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Rack Pull
The Rack Pull is a strength exercise with a barbell for your back. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: gluteus maximus 22%, spinal erectors (lower back) 20% and hamstrings (biceps femoris) 12%.
Also known as: partial deadlift
How to do it
- Set the safety pins in a rack so the bar rests just below or just above the knees.
- Stand with the feet hip-width, mid-foot under the bar, and grip just outside the legs.
- Hinge to the bar with a flat back and the shoulders slightly ahead of it.
- Brace and drive the hips forward until you stand tall with the bar against the thighs.
- Lower the bar back to the pins under control without bouncing.
Tips
- Pull the shoulders back at the top without leaning back.
- Keep the bar close so the load stays over mid-foot.
Common mistakes
- Bouncing the bar off the pins between reps.
- Hyperextending the lower back at lockout.
- Bending the arms and rowing the bar up.
Muscles worked by the Rack Pull
Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.
Starting above the knee removes the quads and loads the lockout. Lifting a load from the floor with hips and knees extending together: glutes, spinal erectors and hamstrings drive it, quads break the floor, adductor magnus assists hip extension, grip and upper back hold the bar.
Rack Pull alternatives
Same equipment
Different equipment
Easier
No equipment
Make it harder
Make it easier
Similar exercises
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Rack Pull work?
Mainly the gluteus maximus, spinal erectors (lower back) and hamstrings (biceps femoris). The upper traps, hamstrings (semitendinosus/-membranosus) and adductors assist.
Is the Rack Pull good for beginners?
The Rack Pull is rated intermediate. If you are new, learn the Band Deadlift first and build up from there.
What is a good alternative to the Rack Pull?
For example the Block Pull, Band Deadlift and Dumbbell Deadlift. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.
How do you make the Rack Pull harder?
Add weight or reps, or move on to the Paused Deadlift and Jefferson Deadlift.
Sources
- Escamilla et al. 2002, MSSE 34(4):682-688 (sumo vs conventional)
- Swinton et al. 2011, JSCR 25(7):2000-2009 (hexagonal bar)
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