Sumo Rack Pull (Knee Height)

Set your safety pins or spotter arms in your squat rack so that when the bar rests on them it will sit at about your kneecap height. Load the bar with the weight you are attempting to lift. Approach the bar taking a wider stance where the shins are directly outside the arms when the arms are grabbing the bar at shoulder width. With the feet slightly turned out (or straight ahead), grab the bar with both hands shoulder width apart. Wiggle your hips closer to the bar to take out any excess space between the arms and the legs and create as much tension as possible. Once you are in position, establish your grip by “Snapping the bar in half.” We are going to imagine we are breaking the bar in half by driving the elbows back, putting more force into the pinky’s. This will protect your back by tightening the lats to avoid rounding in the spine and creating more whole body tension. Pull tight on the bar before lifting to take the “slack” out of the bar.

Once you are fully engaged and super tight, pull the bar off the ground by driving your back towards the wall behind you and driving the hips forward by squeezing the glutes until you are standing straight up with your legs locked and your body in one straight line. Keep your abs squeezed and glutes squeezed at the top in order to avoid leaning back too far. Start the descent of the bar by sitting your hips all the way back and bending the knees while bringing your chest towards the floor until the barbell rests on the pins. Re-grip if you need to and repeat these steps for repetitions.

Trainer Tip: Rack pulls are a great way to safely deadlift with less ROM while still reaping many of the benefits. You can also overload rack pulls more than your off the floor deadlift to strengthen connective tissue, bones, and improve CNS output in a safe range of motion.