The Rack Pull

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The rack pull is an excellent lift to help with the lockout portion of the deadlift. It is a heavy stress on the hamstrings and the low back, so it fits in with the general programming guidelines of deadlifting in that it shouldn’t be done more than once a week and at higher levels will need to be cycled with other types of pulling.

The low back muscles aim to maintain isometric contraction in order to keep the positioning of the lumbar spine and pelvis constant. The hamstrings rely on the lumbar muscles anchoring the pelvis so that the hamstrings can maintain tension to extend the hip. If the lumbar region rounds, then the pelvis posteriorily tilts and causes the hamstrings to shorten from the proximal attachment at the hips. If the hamstrings are shortened, then they can’t shorten effectively to extend the hip, and this is what they are trying to do at the lockout of a pull.

Back rounding will occur at higher intensities, but that doesn’t mean all training should habitually include this lumbar rounding. Rack pulls should aim to accumulate volume and higher intensities with decent lumbar positioning. It’s an exercise that shouldn’t be trained hardcore unless you’re experienced, especially with deadlifting (assume 12 to 18 months of consistent deadlifting, and a longer duration of accumulated training).

Rack pulls can be done with different heights from different people, so it isn’t easy to compare rack pulls to one another. Be sure to choose an appropriate position on the leg for your rack pulls. The rack pulls that will work the entire lockout the best put the bar right below the patella. This is primarily where I have people pull from, because I want them to work the entire range of motion of the lumbar/hamstring deadlift lock out. Doing them higher will neglect part of that range of motion but will allow much higher loads to be used, but again, I aim for appropriate work given the deadlift mechanics. This doesn’t mean that rack pulls that are pulled from mid-thigh are bad, it’s just that I would reserve them for specialized cases or lifters.

The only available video I have is this grainy piece of shit from Mike’s phone. It’s Chris rack pulling 610×5 — below his meet PR of 633. Having him pull 700+ from mid-thigh for fewer reps would not meet the volume goals we had in doing the set of five as well as not working through the full ROM of the deadlift lockout. Note that his starting position is below the knee cap and the use of straps (multi-rep rack pull sets should use straps so the grip isn’t the limiting factor and so the hands and forearms don’t get rocked). Also note his comically small t-shirt that fit him a few years ago (it has a picture of him and his girlfriend on it).



The rack pull is a great exercise that can help work the lockout ROM of the deadlift. Pulling from below the knee cap will arguably be the most effective method to help increase the deadlift when programmed effectively. Rack pulls work well to get some pulling volume on the hamstrings. I’ve made the observation that most people who low bar back squat don’t have trouble with the first part of a deadlift (or “getting it off the floor”). A combination of a) effective hamstring training during the low bar back squat and b) not being stupid with deadlift attempts (including for sets in training) will eliminate “off the floor” problems. Locking the hips out (via hip extension) when fatigued becomes the limiting factor, and the rack pull helps this. I’m more impressed with rack pull numbers that are pulled from below the knee because they require rigid discipline of the low back and hamstrings as opposed to pulling insanely higher loads from the mid and upper thigh.
Edit: Don’t rack pull with an alternated grip. Getting a biceps strain will be counter productive. Instead, use straps.

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20 thoughts on “The Rack Pull”

  1. I am a big fan of rack pulls since I have lock out problems. Getting close to my deadlift max, I notice stalling just above my kneecaps that I SLOWLY grind out to the finish. When I’m pulling it feels like a long time but only a couple seconds.

  3. I dig rack pulls also. Good chance to work on staying tight with a large amount of weight in your hands. My lockout is pretty solid, I need more work from the floor to my knees, so I guess my LBBS isn’t as tight as it should be.

    I have a question… With my current living situation, it makes for a happier wife if I train early in the morning. I never feel really up for the workout and think I might be shortchanging myself. Any tips on nutrition and/or supplementation for the night before or morning of? I know one thing I need to work on is getting more sleep.

    If you are cycling when you eat your carbs throughout the day, eat them before going to bed (oatmeal or something that slowly digests). Even if you aren’t cycling the carbs, I’d do it anyway. Get a sharp influx of carbs upon waking with protein (orange juice, fruit, and why would work). Drink coffee. Rock and roll.

    –Justin

  4. Justin

    When is it appropriate to start using the rack pull in your training ? I’m 6’1, weigh 95kg and have been using wendler’s program for about the last 14 months now. I’ve had a couple of setbacks in recent months, but my last deads I pulled 220×3 on the 3 week a few weeks prior I did 230×4 on the 1 week. I read or heard Rip saying that once you get to around 500×5 it will be worth breaking the lift down into halting deads, rack pulls, power cleans and shrugs. I figure I can still push 5-3-1 for as long as I work on my pull off the ground… So maybe just add in front squats for a while to compliment the dead and then use the rack pull when i start having problems with extension?

    Thanks in advance.

    1. Are you using pounds or kilos? If you have been on a program for 14 months and only are up to 220 pounds, then your program is too advanced for you or you’re doing something wrong (or have some pathology I’m not aware of). Fill in the information blanks for me. Edit: You’re using kilos, see bold response below.

    2. All the people that I have coached who have done haltings didn’t receive much benefit aside from a nice lat pump. They pulling mechanics were always different, and it didn’t translate well into a better deadlift. Furthermore, it made the deadlift feel foreign because the only time they pulled off the floor was to do haltings. This response to haltings is mild compared to Johnny Pain’s.

    3. Power cleans will only help some people so much. If a guy has a 600 pound deadlift, and can only power clean (a legit) 250, then power cleans won’t help that guy.

    4. People that I have had to power shrugs said that they specifically did not help the deadlift. It definitely helped develop a yoke, but it didn’t help the deadlift. The nature of the movement would lead me to believe that power shrugs would be better to improve the extension of the Oly lifts as opposed to improving the deadlift. But, again, it was solid across the board that the power shrug didn’t help the deadlift, and the mechanical reason is indicated in this post (it is essentially a speed rep pulled from mid thigh — hardly something that would help train the lockout).

    5. I believe that careful programming of the deadlift — a set up that includes deadlifts — is what will make the deadlift go up (and it has).

    6. Regarding your weird speed bump in the 5/3/1, I would assume you probably could have done something different in the programming leading up to that point. Personally, I’d rather see you do well with the higher weights, so this whole point may be moot. Are you de-loading effectively? Are you having any workouts or weeks that would accumulate volume that would debilitate you for 2 weeks? How many sets per workout are you getting? At your strength level, ESPECIALLY given your body weight, you are only going to be able to handle one significant deadlift set per week. Your deadlift programming may need to be cycled differently — sending you an e-mail now.

    –Justin

  6. artesuave, I’m no Justin, but I’d suggest not switching to rack lifts based on the #’s being lifted, but based on your actual lift performance. If your progress stalls, and you have a problem locking out, or you’re just having a hard time recovering from full DL’s, rack pulls are excellent. That being said, your numbers are great, and nobody’s going to bag on you if you decide to play with rack pulls now. Rip personally told me to start incorporating them when my 1RM was a measly 220kg, for example – but my lockout was clearly my weakspot.

  7. I started doing heavy rack pulls above 6 months ago and saw my deadlift just rise like crazy! I really need to focus on keeping straighter legs and focus on the lower back for movement, but it’s too easy to just “lock out the weight”. My 3rd rep here looks best.
    What do you say, Justin? Just pulled 555 for a PR, but lost my left hand grip at lockout(food poisoning ftl and continued to throw up for the next 30 hours :P)

    Observations on video:

    1. You start with the bar at the top of his patella.

    2. Your knees move forward, thus kinda reducing the hamstring tension and bringing in the quads to kind of push the weight up instead of the hamsrings locking it out.

    3. Touch and go reps aren’t typically what I recommend for these, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t helpful.

    4. Your grip seems wide, but it may be what you use. A more narrow grip would mean less distance you have to pull the bar and a very subtle improvement in off-the-floor mechanics.

    4. You deadlift 555 and say these rack pulls helped you.

    That means that rack pulls are very good for your purposes. I wonder if it would help more if your hamstrings were tight and you pulled below the knee? I’m honestly not sure, but I do worry about the lack of hamstring tension you have for optimal development to battle the lockout. I guess one reason why starting the bar below the knees helps is because the knees can’t push forward under the bar to push it up and take tension off the hamstrings.

    Good work so far, and it has made me think about the utility of “top of the knee” rack pulls, which I am less experienced with regarding programming. I think I see more utility in the below the knee pulls, but that doesn’t mean I’m 100% correct or they should be used in 100% of situations.

    Side note: how long have you been seriously lifting and where has your DL gone in that time?

    –Justin

  9. Justin-
    That’s the lowest setting I can get on the rack, which sucks, because it allows me to get my patellas under the bar, like you noticed, which allows my torso to remain more upright- somewhat negating the effect of a rack pull.

    I don’t want to stand on a platform, since all we have are those aerobic step deals which I feel unstable on(me 260 + weights).

    I think I’m going to build block to rest the plates on, moreso of a 18″ deadlift in strongman.

    I hardly deadlift heavy very often. In October I pulled 495×2 easy. Day after Thanksgiving I failed 545(4″ off the ground). Pulled 435×8(part of 5-3-1 program), and haven’t deadlifted heavy since last Friday, when I pulled 555.

    I know I’m cheating my rack pulls, but I can’t start with the bar any lower, given my power rack and such.

    Seriously lifting for the past 18 months. Took a year off and was lifting for about a year before that. Always played hockey, however, and currently training strongman events and some raw powerlifting.

    Can you stand on 45# plates?

    If I were coaching you, I’d have you deadlift at least twice a month, albeit programmed in a certain way.

    –Justin

  10. I suppose I could. My Romaleos are stiff enough that it shouldn’t matter.

    I do need to DL heavy more often. It sucks cause I vary my programming and what I want- play hockey, do strongman, do highland games, raw powerlift, oly lift, try and look good for the wife, and still run my auto shop and work on cars all day :P I need to narrow it down :P

    Haha, I’d say so, big guy.

    –Justin

  11. Thanks, Justin!

    The weights are in kilos, apologies for the confusion.

    regarding the programming.. I could’ve done accessory work and been better rested I suppose,but i’ve done what I could with the time i’ve had. I work around 70 hour weeks and do between 5-7 hours BJJ on top.

    a typical week would be

    Mon- Squats & Power Clean (pull-ups between sets) then possibly BJJ.

    Wed – Press then BJJ. (old shoulder injury sometimes gives me grief so I may not press, but when they’re good i’ll press more.

    Thursday – Deads & PS or PC – possible sub 10 min workout.

    Friday off

    Saturday – BJJ

    My conditioning mainly comes from BJJ sparring, if it’s been a relatively easy week then I will do a couple of workouts, but that’s it.

    My deload week is pretty crap to be honest, sometimes 60% can feel heavy if BJJ has been tough. As long as I eat plenty I will recover pretty well – I do have to be mindful about bodyweight though :( that said, if there are no fights in sight I like to drink rum :)

  12. I def think im weird. I never have trouble finishing a deadlift. Its always getting it about an inch or 2 off the ground. The weird thing about it is i LBBS and I Oly lift.

    My squat is about 425-435 and my deadlift is just a little bit higher. Cant figure out whats wrong with me. I can rack pull a shit ton higher from right below the knee.

    I’d have to see it or know how often you deadlift.

    –Justin

  13. Hey Justin,

    Off topic. I have my first weightlifting meet on sat. Wondering about openers. Snatch pr is 106kg. C&j is 141 kg. Bw is 105kg. Thinking open with 100kg (I usually go 9/10 for successful lifts with 100) and 130 kg for the c&j (again no real issue at this weight). Hoping for 4kg jmos with snatch and 5-6 kg jumps with c&j. Too aggressive? Thoughts? Thanks.

    So far so good. You want to crush the openers for your first meet — leave no doubt that you are going to get them. Meet PR’s don’t equal gym PR’s, so aim to hit your PRs or just slightly above them them on the third attempt.

    1st attempt – crush
    2nd – get closer to PRs
    3 – meet PR or break it by a little

    –Justin

  14. Sick quads bro (no homo). I’m straight jelly over here.

    BTW today I did a set of ten back extensions with 110#. My best PR prior to taking up barbell training was 45×10. All I did to add that much poundage was squat and deadlift, with a belt. A 2″ belt, but still a belt. Just goes to show that wearing a belt does not weaken the core.

  15. I am looking for some information on finding o-lifting competitons. I’ve been looking for a while and can’t find anything. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

  16. after this weekend I have another reason to hate crossfitters

    After the conclusion of our Oly meet on Sunday, the (elderly) meet organizers ask for help putting away weights and plywood, since there is a room full of able bodied weightlifters. One would think the “functional elite strength athletes” would show off their functional skills by helping out, but instead they all sat in the corner and watched. This is the second meet where this happened, pretty much same group of crossfitters too.

    I guess they were worried about impacting their fran times? Whatever the case, GFY, crossfit

  19. @ Jacob Motherfucking Cloud

    Sorry I missed your post yesterday, it was past my bedtime when I posted. I hear you! But I do think that my hams and back could be stronger so thought that the rack pulls might help. Justin dropped me an email with some interesting stuff which i’m going to start using after I de-load next week.

    Cheers bud

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