Block Pull
Deadlift from blocks. A reduced ROM to train a specific phase of the pull. It works mainly the glutes and lower back, with help from the hamstrings, trapezius and forearm flexors.
In Flawless, a man aged 23–39 reaches Gold, the third of eight ranks, at 2.15× bodyweight (172.5 kg at 80 kg). For a woman it is 1.5× (90 kg at 60 kg).
How to do Block Pull
- Set the plates on blocks or mats so the bar starts about mid-shin or just below the knees, and stand with it over the middle of your feet.
- Hinge at the hips with a slight knee bend, grip just outside the legs, lift the chest and flatten the back.
- Push the floor away and stand up tall, keeping the bar against the legs; finish with the glutes squeezed.
- Lower with control back onto the blocks. Unlike a rack pull the bar can still flex, so the start feels like a real deadlift.
These are the same steps you see in the exercise guide in the Flawless app.
Muscles worked
| Role | Muscle | Anatomical name |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Glutes | Gluteus maximus |
| Primary | Lower back | Erector spinae |
| Secondary | Hamstrings | Biceps femoris |
| Secondary | Trapezius | Trapezius |
| Secondary | Forearm flexors | Flexores antebrachii |
Muscle data from StrengthLog.
Why do it
- Heavy loading of the top half of the pull
- Traps and upper back under real weight
- Less lower-back fatigue than a full deadlift
Strength standards for Block Pull
| Rank | Men | Women | Man, 80 kg | Woman, 60 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | start | start | – | – |
| Silver | 1.45× | 1× | 115 kg | 60 kg |
| Gold | 2.15× | 1.5× | 172.5 kg | 90 kg |
| Platinum | 2.9× | 2× | 232.5 kg | 120 kg |
| Diamond | 3.6× | 2.5× | 287.5 kg | 150 kg |
| Obsidian | 4.5× | 3.15× | 360 kg | 190 kg |
| Painite | 5.4× | 3.8× | 432.5 kg | 227.5 kg |
| Antimatter | 7.2× | 5.05× | 575 kg | 302.5 kg |
Ratios are one-rep max ÷ bodyweight for ages 23–39; kilograms are rounded to 2.5 kg.
Flawless takes your best set of Block Pull, estimates your one-rep max with the Brzycki formula (reps are capped at 12) and divides it by the bodyweight in your profile, so you never have to test a true max. Women’s limits are 30 % lower than men’s. For other ages the app lowers every limit: by 8 % under 23 and from 40 to 49, by 18 % in your 50s, 28 % in your 60s and 38 % from 70.
Similar exercises
Questions
What muscles does Block Pull work?
It works mainly the glutes and lower back, with help from the hamstrings, trapezius and forearm flexors.
How do you do Block Pull?
Set the plates on blocks or mats so the bar starts about mid-shin or just below the knees, and stand with it over the middle of your feet. Hinge at the hips with a slight knee bend, grip just outside the legs, lift the chest and flatten the back. Push the floor away and stand up tall, keeping the bar against the legs; finish with the glutes squeezed. Lower with control back onto the blocks. Unlike a rack pull the bar can still flex, so the start feels like a real deadlift.
What is a good Block Pull for my bodyweight?
In Flawless, Gold starts at 2.15× bodyweight for men aged 23–39 and 1.5× for women, Diamond at 3.6× and 2.5×. For an 80 kg man that is a 172.5 kg and a 287.5 kg one-rep max.
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