Rack Pull
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The rack pull is a strength exercise performed from safety pins in a power rack at knee height or above, where you grip the barbell and pull it upward to a standing lockout position using a hip hinge motion. Its primary purpose is to build posterior chain power and overload the top range of a deadlift for improved lockout strength. It mainly targets the glutes, back (erectors, lats, traps), and hamstrings, requiring a barbell and rack; beginners and heavy lifters benefit most from its reduced range to focus on form and heavy loads without full deadlift stress.
How to Perform Rack Pull
- 1Stand facing a squat rack or barbell set at knee height, feet hip-width apart, toes pointing forward.
- 2Grip the bar just outside your knees with a double overhand or mixed grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
- 3Bend your knees slightly, hinge at your hips to lower your torso until your shoulders are over the bar, keeping your back flat and chest up.
- 4Engage your core, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and brace for the pull.
- 5Inhale deeply, then exhale as you drive through your heels to extend your hips and knees, pulling the bar straight up along your shins until you're standing tall.
- 6Pause briefly at the top with hips fully extended, glutes squeezed, and shoulders back.
- 7Inhale as you hinge at your hips to lower the bar controllably back to the starting position.
- 8Repeat for desired reps, then release the bar safely.
- 9Key form tips: Maintain a neutral spine throughout—avoid rounding your back. Keep the bar close to your body. Drive with your glutes and hamstrings, not your arms. Common mistakes: Using momentum or jerking the weight, letting hips rise first, or hyperextending at the top.
