Ever seen someone at the gym doing what looks like a half-deadlift? What you might have been witnessing is the rack pull, a variation of the deadlift which allows you to lift heavier and strengthen your back muscles.

If you look forward to deadlift day every week, then you’ll be excited to know that rack pulls are basically like deadlifts’ little sister. The difference is it has a much shorter range of movement and targets the back muscles more than the lower-body muscles, although it will certainly engage your legs too.