Conventional 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. Approach the bar with the feet about hip width apart with the bar over the mid foot. Grab the bar evenly with each arm at shoulder width. Your hands should be wider than your feet so your legs will fit inside the width of your arms. Hold onto the bar and wiggle your hips down and back until your shoulders are directly over the bar, chest is facing forward, and your back is tight with a neutral spine. “Snap 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, drive the hips forward while pulling on the bar until you are standing straight up with your abs and glutes squeezed. Your spine should be neutral (or in a visibly straight line) throughout the lift. Start the descent of the bar by sitting your hips backward and bending the knees 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.