging cheat curl and loses the strict isolation.