As mentioned previously, the deadlift, power clean, press, bench press, and squat form the basis of any fruitful training routine. In addition to these, several assistance exercises can support certain features of these exercises. Previously, one of the partial movements for the deadlift was discussed, i.e., the halting deadlift. In this segment, the other beneficial accessory exercise will be discussed.
Partial Movement: Rack Pulls
The rack pull is the other half of the duo of assistance exercises useful for the deadlift. They are executed from inside a power rack, from level pins set at a point someplace below the knees. How far below the knees the pins are set regulates the volume of overlap that the halting deadlift and rack pull have with one another. Just below the kneecaps is in all probability not sufficient, while down to mid-shin defeats the purpose of separating the whole pull into two distinct movements. Anywhere between 7 and 10 centimetres below the joint line is generally okay. The point of the halting deadlift (the aforementioned article) is to train the preliminary drive off the floor, which depends profoundly on the quadriceps for the drive and on the hamstrings to anchor the back slant. The rack pull, on the other hand, should use as little quadriceps drive as imaginable, with the main stress on hip extension (i.e., working the glutes and hamstrings while keeping a flat back). The stance for the rack pull is the same as for the deadlift. From the starting place, drag the bar up your thighs, keeping it in unbroken contact with the skin, with your shoulders out over the bar, your chest up, and your knees held in place with no frontward movement. When the bar is high enough up the thighs that you cannot keep your shoulders frontward, extend your hips powerfully. The extra hamstring work alone is reason enough to include this somewhere in your routine.
Bibliography
- Rippetoe, Mark, and Stephani Elizabeth Bradford. Starting strength: basic barbell training. Rev. 3rd ed. Wichita Falls, Tex.: Aasgaard Co., 2012.
- Verkhoshansky, Yuri Vitalievitch, and Mel Cunningham Siff. Supertraining. 6th ed. – Expanded Edition. Rome, Italy: Verkhoshansky, 2009.
