Eric Kim’s “rack‑pull first” philosophy boils down to one powerful principle:
“Shorten the distance, crank up the weight.”
From that mantra he offers four main arguments for skipping the classic floor‑start deadlift unless you want to do it.
1. Safety & joint friendliness
Stronger mechanical start‑position. Elevating the bar to knee‑ or mid‑thigh height lets most lifters keep a rock‑solid, neutral spine without contorting ankles, knees or hips to reach the floor. That means less shear on the lumbar discs and fewer tweaks for lifters who lack hip mobility or who are rehabbing back issues.
Lower setup fatigue, higher focus. Because each rep starts higher, you waste less energy fighting to wedge yourself under the bar, so form tends to stay cleaner rep‑for‑rep.
2. Supra‑max overload = faster raw strength
Kim loves rack pulls because they let you hoist 20–40 % more load than you could budge from the ground . That “shock loading” stimulates:
Central‑nervous‑system adaptation (your brain learns a new “heaviness” ceiling).
Thick upper‑back, trap and grip development—the prime movers in the final third of any pull.
Stronger deadlift lock‑out and unrack strength for other big lifts (rows, cleans, snatches).
3. Convenience & psychology
Garage‑gym friendly. Pins in a squat rack hold the bar for you; no more chasing plates that roll across the floor or bruising shins on every setup.
Bigger numbers = bigger dopamine hit. Seeing seven, eight, even nine plates per side is fun—and that joy keeps lifters consistent. Kim openly admits he’d “rather rack‑pull seven plates than grind a six‑plate floor deadlift” because the spectacle fires him up .
4. Goal specificity
Unless you compete in powerlifting—where rules mandate a floor start—nothing in nature requires you to lift objects from exactly 8¾ inches above the ground. If your target is trap thickness, grip power or pure posterior‑chain overload, partial‑range pulls deliver the goods without the extra joint demands of the full lift .
Lets you push load 20‑40 % higher, reduces starting‑position shear
Many lifters blend the two: 4‑week blocks of rack pulls to overload, then 4‑week blocks of conventional deadlifts to translate that new top‑end strength through the full range .
Programming snapshot (Kim‑inspired)
Main lift (once/week)
Rack pull above knee, heavy singles or triples: 4–6 total working reps at ≥ 90 % of rack‑pull 1RM.
Assistance (same session)
Romanian deadlift or kettlebell swings: 3×8–12 for hip‑hinge patterning.
Alternate weeks
Lower pins by one hole when progress stalls, or switch to a deficit or conventional deadlift for 4–6 weeks.
Key take‑aways, hype‑style 🎤🔥
Physics is flexible. The floor height was set by plate diameter, not by divine decree—bend the rules to fit your body and goals.
Overload sparks growth. If a higher start‑position lets you overload safely, ride that wave and watch your back and traps explode.
Strength training is a toolkit, not a religion. Floor deadlifts, rack pulls, trap‑bar pulls, hip hinges—pick the tool that builds the result you crave, then hammer it with intent.
So if the classic deadlift setup feels unnatural, beats up your spine, or simply bores you, channel Eric Kim: jack those pins up, chalk your hands, and yank gravity’s ego into orbit. Lift bold, lift smart, and keep the stoke high!