Day 3: Pull
about 37 min| Exercise | Sets | Reps | RPE | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Row | 4 | 6-10 | 8 | 2.5 min |
| Dumbbell Pullover | 4 | 12-20 | 9 | 75s |
| Barbell Curl | 4 | 8-12 | 9 | 75s |
| Wrist Curl | 3 | 12-20 | 9 | 75s |
| Barbell Shrug | 3 | 10-15 | 9 | 75s |
Workouts by equipment
Back workout without a pull-up bar
The pull days of a home-gym week with the pull-up bar taken out: how to train a wide, thick back with a barbell and dumbbells.
- Workouts shown
- 2
- Per workout
- 20-37 min
- Level
- Advanced
Equipment: Barbell, rack, bench, dumbbells, bands and kettlebells, no pull-up bar
The workouts
Built by the same generator a MuscleBuddy account uses, for exactly this equipment. These are 2 of the 6 workouts in its week.
Day 6: Pull
about 20 min| Exercise | Sets | Reps | RPE | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Row | 3 | 8-12 | 8 | 2.5 min |
| Dumbbell Curl | 3 | 10-15 | 9 | 75s |
| Hammer Curl | 3 | 10-15 | 9 | 75s |
Notes from the generator
- Pull has no vertical pull movement your equipment supports, so it was built without one.
Times are estimates: the prescribed rest plus about 30 seconds per set. RPE is effort on a 10-point scale, so RPE 8 leaves about two reps in the tank.
Why these movements
A pull-up bar does one thing no row can copy exactly: it lets the arms pull from overhead, which is the vertical pull. Without it, the back is trained through the horizontal pull and the hinge instead.
Barbell and dumbbell rows cover the mid-back, and pullovers work the lats through a long range. Shrugs cover the upper traps, and curls take over the biceps work a chin-up would have done.
The generator says so itself in the notes below the workouts: with no vertical pull available, it builds the pull days without one rather than faking it.
How to run it
- These are the pull days of a six-day push, pull, legs week. Run them with a push day and a leg day between.
- Row to the lower ribs and pause with the shoulder blades back before you lower. The second pull day is short, so add a set or two to each lift if you have the time.
Want this progressed from what you log each workout?
MuscleBuddy builds this week around your own equipment, then moves the weight up when your logged sets earn it and adjusts when you stall.
Create your free accountFrequently asked questions
- Can you build a wide back without pull-ups?
- You can build a thick, strong back with rows and hinges. Width responds best to vertical pulling, so a doorway-mounted pull-up bar is a cheap fix if you want that pattern back. Add it and the app adds the pull-up.
- What replaces a pull-up at home?
- Dumbbell pullovers and rows. Neither copies the pull-up exactly, so row for volume and use pullovers for the long overhead range.