Unlock Strength: Block Pulls for Hamstrings & Back Power

If you only had the time and energy to perform one exercise per workout, the deadlift would probably be your best choice. Deadlifts work almost every major muscle on the back of your body and several on the front, too. They build real-world functional strength and, frankly, make you look and feel like a badass.

Combine deadlifts with an upper-body push, such as push-ups, dips, or bench presses, and you can get a full-body workout from just two exercises.

Deadlifts are AWESOME!

That said, deadlifting from the floor is not easy, especially when you’re tall or inflexible. Also, doing nothing but conventional deadlifts will eventually get boring, even if you love what Victorian physical culturalists used to call the health lift.

Thankfully, there is more than one way to deadlift, and block pulls, aka partial deadlifts, are a great alternative to regular deadlifts.

We reveal why and how to do this excellent exercise and provide you with a few equally effective alternatives to try.

Block Pulls – Muscles Worked

Block pulls are a compound exercise, meaning they involve several joints and multiple muscles working together. In fact, block pulls use so many muscles that they’re virtually a full-body exercise.

The main muscles (listed from top to bottom) trained during block pulls are:

Trapezius

The trapezius, or traps for short, is the large diamond-shaped muscle of your upper back. It consists of three groups of fibers – upper, middle, and lower. The upper and middle fibers are the most active during block pulls. Block pulls are very effective for building bigger, thicker traps.

Rhomboids

Located between the shoulder blades, the rhomboids work with your middle traps to pull your shoulders back and together.

Deltoids

The deltoids are your shoulder muscles. Like the trapezius, the deltoids are made up of three groups of fibers called heads – anterior (front), medial (middle), and posterior (rear). All three deltoid heads are working during deadlifts, but the posterior delts are the most active.

Biceps brachii

Located on the front of your upper arm, your biceps flex your elbows. However, in block pulls, their job is to stop your elbows from hyperextending.

Forearm flexors

Block pulls are a very grip-centric exercise. Gripping the bar involves lots of lower arm muscles, which are collectively called the forearm flexors. If you want bigger, more powerful forearms and a vice-like grip, block pulls are sure to help.

Latissimus dorsi

Located on the sides of your torso, the latissimus dorsi, or lats for short, give your upper back its width. Well-developed lats look like wings! You use your lats to keep the bar pressed in toward your legs during block pulls. Bodybuilders do this exercise to develop a thicker, more powerful-looking back.

Erector spinae

Erector spinae is the collective name for the muscles that run up either side of your spine. During block pulls, you use these muscles to prevent your back from rounding. Rack pulls will give you a more muscular lower back.

Core

Core is the name given to the muscles of your midsection, including your rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis. Together, these muscles contract inward to create intra-abdominal pressure to support and stabilize your lumbar spine. Wearing a weightlifting belt allows you to produce even more intra-abdominal pressure.

Gluteus maximus

Known as the glutes for short, this is the largest and most powerful muscle in the human body. The glutes extend your hips, which is the main lower body movement during block pulls. If you want a bigger butt, block pulls will help!

Hamstrings

Located on the backs of your thighs, the hamstrings work with your glutes to extend your hips during block pulls. However, the range of motion is relatively small, so if you want to work your hammies harder, you should also include exercises like leg curls and Romanian deadlifts in your lower body workouts.

Quadriceps

Block pulls start with your knees bent and end with your knees extended. This means they involve your quadriceps as well as your hamstrings and glutes. However, quads engagement is quite low because the range of motion at your knees is relatively small.

How to Do Block Pulls

Get more from block pulls while keeping your risk of injury to a minimum by following these guidelines:

1. Place your barbell on blocks so it’s between lower knee and mid-thigh height. The lower the blocks, the more you’ll need to use your glutes and hamstrings to lift the weight.
2. Stand behind the barbell with your feet between shoulder and hip-width apart. Your feet should be under the bar.
3. Grip the bar with a double overhand or mixed shoulder-width grip.
4. Straighten your arms, brace your core, and pull your shoulders back and down. Engage your lats by pressing the barbell toward your legs.
5. Without rounding your lower back, drive your feet into the floor and stand up.
6. Lock out your hips and knees, taking care not to lean back at the top of your rep. Leaning back increases your risk of injury.
7. Lower the bar back to the blocks, let it settle for a second or two, reset your core and grip, and repeat.

Pro Tips:

• Use chalk and/or lifting straps for a stronger grip.
• If you use a mixed grip, make sure you switch hands set by set to avoid muscle imbalances.
• Use lower blocks to work your glutes and hamstrings more or higher blocks to emphasize your upper back.
• Wear flat shoes or go barefooted to prevent your weight from shifting forward onto your toes.
• Use a weightlifting belt when training with heavy loads.

Block Pulls Benefits and Drawbacks

Not sure if block pulls deserve a place in your workouts? Consider these benefits and then decide!

Better for tall or inflexible lifters

Conventional deadlifts start with the weights on the floor and the bar about nine inches above the deck. Reaching down to grab the bar requires good flexibility, especially if you are taller than average. As such, some people end up rounding their lower backs during deadlifts, and that’s a recipe for injury.

A rounded lower back is a weak lower back and puts tremendous pressure on the intervertebral discs and ligaments of the lumbar spine. Starting with the bar on blocks means you don’t have to lean so far forward, so there is less chance of rounding. This means that block pulls are more lower back-friendly than off-the-floor deadlifts, especially for tall or inflexible lifters.

Boost your lockout strength

Full deadlifts, like most compound freeweight exercises, have sticking points. Some lifters get stuck trying to break the bar away from the floor, while others get stuck at the midway point. Rack pulls allow you to focus on your lockout. For this reason, powerlifters use block pulls as a deadlift accessory exercise to boost their full deadlift performance.

Fatigue management

Full deadlifts can be exhausting. Because of this, some lifters only deadlift once a week or even less often when using maximal weights. Block pulls are a little less fatiguing, so you should be able to do them more often or in conjunction with regular deadlifts. For example, you could alternate block pulls with conventional deadlifts workout by workout if you want to train your posterior chain twice a week.

Build a more muscular back

Few exercises have the potential to build back size like rack pulls can. Pushing the bar back toward your legs maximizes lat engagement while keeping your shoulders back and down hits your traps and rhomboids. Stopping your lumbar spine from rounding will thicken and strengthen your lower back muscles. In short, rack pulls are a total back builder.

While block pulls are a mostly beneficial exercise, there are also a few drawbacks to consider:

Equipment

While most gyms have barbells and weight plates for deadlifts, lifting blocks are not as common. As such, you may not have access to the equipment you need to do block pulls. However, there are alternatives to this exercise, which we have detailed below.

Less functional than full deadlifts

A functional exercise mirrors the demands of daily living or a sport. Deadlifts from the floor are a very functional exercise, as many lifting movements start with the weight resting on the deck, e.g., picking up your kids, a pet, or grocery bags.

However, block pulls start with a weight resting above the floor, so they may not be as functional as regular deadlifts. That said, they work the same muscles as regular deadlifts, so block pulls will still enhance your functional strength, albeit to a somewhat lesser degree.

Lift heavier weights

Block pulls have a smaller range of motion than conventional deadlifts, so most people can use heavier weights for them. While lifting more weight can be a good thing, it could be a drawback, too.

Some lifters load block pulls with way more weight than they can handle safely. This can lead to injury, especially to the lower back.

7 Block Pulls Variations and Alternatives

Block pulls are a highly effective compound exercise, but that doesn’t mean you need to do them all the time. There are several variations and alternatives you can use to keep your workouts productive and interesting:

1. Rack pulls

No suitable lifting blocks? No problem! You can also do partial deadlifts using a power rack. This exercise looks and feels very similar to block pulls, and as most gyms have a suitable power rack, they may be more accessible for some lifters. However, do not do this exercise with a deadlift bar, as doing so will damage it. In contrast, block pulls will not damage a deadlift bar.

Steps:

1. Place your barbell on the safety pins of a power rack so it’s between lower knee and mid-thigh height.
2. Stand behind the barbell with your feet between shoulder and hip-width apart. Your feet should be under the bar.
3. Grip the bar with a double overhand or mixed shoulder-width grip.
4. Straighten your arms, brace your core, and pull your shoulders back and down. Engage your lats by pressing the barbell toward your legs.
5. Without rounding your lower back, drive your feet into the floor and stand up.
6. Lock out your hips and knees, taking care not to lean back at the top of your rep.
7. Lower the bar back to safety pins, let it settle for a second or two, reset your core and grip, and repeat. Do not bounce your bar off the pins, as doing so could damage the bar and the power rack.

Muscles Targeted:

• Primary: Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, gluteus maximus, hamstrings, erector spinae, core.
• Secondary: Biceps, forearm flexors, quadriceps.

Benefits:

• More accessible than block pulls for some lifters.
• Easier to adjust the height of the bar, as most power racks are drilled with one-inch holes.
• An excellent total back and posterior chain exercise.

Tips:

• Try a lower starting point to emphasize your glutes and hamstrings or a higher one to emphasize your back.
• Use a mixed or double overhand grip as preferred.
• Use lifting straps and/or chalk to prevent your hands from slipping on the bar.

Related: The Ultimate Guide to Rack Pulls

2. Paused deadlifts

Like block pulls, paused deadlifts are designed to improve your mid-rep strength and boost your lockout. However, as an extra advantage, you don’t need any additional equipment to do them. Paused deadlifts are another common powerlifting accessory exercise.

Steps:

1. Place your barbell on the floor and stand with your toes beneath it, feet between shoulder and hip-width apart.
2. Grab the bar using an overhand or mixed grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
3. Straighten your arms, brace your core, set your shoulders, and drop your hips down below your shoulders. Take the slack out of the bar.
4. Drive your feet into the floor and stand up, pausing as the bar reaches about knee height. Hold this position for 1-3 seconds.
5. Push your hips forward and stand fully upright.
6. Lower the bar back to the floor, reset your core and grip, and repeat.

Muscles Targeted:

• Primary: Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, gluteus maximus, hamstrings, erector spinae, core.
• Secondary: Biceps, forearm flexors, quadriceps.

Benefits:

• A very accessible exercise as no extra equipment is required.
• An effective way to strengthen your deadlift lock out.
• A good way to make light weights feel heavier.

Tips:

• The longer you pause, the harder this exercise becomes.
• Vary the height of the pause to change the effect and feel of this exercise.
• Use less weight than normal, as this exercise is much more demanding than full deadlifts or block pulls.

3. Deadlifts with chains

Chains are another way to overload the top part of the deadlift movement. Doing deadlifts with chains is a type of training called accommodating resistance. As well as overloading the upper range of motion, using bands or chains teaches you to lift more explosively and develops your ability to use power to blast through your sticking points.

Steps:

1. Load your barbell and attach your chains.
2. Place your barbell on the floor and stand with your toes beneath it, feet between shoulder and hip-width apart.
3. Grab the bar using an overhand or mixed grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
4. Straighten your arms, brace your core, set your shoulders, and drop your hips down below your shoulders. Take the slack out of the bar.
5. Drive your feet into the floor and stand up. Do not lean back, as doing so increases your risk of injury.
6. Lower the bar back to the floor, reset your core and grip, and repeat.

Muscles Targeted:

• Primary: Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, gluteus maximus, hamstrings, erector spinae, core.
• Secondary: Biceps, forearm flexors, quadriceps.

Benefits:

• A very movement-specific deadlift accessory exercise.
• An excellent way to overload the top part of your deadlift.
• An effective exercise for developing deadlift speed and power.

Tips:

• This exercise works best when done for low reps, e.g., 3-5.
• Start with light chains, as this exercise can be very challenging.
• No chains? You can also use strong bands for accommodating resistance training.

4. Trap bar block pulls

Because the load is in front of your base of support, barbell deadlifts have a tendency to pull you forward onto your toes. This increases the shearing force on your lumbar spine. Shearing force isn’t a problem for some lifters but can be a deadlift deal breaker for those with pre-existing back pain. Trap or hex bar block pulls allow you to keep your torso more upright, making them far more lower back-friendly.  

Steps:

1. Load up your trap bar and place it on blocks.
2. Stand between the handles, feet about shoulder-width apart.
3. Grip the handles, straighten your arms, pull your shoulders down and back, and brace your core.
4. Drive your feet into the floor and stand up straight.
5. Lower the weights back to the blocks, allow them to settle, and then repeat.

Muscles Targeted:

• Primary: Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, gluteus maximus, quadriceps, hamstrings, erector spinae, core.
• Secondary: Biceps, forearm flexors.

Benefits:

• More quadriceps engagement than regular block pulls.
• Much less lower back stress.
• The parallel grip makes trap bar deadlifts more biceps and shoulder-friendly.

Tips:

• Adjust the height of your blocks to change the effect of this exercise.
• You can also do this exercise in a power rack, i.e., trap bar rack pulls.
• Experiment with the width of your stance to see what feels best.

5. Snatch grip deadlift

Lifters often do block pulls to overload their upper back muscles. Using a wider-than-shoulder width or snatch grip also increases upper back engagement but requires no additional equipment. As an added advantage, this exercise increases off-the-floor strength and explosiveness.

Steps:

1. Place your barbell on the floor and stand with your toes beneath it, feet between shoulder and hip-width apart.
2. Grab the bar using an overhand, wider than shoulder-width grip.
3. Straighten your arms, brace your core, set your shoulders, and drop your hips down below your shoulders. Take the slack out of the bar.
4. Drive your feet into the floor and stand up. Do not lean back, as doing so increases your risk of injury.
5. Lower the bar back to the floor, reset your core and grip, and repeat.

Muscles Targeted:

• Primary: Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, gluteus maximus, quadriceps, hamstrings, erector spinae, core.
• Secondary: Biceps, forearm flexors.

Benefits:

• A very effective upper-back builder.
• A precursor for doing Olympic snatches.
• A great upper trap and mid-back strengthening exercise.

Tips:

• The wider your hands, the more challenging this exercise becomes.
• Use a hook grip to prevent your hands from slipping.
• You can also do this exercise off blocks or power rack safety pins, like this:

6. Romanian deadlifts

Like block pulls, Romanian deadlifts emphasize the top of the deadlift movement. However, performed with semi-straight legs, Romanian deadlifts are more glute and hamstring-dominant than block pulls. Romanian deadlifts are arguably one of the best posterior chain exercises around.

Steps:

1. Hold a barbell in front of your thighs using a double overhand or mixed grip.
2. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent but rigid.
3. Brace your core and set your shoulders back and down.
4. Push your hips back and hinge forward, lowering the bar down the fronts of your thighs to below your knees.
5. Drive your hips forward and stand back up.

Muscles Targeted:

• Primary: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings, core, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids.
• Secondary: Forearms, biceps.

Benefits:

• More glute and hamstring-centric than block pulls.
• No additional equipment is required.
• A very functional posterior chain exercise.

Tips:

• Adjust your range of motion according to your flexibility.
• Do NOT round your lower back!
• Keep your neck long and your chin tucked in to avoid cervical spine stress.

7. Kettlebell block pull

Most deadlift variations revolve around barbells. However, you can also deadlift other heavy objects, including sandbags, dumbbells, and kettlebells. The kettlebell block pull is an especially useful exercise for home lifters.

Steps:

1. Place your kettlebell on a block and stand astride it, toes pointing slightly outward.
2. Grip the handle with an overhand, narrow grip.
3. Straighten your arms, pull your shoulders down and back, brace your core, and lower your hips below your shoulders.
4. Drive your feet into the floor and stand up straight.
5. Lower the kettlebell back down to your block and repeat.

Muscles Targeted:

• Primary: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings, core, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids.
• Secondary: Forearms, biceps.

Benefits:

• A very accessible block pull variation.
• Minimal lower back stress.
• An excellent block pull option for home exercisers.

Tips:

• Experiment with the height of your block.
• Push your knees outward to increase glute engagement.
• You can also do this exercise with a single dumbbell standing on end.

Block Pulls FAQs

Do you have a question about block pulls or posterior chain training in general? No worries, because we’ve got the answers!

1. How many times a week can I do block pulls?

Most lifters should be able to do block pulls twice a week, e.g., Monday and Thursday. This will allow adequate time for rest, recovery, and muscle growth. However, if you train very heavy (90%+ of your 1RM) or perform a high volume of sets per session, once a week may be all you can recover from. Doing block pulls more often could result in overtraining.

Adjust your training frequency based on your progress, and if you’re feeling tired or burnt out, you probably need to do block pulls less rather than more often.

2. Are block pulls safe?

Compared to conventional deadlifts from the floor, block pulls should be somewhat safer. The shorter range of motion and higher starting position means less low back stress. However, these benefits will soon vanish if you use too much weight or poor technique.

So, block pulls are pretty safe, but only if performed correctly and with appropriate loads.

3. How many reps and set should I do for block pulls?

Your rep scheme depends on your training goal. To build strength, you must lift heavy weights for low reps, typically in the 1-5 range. For muscle building, you need to do moderate to high reps (6-30) using lighter loads. However, to build muscle, you also need to take your sets to within a couple of reps of failure.

Regarding sets, provided you train hard enough, you should be able to fatigue your muscles in 2-4 sets. If you feel you need to do many more, you are either not training hard enough or are resting too long between sets. That said, strength-specific workouts often involve more sets than hypertrophy programs, e.g., six sets of three reps.

Check out this guide to learn more about effective program design.

4. Are deadlifts the only way to train the posterior chain

While deadlifts and block pulls are an effective way to develop your posterior chain, they’re not the only way to train this critical area. Other exercises you can do include:

• Kettlebell swings
• 45-degree back extensions
• Barbell hip thrusts
• Good mornings

Read about these and other exercises in this article.

5. Are block pulls part of powerlifting?

While block pulls are not an official part of competitive powerlifting, powerlifters often do them as an assistance exercise to improve their lockout strength. However, variations of the block pull, such as the silver dollar deadlift, often feature in strongman competitions.

Because of the raised bar height and shorter range of motion, partial deadlift weights are almost always significantly higher than full deadlifts.

Block Pulls – Wrapping Up

Deadlifts are one of the most productive exercises you can do with a barbell. They’re functional as they replicate several everyday and sporting movements and are great for building full-body muscle and strength.

However, there is no law saying that you have to deadlift from the floor. In fact, if you are tall or inflexible, you may find that doing so leads to injuries.

Block pulls raise the bar to a more mechanically advantageous height, so you don’t have to bend over so far to reach it. In addition, they provide a way to train the upper part of your deadlift more, which may help you blast past your sticking points.

Whether you are an experienced deadlifter or a novice, block pulls are a very beneficial exercise, so try ‘em – you’re gonna like ‘em!

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