Training guide
A rack pull is a deadlift with the bottom cut off: the bar starts on a rack's pins, or on blocks, at about knee height, and you pull it up your thighs to stand tall. You can lift more than your deadlift from there, which makes it a heavy tool for the top of the pull, your grip and your upper back.
Partial lifts build strength mostly in the range you train, and no study has tested rack pulls for a bigger deadlift or a bigger back, so this guide treats them as a tool beside the full deadlift, not a replacement.
It covers the steps on the 3D figure, pin height, block and banded versions, how much weight, grip and straps, rack pulls after back pain, and how many.
The bar starts on a rack's pins, or on blocks (a block pull: the same exercise), just below or just above your knees, and you pull it up your thighs to stand tall. Just below the knee is the usual starting height, as on the move page.
Our synthesis of three different measures puts it at about 15 to 20% more than your deadlift from around knee height: 18 wrestlers lifted 18% more from just above the kneecap, 14 powerlifters pulled about 21% harder against a fixed bar there than at the floor, and 31 lifters lifted about 15% more with a trap bar's high handles. It varies between people.
Partial lifts build strength mostly within about 10 to 20 degrees of the range you train, and full-range training built more strength and lower-body muscle than partial-range training across 16 studies. So rack pulls train the top of the deadlift; they don't replace it.
We found no training trial of rack pulls, and no study of what they do for your back or trap size. They're traditional, not tested, as our increase your deadlift guide says.
Heavier bars test your grip: chalk, a double overhand grip for as long as it holds, then a hook grip or straps. In videos of torn biceps tendons during mixed-grip deadlifts, every tear was in the underhand arm.
Source 6
3 sets of 3 to 5 from just below the knee, stopping 2 reps short, with 3 to 5 minutes' rest (our increase your deadlift guide's editorial starting point), once a week in place of or after your heavy deadlift sets.
A deadlift that starts with the bar resting on a rack's pins or safeties, or on blocks or stacked plates, at about knee height, pulled up your thighs to standing. The move page calls it a partial deadlift in the stronger part of the lift, used to work the lockout of an established deadlift.
The bottom of the pull is cut off, so your knees bend less and your hips and back finish the lift, and you can lift more. That makes it a heavier, shorter exercise for the top of the deadlift.
Your glutes, hamstrings, the muscles along your spine, your upper back and traps, and your grip. No study has measured muscle activity or growth in rack pulls.
A sound barbell deadlift (the move page's prerequisite), and a grip that holds your deadlift weight.
Pin height follows your own knee, not a number: 'just below the knee' is lower for a shorter lifter.
From the move page (pins just below the knees, the bar against the thighs, no leaning back) and our deadlift guide's set-up and bracing. Settling the bar each rep is editorial.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Rack pull
The usual starting height, and the move page's. Lower the pins over the weeks to make it more like a deadlift; raise them above the knee and it becomes shorter and heavier, mostly a lockout and grip exercise (our suggestion; coaching pages commonly set the bar 2 to 3 inches either side of the knee).
The same exercise. Heavy bars dropped on a rack's pins can bend, so blocks or stacked plates are kinder to the bar (coaching practice), and the pins can stay set just below the bar as safeties.
In 25 powerlifting competitors the deadlift's sticking point came with the thigh at about 57 degrees to the ground, after the bar had left the floor. But in 31 lifters most showed no clear sticking region at all, so set the pins below where you slow down, if you do (our suggestion).
Three different measures point the same way. In 18 college wrestlers, a partial deadlift from about 2.5 cm above the kneecap reached 226 kg against 192 kg from the floor, about 18% more, and the two went closely together. In 14 powerlifters pulling against a fixed bar, force just above the kneecap was about 21% higher than at floor height, and about 45% higher near lockout. In 31 lifters, a trap bar with high handles, 22% shorter to lift, gave about 15% more than the conventional deadlift. Putting them together, about 15 to 20% more from around knee height is our synthesis, not one study's finding.
In a narrative review, partial lifts built strength mostly within about 10 to 20 degrees of the trained joint angle, and partial and isometric training had limited potential for growth. Across 43 studies of 1,660 people, training a lift raised that lift about twice as much as an untrained test. So rack pulls train the top of the deadlift.
Across 16 studies, full-range training built more strength (effect size 0.56) and more lower-body muscle (0.88) than partial-range training. A separate review found no study of range of motion and the trunk muscles. Heavier weight isn't more growth.
We found no training trial of rack pulls for the deadlift, for back or trap size, or for injury, and no study of spinal loads in them. Powerlifters use barbell variations widely, about 1.3 times a week for the deadlift in a survey of 548 lifters, but that's practice, not proof.
Source 16
In 12 trained men, bands anchored to the floor made the deadlift faster and more powerful but with less force at 60 and 85% of maximum. In 16 trained men, bands as resistance or as assistance raised force with no change in muscle activity. The banded rack pull uses the same idea over the top of the pull.
The move page's steps. Use less bar weight than your plain rack pull: the bands pull hardest at the top (the move page's cue). Check the bands before every set.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Rack pull with bands
Chalk and both palms facing you for as long as the grip holds, then a hook grip (thumb wrapped under your fingers) or straps for the heaviest sets, as our deadlift and increase your deadlift guides say. If grip is what you want to train, leave the straps off.
In 35 online videos of torn biceps tendons at the elbow, all in men, 25 happened during deadlifts, and in all 24 mixed-grip deadlift tears the torn arm was the underhand one, with the elbow straight. Videos can't show how often it happens, but it's a reason to use a hook grip or straps for heavy rack pulls, or to swap which hand is underhand.
Source 6
Set the pins higher or step closer, and keep the back shape you set, as our deadlift guide says.
Stand tall with your glutes squeezed; don't hyperextend, as the move page cues.
Keep it against your thighs the whole way.
Let the bar settle on the pins each rep.
Lifting more than your deadlift is normal, but add weight only while every rep looks the same, as our deadlift guide's rule says.
Use double overhand, a hook grip or straps for heavy sets; if you use a mixed grip, alternate which hand is underhand.
3 sets of 3 to 5 from pins just below the knee, stopping 2 reps short, with 3 to 5 minutes' rest: our increase your deadlift guide's editorial starting point, with our deadlift guide's rest. Start near your deadlift weight and add in small steps.
Rack pulls from just below the knee are the swap for the deficit deadlifts if you fail near lockout: 2 sets of 3 to 5, stopping 2 reps short, with 3 minutes' rest.
Once a week at most, in place of or after your heavy deadlift sets (our editorial starting point; coaches commonly use rack pulls in place of the heaviest deadlift sets for a while).
Stop 2 reps short and never grind out a heavy single. Strength gains came from heavier loads, 2 to 3 sets and lifting early in the session in the ACSM's overview, training to failure gave a trivial growth advantage at most, and most people misjudge the reps they have left by about one.
Lower the pins over the weeks before you pile on weight, and add weight only while every rep looks the same (our suggestion).
No study has tested rack pulls for growth. If you use them for your back, sets of 5 to 8, stopping 2 or 3 short, are a reasonable choice (our editorial starting point), but full-range rows, deadlifts and shrugs are the tested route.
3 to 5 minutes of easy movement and a few hip hinges, then 2 or 3 lighter sets building to your working weight, as our plans and deadlift strength workout do.
Source 17
Our lower back pain after deadlifts guide uses rack pulls from just below the knee, 3 sets of 5 with 3 or more reps in reserve, lowering the pins over the weeks, as a step back to the floor deadlift, starting at about half your old working weight. That's its editorial plan, and it uses the pain rule below and a first warm-up set as a test.
Rack pulls are useful after back pain because you can choose a height that passes the pain rule, not because they're gentler: the bar is heavier, and no study has measured back loads in rack pulls.
In 70 people with recurring back pain, supervised deadlift training matched gentler motor-control exercise for pain, with no difference at 1 and 2 years, and 50 to 80% reported less pain and disability. Those with less pain and better back-muscle endurance at the start did best.
Across 11 low-quality studies, bending the lower back while lifting wasn't a risk factor for back pain, and a review of 41 reviews found no consensus that postures cause back pain. A narrative review argues sudden jumps in load matter more. Set a long, braced back, accept small changes, and put the bar down if it changes a lot.
In national powerlifting competitors, modelled compression at the lowest lumbar joint reached 17,192 newtons in the deadlift. Powerlifting has about 1 to 4.4 injuries per 1,000 hours of training, similar to other non-contact strength sports, most often the lower back, shoulder and elbow, in mostly low-quality studies.
Pain you'd call mild to moderate, no more than about 5 out of 10, that settles within an hour or so, with your back no worse the next morning, is acceptable; if it is worse, do less next time (fewer reps, a smaller range, a lighter load), not nothing. Stop or shrink any movement that sends pain, pins and needles or numbness further down your leg. That's our back pain guides' rule.
The rack pull from just below the knee: 3 sets of 3 to 5, stopping 2 reps short (our increase your deadlift guide). The banded rack pull: 2 or 3 sets of 3, lighter than your plain rack pull (our editorial starting point). The reverse band deadlift, bands hung from the top of the rack to lighten the bottom: 2 to 3 sets of 3 to 6, stopping 2 or 3 reps short (the move page's dose). The trap bar deadlift, 3 sets of 5 to 8 (our lower body gym workout); its high handles give a shorter pull. The floor deadlift stays your main lift. Block pulls, above-knee and isometric rack pulls have no separate 3D demo: follow the rack pull.
Barbell shrugs for your traps: 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12, stopping 2 or 3 reps short (the move page's dose). Farmer's carries, 3 walks of 30 m, bent-over rows, 3 sets of 6 to 10, and 45-degree back extensions, 2 sets of 10 to 12 (all our deadlift strength workout); bar hangs for grip, 2 or 3 holds of 10 to 20 seconds (our grip strength workout); and hip thrusts for the lockout, 3 sets of 8 to 12 (our posterior chain workout).
3D demoBarbell shrugBeginner · A barbell
3D demoFarmer's carryIntermediate · A dumbbell + A kettlebell
3D demoBent-over barbell rowAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoBack extension on a 45-degree benchIntermediate · A bench or box
3D demoBar hangIntermediate · Pull-up bar + A step
3D demoBarbell hip thrustIntermediate · A barbell + A bench or boxOur deadlift strength workout offers rack pulls from just below the knee as its swap for the deficit block if you fail near lockout. The deadlift technique workout builds the floor deadlift first, and the beginner strongman workout has heavy pulls and carries.
A heavy deadlift session for lifters past the beginner stage: heavy sets of 3 to 5, deficit deadlifts, back extensions, rows and farmer's carries.
55 minIntermediate9 movesA barbell, Weight platesA 30-minute session from the hip hinge to your first deadlift: hinge practice, kettlebell deadlifts, slow Romanian deadlifts, a light bar and a carry.
30 minBeginner9 movesA kettlebell, A dumbbellA 60-minute strongman starter session for an ordinary gym: trap bar deadlifts, goblet squats, clean and presses, farmer's and suitcase carries and sled pushes.
60 minBeginner13 movesCardio machine, A wallBuild a floor deadlift that looks the same every rep first; the move page lists a sound barbell deadlift as the prerequisite.
Follow our lower back pain after deadlifts guide's stages, with its pain rule, rather than loading rack pulls heavy straight away.
Avoid the mixed grip: use double overhand, a hook grip or straps, and see our elbow pain when lifting guide.
Source 6
Keep your back long and avoid rounding under load, as the UK consensus advises; with spinal fractures, get a physiotherapist's advice before heavy pulls.
Source 30
Heavy pulls raise blood pressure sharply, more with a held breath: in 5 bodybuilders, pressure in the artery averaged 320/250 mmHg during a heavy double-leg press to failure. The American Heart Association calls low- to moderate-intensity strength training with proper breathing safe when blood pressure is controlled. Breathe out through the effort and leave heavy rack pulls until you've had advice.
No maximal pulls or breath-holding until it's repaired, as our hernia guide says.
Don't start rack pulls in pregnancy: the NHS doesn't recommend starting new vigorous activity. If you already lift, Tommy's says pregnancy isn't the time to try your heaviest weights, as our increase your deadlift guide notes.
Source 31
Half of women in weightlifting and powerlifting surveys reported pelvic floor problems such as leaking. It's a reason to see our pelvic floor guide and a pelvic health physiotherapist, not to stop lifting; see a GP about any leaking, as the NHS advises.
If you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise. The American Heart Association says these need immediate medical evaluation.
Source 28
For chest pain that comes on suddenly and doesn't go away, feels tight or like squeezing, spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness; severe difficulty breathing; someone who faints while exercising; palpitations that don't go away, or come with chest pain, shortness of breath or feeling faint; or a headache that starts suddenly and is extremely painful, especially while lifting or straining, or comes with numbness or weakness, difficulty speaking or loss of vision. The NHS says a bleed on the brain may be more likely when lifting something heavy. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Call 999 or go to A&E: loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
Call 999 or go to A&E: back pain with chest pain, or back pain that started after a serious accident, such as a car crash.
Same day (GP or NHS 111): back pain and you feel hot, cold, shivery or generally unwell, or severe pain that starts suddenly or is getting worse quickly.
Source 39
Pain in your bottom and down the back of one leg: see a GP if it isn't better after a few weeks of home treatment, is getting worse or stops your normal activities. Sciatica on both sides, weakness or numbness in both legs that's severe or getting worse, or numbness around or under your genitals or around your bottom, is a 999 call or a trip to A&E.
Source 40
Sudden pain with a pop, then bruising or a bulge in your upper arm, can be a torn biceps tendon: go to an urgent treatment centre or A&E, as a tear is best repaired within the first 2 to 3 weeks, as our increase your deadlift guide says.
Stop, sit or lie down until it passes, and get up slowly. See a GP if it keeps happening, or for dizziness that won't go away or keeps coming back.
Source 41
See a GP if you think you have a hernia, a bulge or lump that may get bigger when you strain and smaller when you lie down. Get help from NHS 111 if you have a hernia and pain in or around it, a bloated tummy, you feel or are sick, you're vomiting blood or your vomit looks like coffee grounds, you're constipated, you have a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused. Call 999 or go to A&E for a femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of your thigh, in your groin) with very bad tummy pain, sickness, being unable to fart or poo, a high temperature or sudden confusion.
Speak to your GP first if you haven't exercised for some time or have medical conditions or concerns, as the NHS advises. Get advice before heavy lifting or hard straining work if your blood pressure is uncontrolled, or you have heart disease or chest pain when you're active, a pacemaker or defibrillator, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, a hernia, recent eye or tummy surgery, or you're pregnant, as our breathing guide lists.
Source 27
No study has measured back or trap growth from rack pulls. Full-range training built more lower-body muscle than partial-range training across 16 studies, a narrative review found partial training has limited potential for growth, and no study has tested range of motion for the trunk muscles. Heavier weight isn't more growth.
Neither rack pulls nor deficit deadlifts have been tested for raising the deadlift, and partial lifts build strength mostly near the range you train, as our increase your deadlift guide says.
Source 4
You can lift more from about knee height, around 15 to 20% more by our synthesis of three measures, and the floor is the weakest position.
The bar is heavier, and no study has measured back loads in rack pulls. They help after back pain because you can choose a pain-free height, not because they're gentler in general.
Across 15 studies, training to failure gave a trivial growth advantage at most. Stop heavy pulls 2 reps short.
Source 15
A deadlift that starts with the bar on a rack's pins, usually just below or just above your knees, and finishes standing tall. Pulled from blocks instead, it's called a block pull.
Just below the knee for most uses; above the knee is shorter and heavier, mostly for lockout and grip. Lower the pins over time to make it more like a deadlift.
About 15 to 20% from around knee height, by our reading of three different measures: wrestlers lifted 18% more from just above the kneecap, and powerlifters produced 21% more force there than at the floor. It varies between people.
No trial has tested it. Partial lifts build strength mostly near the range you train, so rack pulls train the top of the pull; keep full deadlifts as your main lift.
They work the back, traps and grip hard, but no study has measured growth from them. Full-range training built more muscle than partial-range training in pooled trials; rows, deadlifts and shrugs are the tested route.
Deadlifts, as your main lift. Rack pulls are a shorter, heavier tool for the top of the pull, for grip, or for coming back after back pain.
3 sets of 3 to 5 from just below the knee, stopping 2 reps short, with 3 to 5 minutes' rest, once a week at most. That's our editorial starting point; no study has tested rack pull doses.
For heavy sets, straps or a hook grip let your back and hips do the work. If you use a mixed grip, swap which hand is underhand: in videos of torn biceps tendons during mixed-grip deadlifts, every tear was in the underhand arm.
They can be a step back to the floor after back pain, at a height that passes the pain rule, as our lower back pain after deadlifts guide sets out. They're not a treatment, and the weight is heavier, not lighter.
The same exercise. Heavy pulls dropped on a rack's pins can bend bars, so blocks or stacked plates are kinder to the bar.
A rack pull shortens the pull to train the top; a deficit lengthens it to train the start. Neither has been tested for raising your deadlift, so pick the one that matches where you struggle.
You can, but they're different lifts, and we found no studies of either. With dumbbells, a Romanian deadlift to just below the knee is the nearest thing.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
