Pull day workout: back, rear delts and biceps.

A practical pull-day session with vertical and horizontal pulls, biceps work, rep ranges and substitutions.

DIRECT ANSWER

Pull day workout: back, rear delts and biceps. This template is for a gym-based lifter who wants balanced back and arm work inside a ppl structure. Run once weekly in a three-day PPL week or repeat only when the full six-day rotation fits recovery and attendance.

Who this is for

A gym-based lifter who wants balanced back and arm work inside a PPL structure.

Most sessions should take roughly 50–75 minutes when rest periods and equipment access are predictable.

Weekly schedule

Run once weekly in a three-day PPL week or repeat only when the full six-day rotation fits recovery and attendance.

The sessions

Warm up for the movement and load in front of you. The listed sets are working sets.

  • Pull-up or lat pulldown — 3 × 6–10
  • Chest-supported row — 3 × 8–12
  • Single-arm cable row — 2 × 10–15
  • Reverse fly — 3 × 12–20
  • Dumbbell or cable curl — 3 × 8–15

How to progress

Add repetitions inside the range before load. Keep torso position and range of motion stable so a heavier row remains comparable.

Keep one to three repetitions in reserve for most working sets unless the programme gives a different, deliberate target.

Substitutions

Use another supported row when lower-back fatigue would limit the target work. Choose assisted pull-ups or pulldowns when bodyweight repetitions fall outside the range.

Common mistakes

Do not add exercises simply because the session felt short. Avoid changing several variables at once, and do not carry a missed session into the next day if that destroys the rest of the week.

Use it in Bulk Coach

Recreate the session as a saved workout, assign its weekday if the schedule is fixed, and choose each catalogue exercise by its intended movement role. One-click import is not claimed; review exercise names, sets and rep ranges before the first session.

Sources and further reading

  1. ACSM progression models for resistance training
  2. Proximity-to-failure systematic review
Updated 7 August 2026Reviewed by James Wood, founder