Between the Floor and the Fantasy: The Block Pull

There was this gym I sometimes trained at as a teenager in Oxnard, CA. It claimed it was hardcore—graffiti on the walls, Slayer on the speakers, a chalk bucket collecting more dust than use. But it wasn’t Metroflex. It was Midlife Crisis Headquarters.

Not a temple of strength. More like a last stand for guys chasing alumni game glory, nursing beer guts under stringer tanks, trying to reclaim something lost between divorces and bad decisions. The place reeked of Androstenedione and ephedrine—that special 1999 cocktail of desperation and chemical hope.

One guy in particular? A cautionary tale in flesh and bleach. Word was he spent more time at PJ Grunts—a local bikini bar with two-dollar Tuesdays and a bouncer named “Chainsaw”—than he did under a barbell. Supposedly blew his kid’s college fund trying to impress one of the dancers who trained there.

Bleached spikes, new sports car, lifting belt on before he hit the parking lot. Fully committed to the fantasy.

His signature lift? Rack pulls from just above the knees—850 pounds with so much hitching and shaking it looked like an exorcism. He’d grunt, yell, and strut around afterward like he’d pulled Excalibur from the stone.

Never once saw him pull 600 from the floor. And the dancer? Gone the second the money dried up.

That’s ego lifting. All noise, no substance. It’s why so many stay weak while convincing themselves they’re strong.

Now let’s make this clear—block pulls done right? That’s a different beast.

Fast forward to me prepping for a strongman contest. One of the events: deadlift starting three inches off the ground. I’d hit 749 in a meet, so 705 should’ve been routine.

It wasn’t. It sat there like an anchor in concrete.

Why? Because I’d always been explosive off the floor. But that speed was masking a hole. When the stretch reflex and tension off the bottom were gone, so was my ability to get the bar moving.

I’ve seen the same pattern coaching top-level lifters. The guys who blast the bar off the floor? Usually get humbled when pulling from 3–4 inches.

That’s the dead zone—no rebound, no free tension. Just raw starting strength and position.

Block pulls from this range are brutal, but they build what speed alone can’t: real, grind-it-out power.

Here’s how to use them:

• Elevate the bar 3–4 inches
• Use them in the offseason—not during meet prep
• Reset every rep—no bouncing, no circus tricks
• Brace tight, pull hard, and move with intent

When you go back to floor pulls, you’ll feel the difference. The mid-range gets smoother. The bar speed stays steady. You become a more complete lifter.

I’ve run this with guys pulling over 800. Not theory. Not gym lore. Real work with real results.

So if you’re rack pulling to impress the crowd at PJ Grunts or to relive your ’89 varsity football days—save it.

But if you’re here to build something real, block pulls—done right—will take you there.

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