Rack Pull Guide: Form, Benefits, and Muscle Groups
Learn how to perform the rack pull with proper form to build a thicker upper back and stronger traps. Our coach-led guide covers steps, mistakes, and FAQs.
How to Perform
- Set the safety pins in a power rack to a height just above or just below your knees depending on your specific goals.
- Position yourself with your mid-foot under the bar and your shins close to the steel but not touching.
- Hinge at the hips and grip the bar just outside of your legs with a double overhand or mixed grip.
- Pull your shoulder blades back and down into your armpits to create tension and take the slack out of the barbell.
- Drive your feet into the floor and extend your hips forward to lift the bar until you reach a fully upright position.
- Squeeze your glutes and upper back at the top for a brief pause without leaning backward.
- Lower the bar under control back to the safety pins and allow it to come to a complete dead stop before the next rep.
Common Mistakes
- Hyperextending the lower back at the top of the lift.
- Bouncing the barbell off the safety pins to create momentum.
- Allowing the shoulders to round forward under heavy load.
- Positioning the pins too high, resulting in a negligible range of motion.
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Upper Back
Stabilizers
- Traps
- Erector Spinae
- Forearms
- Glutes
Related Guides
- 1-Arm Half-Kneeling Lat Pulldown — Back
- Alternating High Cable Row — Back
- Alternative DB Gorilla rows — Back
Upper Back · Back