What you'll gain

• Builds upper-back and trap thickness with heavier loads than full deadlifts.

• Strengthens the deadlift lockout for stronger pulls overall.

• Teaches the hinge pattern through a shorter, easier range.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Set the safety pins in a rack at about knee height and load the bar to your working weight.

2. 2

   Stand with feet hip-width apart, bar over mid-foot, and grip just outside the knees.

3. 3

   Pull the slack out of the bar, brace the core, and pull the chest up tall with a flat back.

4. 4

   Drive the floor away with your legs while keeping the bar dragging close to your thighs.

5. 5

   Stand fully tall by squeezing the glutes and locking out the hips and knees together.

6. 6

   Lower the bar back to the pins under control, reset your breath, and repeat for clean reps.

Common Mistakes

• Setting the pins too low or too high, which removes the partial-lift benefit and risks form breakdown.

• Rounding the upper back hard to grind the rep, which strains the spine under heavy load.

• Hyperextending at the top instead of finishing with a tight glute squeeze and stacked rib cage.

• Bouncing the bar off the pins and using momentum instead of resetting between reps.

About This Exercise

The barbell rack pull is a partial deadlift performed from pins set around knee height. By starting from a higher position, the lifter can load more weight than a full deadlift and focus tension on the upper back, traps, and lockout strength. It's a favorite accessory for building mid-back thickness and breaking through deadlift sticking points. This clip is an easy add for any beginner-friendly strength app — the shorter range and more forgiving setup make it a great teaching piece for the hinge pattern before users progress to a full deadlift. App builders also use it as accessory inventory in pull-day flows and powerlifting programs targeting the deadlift lockout.

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