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Rack pulls?

16K views 61 replies 21 participants last post by  Tinytom  
#1 ·
Am I right in thinking that a rack pull is basically the last half of a deadlift? Less force on legs and lower back and more on traps and upper back.
 
#5 ·
Coincidentally I read something on this today. If you want a massive answer, then here it is. All credit to Jim Wendler. Note this is aimed at strength training not bodybuilding so may not even be relevant.

What is your opinion on rack pulls?

This is a classic case of an idea that works beautifully in theory but, at least in your

case, fails to pay off in the real world.

The theory behind rack pulls is that they allow you to use more weight than you

normally can handle in conventional deadlifts, which helps target certain sticking points,

namely the lockout position????a real sore spot for many lifters. Sounds good, huh? Like I

said, it's a swell theory.

The problem is, I'm not sure how effective this is for most people. I've seen (and

experienced) many extreme rack pulls that rarely carry over to the actual

deadlift. Personally, I've actually pulled over 900lbs from a rack and could barely lock

out 700 in the full range deadlift. Now, perhaps this 900lb rack pull allowed me to lock

out the 700, but I have a hard time believing that.

I think part of the problem is how rack pulls are performed in training. Most of the time

these are done for sets of 1, working up to a 1RM. That's fine and dandy if you want to

test your rack pull and see where you're at. But all that does is test you, not build you: if

training to a 1RM was all you needed to get stronger, then all you'd have to do is enter

a meet each week and max!

Question: How many times have you seen a lifter hit the weight room and work

up to a max single on the bench press? And do this every single workout? And

where is this person a year from now?

Answer: He's the same. Or he's hurt, or overtrained, or worst of all, he's sitting at

home arguing on the Internet about strength training.

The rack pull needs to be treated in the same way as we treat other assistance work,

but with an added caution: there's a difference between rack pulls and back

extensions, and doing multiple sets of 10-20 reps of back extensions isn't nearly as

stressful as doing the same thing with rack pulls.

Having said that, perhaps doing repetitions on some of the popular 1RM exercises like

rack pulls will help develop and strengthen the areas that they're designed to

help. Doing some sets of 5-10 reps certainly won't hurt you, and will probably develop

some much-needed muscle mass.

But these need to be programmed into your training with caution, son. So let's say

you're running my 5/3/1 program and wish to add rack pulls into the training. Because

it's a bigger assistance exercise, we can easily account for it with some minor changes:

Deadlift: 65% x 5, 75% x 5, 85% x 5 (don't go for max reps on the final set)

Rack Deadlifts: 4 x 6-8 reps at 80% of rack dead max

Glute Ham Raises: 3 sets of 10

Ab Wheel: 3 sets of 20

As for setup: where the bar is positioned during the rack pull is largely going to be

determined by your power rack. Racks with large spaces between holes obviously limit

you, although you can put the bar in the rack and adjust the height of your feet with

mats or plates. Truth is though, that's a major pain in the ass, so just pick a setting

below your knees and tug away.

Notice I said BELOW the knees. I'm not a fan of very high rack pulls (above the knees)

namely because, a) it ends up being yet another faggity ego contest, B) the bar bends

and ends up being an even shorter rack pull and, c) the body position during the rack

pull is vastly different than when used during the full range deadlift. In other words, try

to find a position below your knees. The most important thing to remember is this: The

rack pull is not the end itself, but a means to an end. Don't be one of those guys that

plays for Team Rack Pull and ****s the bed when it comes time to pull from the

floor. No one cares what you can tug from pin #9 (with straps); we care what you do

from the floor with just a belt.
 
#8 ·
MattGriff said:
Rack pulls are inferior to partial deadlifts - in a rack the bar flexes as the weight hangs off the sides - on a partial the weight sits on the plate as it does on a normla deadlift making them a true dead stop lift that doesn't **** up bars.
matt,

cos of work commitments, i am rushing through short, intense training sessions first thing on a morning, trying to keep the routine to half hour max.

im getting on a bit so need alot of warming up for doing dead lifts so what do you think of rack pulls from level with the knee as a short term replacement for deads? if i can take my lower back out of the lift i wont have to spend anywhere near as long warming up.
 
#10 ·
a.notherguy said:
matt,

cos of work commitments, i am rushing through short, intense training sessions first thing on a morning, trying to keep the routine to half hour max.

im getting on a bit so need alot of warming up for doing dead lifts so what do you think of rack pulls from level with the knee as a short term replacement for deads? if i can take my lower back out of the lift i wont have to spend anywhere near as long warming up.
Just how would a rack pull take the lower back out of it?
 
#12 ·
a.notherguy said:
matt,

cos of work commitments, i am rushing through short, intense training sessions first thing on a morning, trying to keep the routine to half hour max.

im getting on a bit so need alot of warming up for doing dead lifts so what do you think of rack pulls from level with the knee as a short term replacement for deads? if i can take my lower back out of the lift i wont have to spend anywhere near as long warming up.
I would just go in and deadlift, you can easily warm up for 15mins then spend 10-12mins on working sets and get far more stimulation than noncing around.
 
#13 ·
My back is or has been fecked for a while and i avoided deadlifts, I done rack pulls and thought i would get near the same stimulation on the CNS as deadlifts even if i pull twice as much as i deadlift , WRONG !!

I would say that its just an easy way to avoid doing deadlifts and i am getting on better deadlifting a poxy weight than if i rack pull much more. My ego might not think so but to hell with ego. I see it the same as partial squats, Floor presses and stuff like that . It has its uses as an accsessory but not a substitute but then its all goal dependant i suppose
 
#16 ·
retro-mental said:
My back is or has been fecked for a while and i avoided deadlifts, I done rack pulls and thought i would get near the same stimulation on the CNS as deadlifts even if i pull twice as much as i deadlift , WRONG !!

I would say that its just an easy way to avoid doing deadlifts and i am getting on better deadlifting a poxy weight than if i rack pull much more. My ego might not think so but to hell with ego. I see it the same as partial squats, Floor presses and stuff like that . It has its uses as an accsessory but not a substitute but then its all goal dependant i suppose
poxy weights here i come! lol
 
#17 ·
a.notherguy said:
wont leave me time to do anything else unfortunately. i may just do as retromental does and deadlift much lighter for a while
Most lifters would be far better served dedicating a good 90% of thier workout time to 4-5 big compound lifts:

Squat

Deadlift

BOR/Pullups

Overhead Press varient

Chest Press varient

than worrying about not having time to do other stuff.

Last time I checked nobody with a big deadlift ever had a small underdeveloped back and are generally far stronger, more athletic, less injury prone and more able bodied than most gym goers.

Pay your dues to the big lifts > worrying about other stuff
 
#18 ·
MattGriff said:
Rack pulls or indeed partial deadlifts should be performed from below the knee, not level with it - as you can see your legs are pretty much non existant in the lift.
That's as low as my bars go and I do them purely for lower back and glute. My Hamstrings get enough stimulation from the RDL's I do afterwards. If I didn't do that, I would probably either drill more holes (considering) or make a platform.
 
#21 ·
anab0lic said:
HEres how you get the most out of rack pulls guys.....don't just drop the fcuking weight down..... pick a weight which allows you to do the negative portion of the lift REALLY slowly.... I'm talking 5-6 whole seconds downwards... come back and tell me how your back feels and looks the next day ;)
Wow - if I follow this advice to the letter my back will instantly improve in 24 hours? This is the big secret I have been looking for - cheers!! :lol:
 
#25 · (Edited by Moderator)
Oh no it's the 'this exercise is the best exercise lalalala not listening to you anymore' debate

Bodybuilding is about the stress placed on the muscle forcing a reaction that causes increased muscle fibre thickness and volume.

Any exercise can do that. No bodybuilder who was of any note only relied on one exercise to build their physique.

Powerlifting is different from bodybuilding. My friend craig coombs trained at my gym the other day. We were both training back and although we both did deads and rows there was a marked difference in technique and application ie sets and reps. He's an ex bodybuilder turned power lifter.

He pulled 310 from the floor like it was nothing. My best pull is 280.

However my rep range for most exercises runs to 20 reps. He's a big powerful looking (and very strong) guy. I have more muscle separation.

2 very different physiques but both training the 'right way'
 
#26 ·
anab0lic said:
Deadlifting alone will not build areas most guys need to focus on to build an impressive back, if you truely believe that you have a lot to learn fella.

Most pro bodybuilders dont even deadlift at all, its right down the botttom of the list in terms of how important it is for building an a wide thick back.
Seems strange the advice though given the total lack of thickness your physique shows in your avatar.

Is it not working or have you miscalculated your TUT requirements?