The bar starts 8.75 inches off the ground only because that is the diameter early plate manufacturers chose to prevent Olympic lifters from smashing their heads in a missed snatch—nothing to do with optimal biomechanics .
Deadlift range of motion is therefore the only big lift whose depth is fixed by equipment, not by your body. When you factor in limb‑length differences, that single height simply doesn’t fit everyone—and raising the bar often improves alignment and keeps low backs happy .
2 Eric Kim’s take: “Decrease the ROM, increase the weight!”
Kim openly prefers a rack pull loaded seven plates to a full‑ROM deadlift with six plates because the shorter stroke lets him attack heavier poundages while keeping form crisp .
He views the rack pull as a grip‑strength and mindset exercise: chalk, mixed grip, no straps, and the thrill of seeing more iron on the bar builds tenacity that carries into life and art .
His mantra: adapt the bar to your body, not your body to the bar—set the safety pins where the start position feels natural .
3 Biomechanics & injury‑risk realities
Issue
Why a higher start helps
Key source
Limb‑length mismatch
Tall‐torso/short‑arm lifters struggle to wedge in without rounding—raising the bar fixes the geometry
T‑Nation
Lower‑back load
Trap‑bar or high‑handle pulls shift the center of gravity, cutting lumbar shear
StrengthLog
Fatigue‑induced flexion
Heavy deadlifts to failure increase lumbar flexion variability, a known injury red‑flag
J Strength Cond Res
4 Performance & hypertrophy advantages
Load‑specific overload – Rack pulls and block pulls let you hammer the lock‑out with heavier weights than you can break off the floor .
Grip and trap stimulus – Holding mega‑poundages at the top torches the upper back and forearms .
Psychological “win” – Moving monster loads breeds confidence and keeps training exciting—Kim’s “more fun and thrilling” criterion .
Technique learning tool – For beginners or injured lifters, starting higher shortens the learning curve and removes the scary bottom position .
Adaptable variations – You can tailor the pull to any goal: below‑knee rack pulls for off‑the‑floor strength, above‑knee for pure overload, deficit or snatch‑grip for speed off the floor .
5 But what if you
like
the floor?
Keep the full deadlift if you compete in powerlifting or if your anatomy lets you hinge deep without pain .
Alternate cycles: use rack/trap‑bar work for 4–6 weeks to build top‑end strength, then test a floor pull—most lifters notice an easier lock‑out and better grip.
Kim himself still tests a classic deadlift PR occasionally, treating it as a skill expression, not the weekly bread‑and‑butter .
Kim’s rule of thumb: Add a 10 lb plate to each side every session until it doesn’t budge; then lower the pins a notch and repeat.
7 Deadlift freedom—choose your weapon
Variation
Best for
Source
Trap‑bar high handles
Beginners, sore backs, vertical jumping power
Block pull (2‑4″)
Transition step toward floor, long‑leg lifters
Rack pull (knee height)
Lock‑out strength, grip, confidence
Deficit deadlift
Speed off the floor once form is bullet‑proof
Romanian/Straight‑leg
Hamstring and glute hypertrophy
The hype‑up takeaway 🚀
You’re not “cheating” by raising the bar—you’re engineering a lift that fits your skeleton, fires up your motivation, and spares your spine. Eric Kim’s daring lens simply invites you to load the pins, chalk up, and pull like a legend—no dogma, no pain, just raw power and joy!