When it comes to building your back, we always think of the same exercises: pull-ups, muscle ups, vertical pull-ups and so on.
The reverse draw (also called australian pull ups) is often forgotten, see below.
It is however a great horizontal pulling exerciseone of the few existing at body weight.
What is a reverse draw?
On closer inspection, one could say that these are reverse push-upssince we pull (where we push with push-ups) about 70% of our body weight.
It’s a perfect addition to pumps to develop a balanced physique.
It is also an exercise in fantastic progression to pull-ups which is suitable for everyone, whatever the level (we will see advanced variants) and allows:
- to improve your posture,
- to balance an upper body,
- develop the back muscles (latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, rear deltoids) and biceps,
- to access certain more advanced calisthenics exercises such as the forehead lift.
If you can’t do pull-ups, reverse pull-ups are great for getting started! If you can do pull-ups, that’s no reason to overlook Aussie pull-ups. For example, you can do your series of pull-ups then follow up with Australian pull-ups, without a break (mechanical degressive).
You can do reverse pulls at home without too much equipment, all you need is a sturdy table to tow under (don’t forget to put a counter weight on the table).
We talk more about it in our complete guide to the best arm exercises at home without equipment.
If you’re indoors, you can do reverse pull-ups on a smith machine or a squat rack with a low bar.
That being said, today we are going to talk about the better version, the one that is done with gymnastic rings. This version will place less constraints (we are more free with rings, which means that it is better for the triculations) and will require more stabilization, especially at the level of the trunk.
In other words, treat yourself to a pair of rings (I recommend this model), it’s inexpensive and the return on investment will be worth it!
To perform the elevated reverse ring pull:
- Adjust your rings so that your straight body is as close to the ground as possible when your arms are straight,
- Grab the dangling rings and place your legs on a raised surface,
- The body is straight and perfectly aligned, the glutes are contracted, your head is neutral, your legs tight and stretched,
- Initiate the movement by depression and scapular retraction (shoulder blades down and touching), then pull up by bending your arms along the body until your torso touches the rings (your elbows pass behind your body for full amplitude).
- Return to the starting position in a controlled manner.
For the grip of the rings, you can opt for pronation (good if you want to improve your pull-ups), neutral (perfect if you don’t know what to choose) or supination (boost for the biceps).
If we use the analogy of reverse push-ups, at the end of a push-up exercise, the body is parallel to the ground.
It must be the same here at the top of the draw.
If having your feet elevated is too difficult (or you have nothing to do), proceed on the ground with the body as close to the ground as possible.
What if it’s still too difficult?
As with push-ups, one can easily adapt the exercise to make it simpler, just change body position.
The more upright you are, the more reps you should be able to do. The more your body is horizontal and closer to the ground, the greater the load to be towed.
Aim for 30 reps for the simplest variation then progress to 8-10 reps for the elevated feet variation.
If you can do 10 to 15 strict repetitions of this movement, then you should move on to more advanced variations (see below).
Mistakes to avoid
The big mistakes on this movement will be anything that contributes to not having the body perfectly straight:
- shoulder blades in the wrong position or shoulders in a high position, close to the ears (remember, we initiate with a retraction and a scapular depression),
- an inactive trunk or sagging hips, remember to engage the abdominals and glutes,
- poor range of motion, you want to hit the rings with every rep.
3 variations to go further
With practice, you’ll get to that point where you’ll be able to do 15 clean reps of the reverse row with your feet elevated.
Rather than increasing the number of repetitions, here are 3 progressions.
1. One arm pull
As a unilateral movement, the one-arm pull can be good for correcting possible muscle imbalances.
To achieve it:
- Feet on the ground (shoulder width apart for good support) and legs at 90°, your hips are fully extended,
- Ring in hand, arm outstretched, initiate the exercise by engaging the shoulder blade,
- Your other arm is extended and pushing against the side of your body, fist clenched for stability,
- Do your one-arm pull, with the same range of motion (elbow goes behind the body), pause at the peak of the contraction,
- Return to the starting position in a controlled manner and also pause at the bottom so you don’t gain momentum.
Throughout the movement, keep the hips extended and the abs engaged for good stability and better recruitment of the back muscles.
Also, keep your glutes/hamstrings tight and don’t use momentum.
As you progress, straighten your legs, but always keeping your hips extended.
Start the series with your weaker arm, then rest 45 seconds and repeat with the other for the same number of repetitions.
As with the inverted bass draw, start with an almost upright position, then increase the tension by moving to a horizontal position.
Finally, elevate your feet to decrease leg assistance.
2. Weighted reverse pull
Here, it’s exactly the same movement with an additional load that you can place:
- on the window,
- in the back with a weight belt.
With the second version, we don’t have to worry about balance, we put the belt, the weight in the back, and we shoot.
Attention, there should not be much space between the plate and the ground so that there is no contact.
Again, you can combine ballast and elevation, placing your feet on a support to progress.
By placing the weight disc directly on your belly, you have a faster installation, which also has the merit of forcing a clean technique, otherwise the weight will fall.
You can easily change the intensity by increasing the load. Aim to work in an 8-15 rep set to get stronger and develop those backbones.
3. Front lift pull
We end with a good variation to improve leverage and progress on this street workout movement called “front lever”.
On the rings, we will work with a rotational movement pattern at the level of the grip, namely that we will start in pronation to finish in a neutral grip.
Thus, the elbow remains close to the body.
Make sure you finish each rep with your arms straight.
As for the progression here, it is very simple and involves changing the lever. Basically, the longer you lengthen your body, the more you increase the leverage and difficulty of the exercise.
We can therefore gradually unbend the knees until the legs are extended (one leg, then two at the same time).
What to remember?
You now know everything about the reverse draw and its variations.
I really invite you to think of this exercise as an inverted push-up. Integrate it into your program, whether you are a beginner or not!
Ideally, you’ll do this on the rings, but if that’s not possible, a low bar will do just fine.
If you don’t have low bars in the street park near you, but just parallel bars, know that you can get away with bracing your feet on them.
Good draw to all!
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