I have just getting round to handling some Rack Pulls on The Bridge. My question is, are we suppose to be stronger in the Rack Pull than the Conventional Deadlift? I am nowhere near as strong going off todays performance. My 1rm Deadlift is 165kg and today I worked upto 100kg for 7reps @8. My lower back was super pumped and I very much doubt I’d get much more on the bar for a Rack Pull. I see people saying stuff like they pull way more via Rack than Deadlift. Is this just an individual thing. I will add that I have not yet had much practice coming from SSNLP and only doing Deadlifts or Rows for pulling exercises.
I believe this is an individual thing…some people really struggle with rack/block pulls, while others can move more weight than their comp deadlift. Also consider that if it is a new variation for you, maybe you just need some more practice.
The rack pull is used to increase the overall volume for the deadlift as it is an “accessory or supplemental” if you will movement to the deadlift that contributes to hypertropy and getting practicing the movement in a specified range of motion. The goal isnt to be able to rack pull more than conv deadlift although it is completely normal if you can because remember, it is a partial range of motion. Good luck.
A few things can contribute to this from my experience.
When you hear of people doing way more on the rack pull than deadlift, you have no idea how high their rack pull is. The average person does rack pulls to stroke their ego rather than as a legitimate part of a proper training routine, you’ll usually see people doing rack pulls just below or even above the knee so obviously the weight is going to be a lot heavier.
You may not be as good at using leg drive when eliminating the bottom portion of the pull, you might be trying to initiate the lift with your hamstrings and glutes like a stiff leg rather than actually pushing with your quads like you do a conventional deadlift. I’ve had a few clients who can actually pull more from a deficit than conventional at the beginning for this same reason - they more intuitively push with their quads at the start.
If you have a round back deadlift you are probably used to being rounded over at that point in the lift while doing a conventional deadlift - that’s the position you’re strong in. When doing a rack pull you could be trying to lift with a straight back when you’re used to having a round back at that point in the movement so yeah you’ll find it a lot harder.
Moral of the story is to just keep practicing. In time you will inevitably rack pull more than you deadlift, it’s a new movement so of course it’s normal to not be great at it.