Hi everyone,
I have never given the rack pull much attention before. But I’m thinking about using to help develop my upper back. Out of curiosity I tested my rack pull max today to see where it’s at. The bar was set about an inch below my knees. I made it to 455 which is equal to both my conventional and sumo bests.
I’m wondering if it’s normal for rack pull strength to be the same as full rom dl strength. Are there reasons it might be this way?
Thanks for responses
Depends on start position. If you are starting at a weak point it can actually be lower since you don’t have momentum to get past the spot where you are weak.
Most people rack pulling WAY more than off the floor are generally pulling at or above the knee where it’s a very different form than starting from the floor.
[quote]pabergin wrote:
I’m wondering if it’s normal for rack pull strength to be the same as full rom dl strength. Are there reasons it might be this way?[/quote]
Let’s read your post in reverse to find the answer:
[quote]pabergin wrote:
I have never given the rack pull much attention before.[/quote]
And I think we found our answer.
You improve at almost anything with practice/specificity. If you haven’t done many rack pulls, I’m not all that surprised that your first time really testing your 1RM, you came up with your regular DL max despite the shorter stroke. If you spent a few weeks training rack pulls, I would expect a commensurate increase in the amount of weight pulled.
No that’s weird. From an inch below the knee I’m about 60-70lbs stronger than I am from the floor.
It’s ALL about body positioning / form / setup. I would venture to say that anyone will be stronger in the rack IF you figure out the best starting position / setup for the particular rack height. For some the latter doesn’t come naturally after a few tries and as a result won’t pull that much in the racks.
Since you are interested in upper back hypertrophy, all you have to care about is to fully work / activate your upper back and max poundage (see the other thread about what I had to say about that).
I find that the rack pull tends to not map on to the floor pull like a block or mat pull would due to the fact that the bar, rather than the plates, is in contact with the pins. This alters the experience/mechanics of the pull pretty significantly in my experience, and can most likely explain the issue you’re experiencing. Basically, you have almost no ability to pull any slack out of the bar, nor can you really roll the bar into a decent starting position, so it’s going to rob you of some poundages.
If you can find a way to elevate the plates to a similar height, give that a go and see how much weight you can move. If it’s still the same issue, then you may have identified a weak point in your pulling.
Since you said you’re interested in building up your upper back, give this a go and tell me how it goes. I can’t try it out yet for at least a few weeks =/
[quote]infinite_shore wrote:
[quote]Mizery wrote:
[quote]infinite_shore wrote:
[quote]Mizery wrote:
[quote]infinite_shore wrote:
@Mizery: You can do the pulls in two basic ways:
(1) start with a flexed (“rounded”) upper back (thoracic spine) and then extend (“unround”/straighten) it holding the bar.
[/quote]
I’ve seen someone doing this before but it hurts my back just watching him doing it, but if it has your approval then I will definitely try it out. [/quote]
You have? I think it is a very rare exercise. Sure people do the whole hunched-back pulling style, but there is a big difference between doing them intentionally with proper form as I suggest and out of ignorance. [/quote]
Just to be clear, you start out with your upper back kind of hunched over, and then when you reach the top, you straighten out your thoracic spine, as if unrolling it, while keeping the lower back neutral/slightly arched throughout the movement? I apologise for the shitty explanation. I don’t know if he was doing it intentionally or not but that’s what I pictured when you described the movement.
[/quote]
No, you got it. But start the exercise from the top - take the bar out and stand tall with shoulders retracted and then roll the upper back, leading with your head, and reverse.[/quote]
to use rack pull striclty for back building, set the barbell above the knees.
That is for bodybuilding purpose, it won’t improve your normal deadlift but the weight will be much heavier and back stimulation will be great.
This kind of rackpull is called “quad pull” sometimes. Expect a decent glute work too.