6 Reasons Why Rack Pulls Are Better Than Deadlifts

Deadlifts are one of the most popular strength exercises among fitness lovers. They work your core, hips, calves, as well as your glutes and thighs. However, these exercises can be quite difficult to master, especially for amateur powerlifters. If done forcefully or improperly, they can lead to serious injury and muscle strain.

That’s why we recommend rack pulls instead! They won’t only help you progress to heavier deadlifting exercises, but they bring more benefits compared to their full-range motion counterparts.

In this article, we’ll go over those advantages in more detail to help you on your fitness journey as much as possible.

1. They help you improve your technique.

If you’ve been trying to do deadlifts without much prior training, chances are you’ll end up stuck at one point or another. That is because this type of exercise doesn’t allow you to focus on your technique and grip, but instead concentrates on your upper-body strength. Rack pulls, on the other hand, allow you to strengthen your entire body due to it having a partial range of motion. Typically, you’ll start lifting from above or below the knees, which allows you to slowly increase the weight so you can see progress much more quickly.

Of course, if you’re a complete newbie to lifting exercises, we urge you to hire a professional to oversee your training. No matter how fit and strong you are, proper technique is crucial to all lifting exercises. Otherwise, you could end up with a back injury and severe muscle strain, all of which you should try to avoid at all costs.

2. They work more muscles than deadlifts do.

If you truly want to put your entire body to work with a single exercise, this is the perfect training for you! Unlike deadlifts, they work your fingers, traps, hips, all while putting less strain on your lower back. That in itself makes them a safer alternative for both beginners and professional athletes and lifters who want to work on their strength.

Again, to be able to maximize the results of the exercise, we recommend doing your research carefully or working with professionals (at least in the beginning). If you learn an improper technique at the start of your journey, unlearning it will be harder than getting it right in the first place.

We suggest checking out YouTube tutorials or asking the gym personnel for help if you’re struggling to get a grip on the technique. Once you get it right, you’ll be able to reap incredible benefits for your entire body.

3. They can help you gain strength much faster.

Rack pulls can help you reach your fitness goals much faster than your regular deadlifts. According to gym-expert.com, these exercises help you build muscle and improve your strength extremely quickly. You’ll see incredible progress after a couple of weeks, especially when it comes to your core strength, stability, and grip power.

After you’ve incorporated these exercises into your daily workout routine, deadlifts will become a piece of cake. You’ll be able to lift heavier loads and enjoy watching your own progress in a matter of weeks!

So, yes, make sure you’ve updated your exercise routine as soon as you can! It will certainly take you a step closer to your fitness goals, especially when it comes to strength and muscle building.

4. They provide less strain and quicker recovery.

We’ve all been there: you come home from an intense training session at the gym, and now every single muscle in your body aches. Exercising becomes impossible for the next couple of days. That in itself slows you down and makes you stagnate, which is the worst thing that can happen to your motivation.

Now, deadlifts put your entire body (especially the lower back) under rigorous stress, so you’ll take a bit longer to recover after a session. Worst-case scenario you won’t be able to get back to the gym for a while, which is certainly something you’d want to avoid.

Overall, if you want to see constant, fast-paced progress in your journey, it’s best to start with this type of exercise instead of rushing into deadlifting as soon as you hit the gym.

5. With the right technique, they’re much safer than deadlifts.

As you’ll deal with a lower range of motion, you’ll have less cause for concern when it comes to injuries as well. Of course, as we’ve mentioned before, it all boils down to your technique. If you learn to lift properly and avoid overstressing your body, chances of injury become minimal.

As we’ve mentioned a couple of times already, learning the proper technique is of the utmost importance. Without it, you’d be doing yourself a disservice. The exercises wouldn’t be as efficient, and you’d put yourself at risk of injury. So, take your time practicing the proper movements before you start doing the exercise during your daily routine.

6. They require less mobility than deadlifts.

Rack deadlifts are simply easier to learn than regular deadlifts. They’re a perfect lifting exercise for anyone who’s never had any experience with strength training before. However, that doesn’t mean professional lifters and athletes don’t practice them as well. It’s always a good idea to work on your fundamentals no matter how far into your journey you are: even the strongest lifters in the world know this.

So, if you’re looking for a strength exercise that will keep you motivated for years to come, you needn’t look further! As long as you keep it up long enough, you’ll see incredible results fairly quickly.

The bottom line

Rack pulls are a variation of deadlifts that come with a wide range of benefits once mastered. They’re easier to grasp, put less stress on your body, all while engaging your entire muscular system and keeping your grip firm. We recommend starting slow and taking your time to learn the proper movements for the best results and minimal risk of injury.

All in all, we hope our article helped you reach a better understanding of the topic in question, and we wish you luck on your journey towards a stronger body.