Lower back exercise
Rack PullHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Lower back, Traps, Glutes
- Also works
- Hamstrings, Forearms
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Rack Pull?
- Set the bar on the pins just below your knees and stand with feet hip-width apart.
- Push your hips back and grip the bar just outside your legs.
- Flatten your back, lift your chest and brace your stomach.
- Drag the bar up your thighs and push your hips forward to stand tall.
- Push your hips back and lower the bar to the pins gently.
Cues
- Bar stays on your legs.
- Hips through to finish.
- Stand tall, no lean back.
Common mistakes
- Rounding your back: brace before you pull and lighten the load.
- Jerking the bar off the pins: take the slack out first, then squeeze it up.
- Leaning back at the top: stop when you are standing straight.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Bar resting on power-rack safety pins (or plates on blocks) with the bar 5–8 cm below the bottom of the kneecaps: about 40–43 cm off the floor for a 1.75 m athlete. Conventional stance: feet under the hips (ankle centres about 26 cm apart), toes out slightly (about 10°), shins touching or within 2 cm of the bar, bar over the middle of the foot. Overhand grip (mixed allowed) just outside the legs, about 1.2–1.4 × shoulder width, arms straight.
The movement
The bar drags straight up the thighs over the middle of the foot, within 2 cm of the legs. Hips and knees straighten together, the hips driving forward to finish. Lowering reverses it: hips back first, bar sliding down the thighs, set down on the pins gently without a bounce.
End position
Standing tall, hips and knees straight (0°), shoulders back, bar against the top of the thighs at arm's length. No lean back and no shrug at the top. Hold 0.5 s.
Tempo
Bar on the pins 0.5 s / lift 1.2 s / lockout 0.5 s / lower 1.8 s.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bar start height | 6 cm below the kneecap | 5–8 cm below (40–43 cm off the floor) | |
| Bar over the foot | mid-foot | bar x-range under 3 cm over the rep | |
| Bar to legs gap | 0–1 cm | 0–2 cm | |
| Shin angle at the start | 3° | 0–5° | |
| Hip and knee extension at lockout | 0° | −5 to 0° (no lean back) | |
| Grip width | 1.3 × shoulder width | 1.2–1.4 × |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Rack Pull is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
