Rack Pull vs Deadlift (Differences & Benefits)

When it comes to building strength and muscle mass in the lower body, few exercises are as effective as Deadlifts and Rack Pulls. Both exercises work the major muscle groups in the legs, back, and core, and are often used by powerlifters, bodybuilders, and athletes alike.

However, even though they are very similar movements, there are significant differences between these two exercises that can impact your training goals and overall performance.

In this article, I’m going to first go over both the Rack Pull and Deadlift in detail, starting with the Rack Pull first. I’ll explain how to do each exercise properly, talk about the benefits and provide important coaching tips.

Then, I’ll compare the two exercises side-by-side. I’ll explain the differences, pros, cons and essentially give you as much info as possible so you can have a good understanding of when and how to incorporate Rack Pulls and/or Deadlifts into your strength program.

Rack Pull

Equipment Needed

Barbell
Weight Plates (either iron or bumper will work okay)
Power Rack (or lifting blocks)
Lifting Straps (optional)

Muscles Worked

Rack Pulls, like Deadlifts, are a total body exercise. Almost every muscle group in the body is utilized during this exercise.

How To

Set a barbell on the power rack safety pins set up around mid-shin*.
Place the feet roughly shoulder-width apart.
Slightly turn their feet outward (engaging the glutes).
The athlete should hinge at the waist and bend at the knee simultaneously until they can comfortably squeeze the barbell with both hands pronated**.
As the athlete pulls themselves down into their setup position, they should maintain a neutral head posture, with their eyes fixed on something about 1-2 feet in front of them.
Take a deep breath to brace the abdominal muscles.
In the final setup position, the athlete should pull their chest up, and shoulder blades back, while still maintaining a brace in their abdominal muscles and ready to lift.
Start the pull by driving the feet through the floor and driving the hips forward, keeping tension in the abdomen and upper back (DO NOT ROUND YOUR BACK), maintaining the barbell over the midfoot, the lifter stands tall with the barbell, and locks the repetition in.
Lower back down to the starting position under control. Make sure to maintain your braced core while lowering as well.

Coaching Points

*Rack Pulls are generally done with the bar starting around mid-shin, although technically the bar can be placed anywhere up or down the leg and it would still be a Rack Pull.

**An alternated grip – one hand pronated, one hand supinated – can also be used when doing Rack Pulls to help aid the grip. Using lifting straps is another option if grip is becoming a limiting factor when using heavy weight.

Because the plates are not actually touching the ground during Rack Pulls, there is no difference regarding what kind of plates you use.

Lifting blocks, used more commonly by Olympic weightlifters, is an acceptable substitution for a power rack when doing Rack Pulls.

Benefits

Rack Pulls are a variation of the Deadlift exercise that can help to improve strength and muscle development in the upper and lower back, as well as the glutes, hamstrings, and quads. They can also help to improve overall grip and forearm strength.

Rack Pulls are often used to help lifters who may be struggling to perform traditional deadlifts due to flexibility or mobility limitations. In addition, they can be a useful exercise for targeting specific muscles or muscle groups that may need extra work.

Deadlift

Equipment Needed

Barbell
Bumper or Iron Plates

Step-by-Step Instructions

When the athlete approaches the barbell, they should:

Place their feet slightly wider than shoulder-width (The width of a stance for an athlete choosing a wide stance will vary based on height and comfortability).
Slightly turn their feet outward (engaging the glutes).
Take a deep breath to brace the abdominal muscles.
The athlete should hinge at the waist and bend at the knee simultaneously until they can comfortably squeeze the barbell with both hands pronated (I will talk more later about mixed grips later in the article).
As the athlete pulls themselves down into their setup position, they should maintain a neutral head posture, with their eyes fixed on something about 1-2 feet in front of them.
In the final setup position, the athlete should pull their chest up, and shoulder blades back, while still maintaining a brace in their abdominal muscles and ready to lift.
The athlete is now ready for the concentric movement of the Deadlift. The athlete needs to pull the “slack” out of the barbell.
This is where the lifter needs to create tension by slightly pulling into the barbell and pushing their feet into the floor before maximal contraction/attempts.
Once this tension is created, the lifter drives their feet through the floor, drives the hips forward, keeping tension in the abdomen and upper back (DO NOT ROUND YOUR BACK), maintaining the barbell over the midfoot, the lifter stands tall with the barbell, and locks the repetition in.
The bar should maintain a position over the midfoot and should never rest on the thighs during this movement. The athlete will continue to lower the barbell until the weights rest on the floor and prepare for the next repetition.

Grip

Now, let’s talk about gripping the bar. For most field and court sports athletes, gripping the bar with an overhand grip is what I would recommend for Deadlifts.

The main reason I recommend this grip is that the athlete is deadlifting to gain strength and athletes should be training symmetrically as much as possible.

This is not to say that a mixed grip is bad for lifters. A mixed grip in some cases will help the lifter pull more weight. But again, I must stress, that lifting more weight for “more weight’s” sake is not a good reason.

Some lifters may switch which grips they mix (right-supinated, left pronated and vice versa) but this will be hard to track after hundreds of reps and sets over the course of a lifter’s career.

Obviously, a powerlifter will be training with the grip that they see that helps them pull the most weight.

Coaching Points

By far the most common mistake with Deadlifting is improper form. Because the lift is very technical, uses the whole body, and requires patience and persistence, lifters oftentimes have incorrect form without realizing it, go up in weight too quickly, and may injure themselves.

In regards to your setup and form; treat every rep like it’s a 1 rep max. Put a tremendous amount of detail in your setup (Do it the exact same way, every rep)

Make small gains in weight over time. Deadlifting is not a race.

Rack Pulls are one of the most popular alternatives for Deadlifts, but they’re not the only one. Here are 10 Deadlift alternatives you may want to consider as well.

Deadlift Benefits

Deadlifts are a type of strength training exercise that have a number of benefits. Some of the benefits of deadlifts include increased muscle mass and strength, improved posture and balance, and increased flexibility and range of motion in the hips and lower back.

Deadlifts can also help to improve overall athletic performance, as well as increase bone density and reduce the risk of injury.

Rack Pulls vs Deadlifts

Now, let’s take a look at these two lower-body pulling exercises and discuss if one is better than the other for some common lifting goals and how to best utilize each one in your training.

Which is Better For Developing Strength?

First off, both Rack Pulls and Deadlifts are excellent for building strength and muscle mass. They are two of the best exercises for those purposes, period.

If I had to pick one or the other, I would say Deadlifts are better for developing overall strength. The longer range of motion of a Deadlift will get more of the body involved which will ultimately lead to more overall strength.

However, Rack Pulls also have their advantages when it comes to developing strength. If you struggling with a particular sticking point in your Deadlift, Rack Pulls can help you pinpoint and improve that section of your lift.

Second, because it’s a shorter range of motion starting from an elevated position, Rack Pulls allow the lifter to move more weight. Generally speaking, being able to move more weight is correlated with building more strength.

Are Rack Pulls Better Than Deadlifts?

Rack Pulls are not better than Deadlifts overall, but there are some situations where they are a better choice for your strength program.

Two I just mentioned, which are the shorter range of motion and elevated starting position will allow the lifter to use more weight. It will also help a lifter be able to focus on potential sticking points in their Deadlift.

Another area where Rack Pulls can be beneficial is if the lifter has mobility limitations.

I’ve worked with many athletes that when first starting out didn’t have the mobility to be able to get into a proper starting position from the floor. Rack Pulls, whether in a rack or using lifting blocks, allowed the athlete to be able to do pulls from a proper starting position while we worked to improve their flexibility and mobility.

Better For Beginners?

Which exercise is better for a beginner?

First, this will depend on the mobility of the lifter. If you a lifter is not able to attain a proper starting position for Deadlift because of lack of mobility, then they should absolutely start with Rack Pulls.

Outside of that stipulation, either exercise can be suitable for beginners if the proper technique is taught and executed correctly. Regardless of which exercise you choose, make sure to start very light (even with a PVC pipe or broomstick if necessary) and focus on technique.

Once your technique is sound, then you can begin to start gradually increasing in weight as your strength allows.

Final Thoughts

I just spend the last section of this article comparing which is better – Rack Pulls or Deadlifts. The truth is, assuming you have the necessary equipment, there is no reason you can’t have both exercises in your strength program.

Both exercises are excellent for developing strength and both have their advantages over the other. And, incorporating both into your long-term strength plan will help add variety and keep your workouts from getting stale.

My suggestion is instead of trying to figure out which exercise you should do, find a way to utilize both Rack Pulls and Deadlifts in your workouts.