Jump to content

Rack Pull Article On My Blog


AdamTGlass

Recommended Posts

check out my blog for an article, also check out the video of 1,324lbs pulled from Monday...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Adam - first - nice pull! I do have a safety concern though. As you stated and as shown in the video - you have reached the limit that your bar will hold and are now starting to hang stuff all over it to make weight. The actual hand and thigh lift set up of a super strong bar that never leaves the floor over a couple inches - a chain, and strong but short handle section might be a safer method as it can pretty much eliminate the possibility of equipment failure. As unlikely as it might be a bar failure with 1400 to 1500# or more in the setup you have could be pretty ugly if it fails (and I have seen a couple bars go over the years). This set up can also be made to easily hold a ton or more in plates.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Adam - first - nice pull! I do have a safety concern though. As you stated and as shown in the video - you have reached the limit that your bar will hold and are now starting to hang stuff all over it to make weight. The actual hand and thigh lift set up of a super strong bar that never leaves the floor over a couple inches - a chain, and strong but short handle section might be a safer method as it can pretty much eliminate the possibility of equipment failure. As unlikely as it might be a bar failure with 1400 to 1500# or more in the setup you have could be pretty ugly if it fails (and I have seen a couple bars go over the years). This set up can also be made to easily hold a ton or more in plates.

Chris

had i known you would weigh in, i would have added an asterisk saying experienced lifters please submit thoughts. Your attention to a lift is always welcome.

I will look in to setting up a bar like this. What are the measurements of the bar people use for the H&T lift? Is it like a standard bar or is it a special bar?

Also, in the event the bar would fail, do you think it would bend seriously, or snap? I just cannot imagine a bar like this breaking, but nothing is impossible

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awesome lift, Adam!! Im lookin forward to watchin u on ur way to 2000!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Adam - first - nice pull! I do have a safety concern though. As you stated and as shown in the video - you have reached the limit that your bar will hold and are now starting to hang stuff all over it to make weight. The actual hand and thigh lift set up of a super strong bar that never leaves the floor over a couple inches - a chain, and strong but short handle section might be a safer method as it can pretty much eliminate the possibility of equipment failure. As unlikely as it might be a bar failure with 1400 to 1500# or more in the setup you have could be pretty ugly if it fails (and I have seen a couple bars go over the years). This set up can also be made to easily hold a ton or more in plates.

Chris

had i known you would weigh in, i would have added an asterisk saying experienced lifters please submit thoughts. Your attention to a lift is always welcome.

I will look in to setting up a bar like this. What are the measurements of the bar people use for the H&T lift? Is it like a standard bar or is it a special bar?

Also, in the event the bar would fail, do you think it would bend seriously, or snap? I just cannot imagine a bar like this breaking, but nothing is impossible

Adam - i will post some pictures and a description as soon as I find where I put them. It is a special bar (mine is reinforced schedule 80 pipe but the best ones are solid pieces of 1 15/16" or 2" if your plates will all fit on actual 2" stock) - not a regular one and gives you practically unlimited loading area and complete adjustability as to height etc. I think it might be the answer for the kind of supra heavy pulls you are doing. The actual hand and thigh lift is done with an overhand grip with the fingers pinned to the thighs but that is easy enough to change to either reverse grip or straps in your setup. I think the pictures will make things clear enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Adam - first - nice pull! I do have a safety concern though. As you stated and as shown in the video - you have reached the limit that your bar will hold and are now starting to hang stuff all over it to make weight. The actual hand and thigh lift set up of a super strong bar that never leaves the floor over a couple inches - a chain, and strong but short handle section might be a safer method as it can pretty much eliminate the possibility of equipment failure. As unlikely as it might be a bar failure with 1400 to 1500# or more in the setup you have could be pretty ugly if it fails (and I have seen a couple bars go over the years). This set up can also be made to easily hold a ton or more in plates.

Chris

had i known you would weigh in, i would have added an asterisk saying experienced lifters please submit thoughts. Your attention to a lift is always welcome.

I will look in to setting up a bar like this. What are the measurements of the bar people use for the H&T lift? Is it like a standard bar or is it a special bar?

Also, in the event the bar would fail, do you think it would bend seriously, or snap? I just cannot imagine a bar like this breaking, but nothing is impossible

Adam - i will post some pictures and a description as soon as I find where I put them. It is a special bar (mine is reinforced schedule 80 pipe but the best ones are solid pieces of 1 15/16" or 2" if your plates will all fit on actual 2" stock) - not a regular one and gives you practically unlimited loading area and complete adjustability as to height etc. I think it might be the answer for the kind of supra heavy pulls you are doing. The actual hand and thigh lift is done with an overhand grip with the fingers pinned to the thighs but that is easy enough to change to either reverse grip or straps in your setup. I think the pictures will make things clear enough.

Thanks Chris, i look forward to the photos. BTW, do you think doing it with the fingers pinned will help me add more weight?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Adam - first - nice pull! I do have a safety concern though. As you stated and as shown in the video - you have reached the limit that your bar will hold and are now starting to hang stuff all over it to make weight. The actual hand and thigh lift set up of a super strong bar that never leaves the floor over a couple inches - a chain, and strong but short handle section might be a safer method as it can pretty much eliminate the possibility of equipment failure. As unlikely as it might be a bar failure with 1400 to 1500# or more in the setup you have could be pretty ugly if it fails (and I have seen a couple bars go over the years). This set up can also be made to easily hold a ton or more in plates.

Chris

had i known you would weigh in, i would have added an asterisk saying experienced lifters please submit thoughts. Your attention to a lift is always welcome.

I will look in to setting up a bar like this. What are the measurements of the bar people use for the H&T lift? Is it like a standard bar or is it a special bar?

Also, in the event the bar would fail, do you think it would bend seriously, or snap? I just cannot imagine a bar like this breaking, but nothing is impossible

Adam - i will post some pictures and a description as soon as I find where I put them. It is a special bar (mine is reinforced schedule 80 pipe but the best ones are solid pieces of 1 15/16" or 2" if your plates will all fit on actual 2" stock) - not a regular one and gives you practically unlimited loading area and complete adjustability as to height etc. I think it might be the answer for the kind of supra heavy pulls you are doing. The actual hand and thigh lift is done with an overhand grip with the fingers pinned to the thighs but that is easy enough to change to either reverse grip or straps in your setup. I think the pictures will make things clear enough.

Thanks Chris, i look forward to the photos. BTW, do you think doing it with the fingers pinned will help me add more weight?

Yes or No on pinning the fingers adding weight. It depends on arm - torso etc ratio lengths and if the position of the hands coincides with the best body leverage for the pull for you. The best hand and thigh lift is I think 1900+ pounds though so big weight is certainly possible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

adam

my question is what is the purpose of this lift. i couldnt see it doing anything for me, at least the exersizes im doing now. is it to say you can. or to help you break a plateu for something else? i think last time you said something about tendon work?

rico

Link to comment
Share on other sites

adam

my question is what is the purpose of this lift. i couldnt see it doing anything for me, at least the exersizes im doing now. is it to say you can. or to help you break a plateu for something else? i think last time you said something about tendon work?

rico

His article is very well written and it explains every question you just asked.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why don't you just get a 2000lb-capacity bar?

Frank

it is a 2,500 static test texas power bar, but that gets in to one of those things were i wonder if the company just made a claim or if they have rigorously field tested it. I think we all can agree quality control can be a dangerous problem :blink

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why don't you just get a 2000lb-capacity bar?

Frank

it is a 2,500 static test texas power bar, but that gets in to one of those things were i wonder if the company just made a claim or if they have rigorously field tested it. I think we all can agree quality control can be a dangerous problem :blink

2000 divided by 45 (45# plates) = 44.4 That means you need 22 - 45# plates on each end (minus bar weight) (and 100s don't save you as much as you think). Unless you have a bunch of the thin competition plates (think huge amounts of money) - that means the loading area needs to be long enough to hold 22 of whatever plates you have - no bar I know of has that loading area. That's problem number one. Number two is the rack pull movement starts and ends with the bar on a very narrow rack pin - either round or square but still not very wide. This means the stress is concentrated on a very small area of the bar and usually hits pretty hard when lowered (sometimes nearly dropped). I have no idea how to do the math but the pressure per square inch on a bar in that situation must be pretty intense. I imagine that normal lifts of any kind when the bar can flex over it's entire length never come close to testing a bar in the same way. Good steel will withstand a lot of stress but everything has its limits. And bars weren't designed to lift more weight than can even be loaded on them without hanging items off it. It's a testament to bar manufacturers and steel makers that more bars don't break under certain conditions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

funny thing.... last night I dreamt of rack pulling 3000 lbs!!! Isn't dreaming great :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I put a picture up in the gallery showing Nick doing a hand and thigh lift. As you can see, he is "levering" his body which makes this somewhat different than Adam's rack pull form. But either technique can be used either way with either setup - in the rack or with this. The advantage to a setup like this is you can have a pretty much unlimited loading area with an insanely strong bar - chain - and handle. You can also do "hip lifts" etc with a proper belt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Adam that was an incredible lift. Thanks allot for the detailed write up also.

I love this lift and anyone who has not done it or doesn't understand why Adam or others do it just need to try it. Not too crazy heavy and with very limited or no equipment.

One thing I will say though is that I think this lift does add to the lockout strength on a full max deadlift. I agree the spine angle and mechanics are different but I know I can lock a DL out when it gets past my knees and it is because I am so much stronger with rack pulls.

I see really strong powerlifters fail often on the lockout at my gym. I find it so weird that they can pull 600, 700+ to their knees and will grind to a halt. Part of this may be the gear and most use sumo technique but they are still crazy strong off the floor. And I can walk over and rack pull the same weight from the same height they stalled at when I can't get 1-200 lbs less than that off the floor. I really think some of these guys could benefit allot from training this lift unequipped at times in their program. Their rack pulls they usually do are as you describe, low at the sticking points below the knees usually.

They all think I'm nuts lifting without even a belt and doing the heavy partial rack pulls and squats but then again they can't bend the steel that I can. The maximal power range of motion is where I spend most of my time braced bending so I feel these lifts have the most specific carryover vs full range powerlifts.

I have one last question regarding this lift and partials in general. How do you feel about adding weight past your max and doing isometrics with it? I have made great progress with isos in steel bending but I have been hesitant to venture into the powerlifts or partials with them.

I have recently bought the steel and am welding together a compact stand and adjustable chain setup to experiment with this without needing all the weights or a rack to work it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy policies.