Dumbbell High Pull

DumbbellIntermediate

The Dumbbell High Pull is a dynamic exercise that targets your shoulders, upper back, and arms. It helps improve explosive strength and coordination.

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge at the hips, keeping your back straight.
  3. Pull the dumbbells up towards your chin, leading with your elbows.
  4. Lower the dumbbells back to the starting position and repeat.

How to perform the Dumbbell High Pull

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Dumbbell High Pull using your dumbbell.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your primary working muscles.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your working muscles rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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