Barbell Block Pull
What Is the Barbell Block Pull?
Barbell Block Pull is a compound exercise that primarily targets the glutes, hamstrings and lower back and also engages the upper back, quadriceps, forearms and core. It is an intermediate-level movement in which the plates rest on a pair of blocks, so the bar starts around mid-shin instead of on the floor and the lifter pulls from there to a full lockout.
The block pull is mainly a deadlift accessory. Shortening the pull lets a lifter handle loads close to or above their floor deadlift, which makes it a popular way to overload the middle and top of the lift, build confidence with heavy weights and add pulling volume without the full cost of a floor deadlift. Powerlifters often use it for a few weeks at a time, either after their main deadlift work or in place of floor pulls on a lighter day. Setting the bar at the height where a floor deadlift tends to slow down gives the most direct carryover.
The block pull is often lumped together with the Barbell Rack Pull, but the two are set up differently. In a rack pull the bar itself rests on safety pins inside the plates, usually around knee height. In a block pull the plates rest on the blocks just as they rest on the floor, so the bar sits the same way it does in a Barbell Deadlift and the lifter has to pull the slack out of it before the plates break off the blocks. Some coaches prefer blocks for deadlift practice for that reason, and because heavy pulls off pins bend barbells over time.
Block height decides where the work goes. Low blocks keep more knee bend at the start and behave much like a floor pull, while higher blocks shift the effort toward the hips and upper back and start to resemble a lockout drill. Taller lifters and anyone who cannot yet reach the floor with a flat back can also use blocks to train the hinge through a range they control. Lifters should be comfortable with the Barbell Deadlift and Barbell Romanian Deadlift first, since the block pull refines that pattern rather than teaching it.
Muscles Worked
- Biceps Femoris
- Primary
- Erector Spinae
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- Primary
- Adductor Magnus
- High
- Semitendinosus
- High
- Upper Trapezius
- High
- Flexor Carpi Ulnaris
- Medium
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Medium
- Vastus Lateralis
- Medium
Instructions
- Place two sturdy blocks of equal height on the floor and load a barbell so each plate rests flat and centered on a block, with the bar at about mid-shin height.
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and your toes pointing forward or slightly out, the bar over the middle of your feet and close to your shins.
- Push your hips back, bend your knees and grip the bar overhand with both hands just outside your legs, arms straight.
- Set your hips above your knees and your shoulders slightly in front of the bar, flatten your back and keep your neck in line with your spine.
- Take a deep breath, brace your core and pull the slack out of the bar so it is tight before the plates leave the blocks.
- Drive your feet into the floor and extend your hips and knees together, keeping the bar in contact with your legs as it rises.
- Finish standing tall with your hips and knees straight, shoulders back and glutes squeezed, without leaning back.
- Lower the bar by pushing your hips back first and bending your knees once the bar passes them, and set the plates down fully on the blocks before the next rep.
- Check that the plates are still centered on the blocks between reps and adjust if they have shifted.
Common Mistakes
Blocks set at the wrong height
Blocks that are too tall turn the lift into a short lockout, while blocks that are too low leave it barely different from a floor deadlift, so set the bar near the point where your regular deadlift slows down.
Changing the deadlift setup
Widening the stance, moving the grip or starting with the hips much higher than in a floor pull reduces how well the strength carries over to your deadlift.
Letting the bar drift forward
When the bar leaves the shins and thighs, the lower back takes over the lift and the pull usually stalls around the knees.
Hitching the bar up the thighs
Resting the bar on the thighs and rebending the knees to finish means the load is too heavy for a clean lockout.
Leaning back at the top
Overarching the lower back at lockout adds spinal stress without adding anything to the lift, so finish by standing tall with the glutes squeezed.
Bouncing reps off the blocks
Dropping the bar fast to rebound off the blocks skips the start you are trying to train and can knock the plates or blocks out of place.
Injuries
Barbell Block Pull is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The shorter range skips the bottom of the floor pull, but the heavier loads it invites put more stress on the lower back, the hamstrings and the grip. Most problems come from treating it as a chance to lift as much as possible, which leads to a rounded back off the blocks, hitching the bar up the thighs or leaning back hard at lockout.
Use sturdy blocks of the same height on both sides and center each plate on its block so neither can slide or tip. Brace before every rep, keep the bar against your legs and lower it under control until the plates settle on the blocks instead of dropping it to bounce. Start below your floor deadlift and build up over several sessions, and use lifting straps if grip gives out before your back and hips do.
To make it easier, raise the blocks slightly or lighten the load, or practice the hinge with the Barbell Romanian Deadlift. To progress, lower the blocks step by step toward a full Barbell Deadlift, and only then consider pulling from a Barbell Deficit Deadlift platform.
Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in your lower back or the back of your thigh, or any pain, numbness or tingling running down a leg, and get it checked before loading the lift again.
- Primary Focus
- Glutes, hamstrings, and back
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the Barbell Block Pull
The Barbell Block Pull is also known as:
- Block Deadlift
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Is a block pull the same as a rack pull?
No. Both shorten the deadlift, but in a block pull the plates rest on blocks the way they rest on the floor, while in a Barbell Rack Pull the bar itself sits on safety pins, usually at a higher start. The block setup keeps the bar behaving like a floor deadlift, so it is the closer match when the goal is a stronger deadlift.
- Q: How high should the blocks be?
Most lifters set the bar somewhere between mid-shin and just below the knee, which takes blocks a few inches tall under standard plates. Choose the height where your floor deadlift tends to slow down, and keep it the same from session to session so you can track progress.
- Q: Can I lift more on block pulls than on my deadlift?
Usually, yes, because the bar starts higher and the range is shorter. Start below your deadlift max and work up over several sessions, since chasing big numbers off the blocks with a rounded back or a hitched lockout defeats the purpose.
- Q: Can I use stacked plates instead of lifting blocks?
Yes, as long as both stacks are the same height, sit flat and stay stable under the loaded bar. Center the bar's plates on the stacks and watch that the plate rims do not let them roll or slide between reps.
- Q: Should beginners do block pulls?
Beginners are better served by learning the Barbell Deadlift from the floor first. Block pulls are most useful once a lifter has a consistent deadlift and wants to overload part of it or work around a sticking point.