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
Set the safety pins in a rack at about knee height and load the bar to your working weight.
2
Stand with feet hip-width apart, bar over mid-foot, and grip just outside the knees.
3
Pull the slack out of the bar, brace the core, and pull the chest up tall with a flat back.
4
Drive the floor away with your legs while keeping the bar dragging close to your thighs.
5
Stand fully tall by squeezing the glutes and locking out the hips and knees together.
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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