Rack Pull

The rack pull is a partial deadlift where the bar starts on blocks, pins, or safety arms at or just below knee height. It trains the hip hinge with a shorter range of motion, putting most of the work on your spinal erectors, glutes, and traps while also calling in your lats, grip, and hamstrings.

Set a barbell on blocks or rack pins so it sits at or just below your knees. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart or whatever stance you normally deadlift from. Grip the bar just outside your legs, keep your shins close to vertical, and set your hips so your shoulders are slightly in front of the bar. Pull the slack out of the bar and brace your trunk before you move.

Take a breath and brace your core. Push your feet through the floor and drag the bar up your legs. Keep the bar close, your lats tight, and your spine neutral. Finish by squeezing your glutes to stand tall at the top; do not lean back and arch your lower back. Lower the bar back to the pins under control and reset before each rep.

Breathe in and brace at the bottom, then hold that pressure until the rep is finished. Exhale at the top, then take your next breath before you pull again. If you need an easier version, start the bar above the knee to shorten the range of motion. To make it harder, lower the pins slightly or add a pause just below lockout. Keep the total volume low, and if you are using this as a reduced-range substitute after lower-back irritation, drop the load substantially and rebuild slowly.

Fault: The bar is set too high or too low, so your hips end up in the wrong spot and your back takes the hit. Fix: Set the bar at or just below knee height, then adjust your stance and hip position so your shoulders stay slightly ahead of the bar.

Fault: Locking out by cranking the lower back into hyperextension. Fix: Lockout with glutes, not lumbar hyperextension. Squeeze your glutes until you are tall, then stop.

Fault: Letting the brace go mid-rep, which rounds the spine and shifts load onto the lower back. Fix: Brace and push through the floor. Reset your breath and tension at the pins before every rep.

Fault: Bouncing the bar off the pins or blocks to lift more. Fix: Rest the bar fully on the supports, reset your position, and start each rep from a dead stop.