Rack Pull Progress

I know it isn’t usually quoted when listing maximums or PR’s, but I was happily surprised today to do a couple rack pull singles with 450lbs. This beats my previous best at 410lbs.

I think a 400lb deadlift is certainly going to fall prey to me before long!

I’m going to blather just a bit in case anything I’m doing is of interest to someone else out there. First, I’ve been following some advice I got the last time I posted pics.

I’ve been doing hammer curls. These seem to hit the shoulders and wrists as opposed to the biceps. I’m also wondering if the motion doesn’t recruit the external rotators a little?

I’ve been doing heavy rack pulls. Until today these have been limited by my grip strength, but my grip has come up a fair amount and pulling 450 is starting to strain me in a good way. I’m hoping this type of weight and exertion will have carry over into other lifts.

For those that are really following the boards closely, I am actually giving Surge a try outside of the post workout window. Because of the recent tape measuring during the velocity diet I do know I’m not packing on the fat – which was raised as a concern. If I have any epiphanies I’ll write something up.

Finally, I tried the cuban press the other day. I’m able to do the olympic bar with no weights. This is a humbling lift to do in the gym – and I have never seen anyone else do it. Heh, I can’t tell if people think I’m an idiot or if they think I know what I’m doing.

[ oops… edited to be rack pulls… if they think I’m an idiot, maybe they are rigght! :wink: ]

450 high pulls? lol, that’s world class oly. you mean rack pulls right?

nice job!

Vroom,

Do you mean “rack pulls” instead of “high pulls?” That weight seems awfully high for a high pull…

High pulls, I believe, are when you start in a sort of hang-clean position (BB just under the knees) and hoist the bar upright row style along the body up to the sternum area.

Rack pulls are like shortened deadlifts, where you lift the weight like a deadlift off of rack pins set at some predetermined height – mid-shin, for example.

Nice pull with the 450 – good work, Lefty! :wink:

high pull-
do you mean a rack pull or pin pull or do you mean a high pull like a power pull from the ground and is basically a clean without the catch

I am guessing you mean rack pull but either way good job( if you do mean high pull Olympic that would be fucking incredible) are oyu working your way down to the ground or using these to stregnthen your upper back to get used to pulling really heavy?
yeah the cuban press does look interesting for a gym, I use it as a warm up to get the shoulders going before benching or pressing heavy adn also as a supplemental heavy(relative) work to hit the rotators.

I was going to say, if you can high pull 450 why can’t you deadlift 400. Ha.

Great pull. 400 should fall pretty soon. I should see what my rack pull is. Do you do yours above or below the knees or both?

I actually think my rack pull might be lower than my deadlift. :x PM if you got any ideas why this could be or how to fix it.

Sorry guys, yeah, my bad. I guess I saw the terms interchanged somewhere and never put any thought into it after that.

Duh.

When I try rack pulls my hands turn beet red. The back of my hand is fine. Is this the way it is?

Does your gym allow chalk? It will do wonders for your grip on those pulls.

[quote]Anderson wrote:
Does your gym allow chalk?
[/quote]

Man, I’m glad I lift at home. Thanks for reminding me why.

Vroom,
Good job on that PR; and interesting thought on the hammer curl.

Matt

vroom, do you ever do pulls standing on mats,plates,or blocks to make the pull an extra 2-4"? Rack pulls are good for putting some weight in your hands and building confidence, but speed deads to build technique and explosiveness off the floor and deficit pulls will carry over more. Train the hell out of your hamstrings,glutes, hips, & lower back

vroom, how old are you anyway? I didn’t figure you for a 35+ guy.

I just hit 32 and I have to admit, I relate a little better to the “getting older” croud on a few occasions.

But I was mistaken for someone in their mid to late 20s today =)

450, sweet! You CAN deadlift 400. If you can rack pull 450, I am assuming at knee level, 400 should rip off the floor. Just think speed and head up and back.

Joebob,

Thanks for the encouragement man. However, while I did a PR on the deadlift this evening, it was only for 385lbs.

It’s getting close!!!

As usual, some notes on things in case it helps anyone out there.

  1. I was pretty cautious after reading multiple people talk about back problems in the last couple days. I wasn’t taking any chance.

  2. No grip issues at all. This had always been my limiting point. I’m noticing new limiting points now.

  3. The very upper portion of the glutes, or the very lowest portion of the spinal erectors, I’m not entirely sure which, really had to work to lock out at the end of the lift. I might walk funny tomorrow.

I think due to point #1 my form was tighter, which changed my mechanics (to the better) and caused point #3. Anyway, with the grip stronger I can obviously work some muscles harder and should see some quick gains in the next while.

Any advice with respect to goal chasing once I get there?

I have a good ways to go in bench and squats, but the deads are getting close to initial goal levels. I’m thinking I could just maintain my deads at 400lbs (once they get there) and get better progress in my lagging bench and squats for a while?

vroom, read cressey’s article on the deadlift. hammer your posterior chain for improvements in your deadlift. You shouldn’t maintain your deadlift once you reach 400 because as it may seem like a good# now, you’re surely capable of pulling a lot more. A lot of the same muscles are involved in the squat& the deadlift, so as you improve in 1, you should improve in the other. Just keep working the glutes&hamstrings w/ pull throughs, RDLs, dimmel deadlifts, GHR or Reverse Hypers if you have access, zercher squats, good mornings, etc.

[quote]vroom wrote:

Finally, I tried the cuban press the other day. I’m able to do the olympic bar with no weights. This is a humbling lift to do in the gym – and I have never seen anyone else do it. Heh, I can’t tell if people think I’m an idiot or if they think I know what I’m doing.

[/quote]

Vroom,

You’re right, it is a humbling lift, as are most rotator cuff exercises. I do the bar only for 3x8-10, due to increase it soon but I am concentrating on good form and won’t increase until necessary.

Do you do the overhead press after the rotation or just do the rotation? I’ve seen both methods described, but I usually press overhead as this was the way I was originally taught to do cuban press.

Ben

bg,

I’m just doing the rotation – though I might give the added press component a try.

Oh yeah, never did answer. My rack pulls have been just above the knee - it’s what I can do at my gym with the equipment they have.

Not to deflate you but what is height on the pulls. I did some pulling 545 at just above the knee and had a hard time pulling 455 from floor. We do rack pulls from various heights. One week is just above knee, next is about half way between knee and normal pulling height. Another is with bar about 2 inches off floor. It really has helped.

The hammer curls sound like you are not doing them correctly. lower the weight and concentrate on form.

Hey keep up the work and maybe when you are my age you will still be pulling some serious weight.

[quote]vroom wrote:
I know it isn’t usually quoted when listing maximums or PR’s, but I was happily surprised today to do a couple rack pull singles with 450lbs. This beats my previous best at 410lbs.

I think a 400lb deadlift is certainly going to fall prey to me before long!

I’m going to blather just a bit in case anything I’m doing is of interest to someone else out there. First, I’ve been following some advice I got the last time I posted pics.

I’ve been doing hammer curls. These seem to hit the shoulders and wrists as opposed to the biceps. I’m also wondering if the motion doesn’t recruit the external rotators a little?

I’ve been doing heavy rack pulls. Until today these have been limited by my grip strength, but my grip has come up a fair amount and pulling 450 is starting to strain me in a good way. I’m hoping this type of weight and exertion will have carry over into other lifts.

For those that are really following the boards closely, I am actually giving Surge a try outside of the post workout window. Because of the recent tape measuring during the velocity diet I do know I’m not packing on the fat – which was raised as a concern. If I have any epiphanies I’ll write something up.

Finally, I tried the cuban press the other day. I’m able to do the olympic bar with no weights. This is a humbling lift to do in the gym – and I have never seen anyone else do it. Heh, I can’t tell if people think I’m an idiot or if they think I know what I’m doing.

[ oops… edited to be rack pulls… if they think I’m an idiot, maybe they are rigght! :wink: ][/quote]

sens/vroom

I was going to say the same thing. What height on the pull.

A couple days ago we had to do them at a different station. The previous one we were right around the top of the knee. In our new station we were about 2" lower. I never thought it would make that big of difference.

What had been a weight for 5 pulls was hell just to get off the rack. Readjusting the mind frame–had to take a walk around the gym and then pound out 3 reps. Those coule ofinches proved to be a major difference in effort.

Keep going vroom. As a 40+ guy, I can assure you, you still have alot of time to set new PRs.

[quote]bg100 wrote:
vroom wrote:

Finally, I tried the cuban press the other day. I’m able to do the olympic bar with no weights. This is a humbling lift to do in the gym – and I have never seen anyone else do it. Heh, I can’t tell if people think I’m an idiot or if they think I know what I’m doing.

Vroom,

You’re right, it is a humbling lift, as are most rotator cuff exercises. I do the bar only for 3x8-10, due to increase it soon but I am concentrating on good form and won’t increase until necessary.

Do you do the overhead press after the rotation or just do the rotation? I’ve seen both methods described, but I usually press overhead as this was the way I was originally taught to do cuban press.

Ben[/quote]

small hijack, but what’s the point of the press after the rotation?
The rotator cuff is only responsible for the rotation, not the press, right?
What have I missed?