Barbell High Pull
What Is the Barbell High Pull?
Barbell High Pull is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders, upper back and glutes, and also engages the hamstrings, quadriceps, lower back and arms. It is an intermediate-level movement that starts from a hang with the bar just above the knees: an explosive drive of the hips and knees launches the bar, and the arms then carry it up to upper-chest height with the elbows high and out to the sides.
The high pull is one of the weightlifting pulling derivatives, the family of lifts that keep the explosive extension of a clean or snatch but leave out the catch. Strength coaches use it to train lower-body power in athletes who do not compete in weightlifting, and as a teaching step toward the Barbell Hang Power Clean. Because it is fast and technical, it usually goes early in a session, before slower strength work, in low-rep sets.
It is easy to confuse with its neighbors. The Barbell Upright Row is a slow, controlled arm lift with the legs still, so the shoulders and traps do all the work. The high pull is driven by the hips and legs, and the arms only finish what the leg drive starts. The Barbell Clean Pull and Barbell Snatch Pull use the same explosive extension but finish with a shrug and straight arms, while the high pull keeps the bar moving with an active arm pull. The Barbell Sumo Deadlift High Pull ends in the same high-elbow position but starts from the floor in a wide stance with the hands inside the knees.
The grip shifts the finish. The shoulder-width grip shown here is the clean-grip version, while a wider snatch grip lets the bar travel higher with the elbows less tightly rotated. Starting from the floor adds a longer first pull and more back and leg work, while the hang start keeps the focus on the fast second pull and is easier to learn.
The high pull suits athletes in sprinting, jumping and contact sports, lifters learning the clean or snatch, and anyone who wants explosive full-body training without catching a bar on the shoulders. Before loading it, get comfortable holding a flat back in the hang with the Barbell Romanian Deadlift, and learn the hip drive with straight arms through a clean pull, so the arm pull is added to a movement the legs already own.
Muscles Worked
- Deltoid
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- Primary
- Upper Trapezius
- Primary
- Biceps Femoris
- High
- Erector Spinae
- High
- Vastus Lateralis
- High
- Biceps Brachii
- Medium
- Brachialis
- Medium
- Rectus Femoris
- Medium
Instructions
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and your toes turned slightly out, holding a barbell at your thighs with an overhand grip, hands just outside your legs at about shoulder width.
- Push your hips back and soften your knees to lower the bar to just above your knees, keeping your back flat, your shoulders over the bar and your arms long.
- Drive your hips forward and push through the floor to extend your hips and knees explosively, keeping your arms long and relaxed and the bar brushing your thighs.
- As your hips reach full extension, shrug your shoulders and pull your elbows up and out to the sides, keeping the bar close to your body.
- Finish standing tall with the bar at upper-chest height, your elbows high and outside, above your hands. Your heels may come up briefly, but settle back onto flat feet.
- Do not lean back to get the bar higher; the height comes from the leg drive, not the arms.
- Lower the bar under control to your thighs, bending your hips and knees as it lands, then reset into the hang for the next rep.
Common Mistakes
Pulling with the arms too early
Bending the elbows before the hips and knees finish extending soaks up the leg drive and leaves the arms lifting a bar the legs should have launched.
Turning it into an upright row
Standing still and lifting the bar slowly with the shoulders removes the hip drive that makes this a power exercise.
Letting the bar swing away
A bar that drifts forward off the thighs and chest pulls the shoulders forward and loads the lower back, so keep it brushing the body all the way up.
Dropping the elbows
Letting the hands lead and the elbows sink below the wrists stalls the bar low and pulls it away from the body.
Leaning back at the top
Arching the lower back to heave the bar higher shifts the load onto the spine instead of finishing tall with the hips extended.
Rounding the back in the hang
Letting the upper or lower back round as the bar lowers to the knees puts the spine under load before the drive even starts.
Injuries
Barbell High Pull is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The two places that take the strain are the shoulders and the lower back. At the top, the elbows finish high with the shoulders turned inward under a moving load, which can pinch the front of the shoulder, and a narrow grip or yanking the bar up toward the chin makes that worse. In the hang, a rounded back or a hard lean back at the finish puts the lower back under load it is not set up to hold.
Keep the grip at shoulder width or a little wider, let the legs and hips lift the bar so the arms only finish the pull, and stop the bar around the upper chest instead of chasing more height. Use loads light enough that the bar stays fast; when the arms have to grind it up, the weight is too heavy. Lower the bar to the thighs under control and bend the hips and knees as it lands, rather than letting it drop onto straight legs.
To regress, practice the hang position with the Barbell Romanian Deadlift, then drill the hip drive with straight arms through the Barbell Clean Pull, or use the lighter Dumbbell High Pull. Once the high pull is fast and consistent, progress to the Barbell Hang Power Clean, which adds the catch.
Stop the set if you feel a sharp or pinching pain at the front or top of the shoulder, pain in the lower back, or numbness or tingling down the arm. Swap to a straight-arm pull until the shoulder settles, and see a physical therapist or doctor if the pain lingers.
Other Names for the Barbell High Pull
The Barbell High Pull is also known as:
- Barbell Hang High Pull
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What is the difference between a high pull and an upright row?
The Barbell Upright Row is a slow arm lift with the legs still, so the shoulders and traps lift the whole load. The high pull is explosive: the hips and legs launch the bar and the arms finish the pull to the chest, so it trains power and moves more weight.
- Q: Does a high pull produce as much power as a hang power clean?
At lighter loads it produces more. A study on 13 resistance-trained men found the hang high pull generated greater relative peak power than the Barbell Hang Power Clean, with the biggest gap at 30 and 45% of their hang power clean max and almost none at 80%. It also skips the catch, so it is quicker to learn.
- Q: How heavy should a barbell high pull be?
Light enough that the bar stays fast and the legs, not the arms, drive it up, which for most people is well below what they could clean. Sets of 3 to 5 reps with full rest keep every rep explosive.
- Q: Should I start the high pull from the floor or the hang?
The hang start shown here, with the bar just above the knees, isolates the fast second pull and is the easier version to learn. Starting from the floor adds a longer pull and more back and leg work, and suits lifters who already pull cleanly from the floor.
- Q: Is the high pull bad for your shoulders?
Not for most people with healthy shoulders, but the high-elbow finish can pinch if the grip is narrow or the bar is yanked toward the chin. Keep the grip at shoulder width or wider, stop at the upper chest and keep loads light, and swap to the Barbell Clean Pull if the top position hurts.