The whole back side of your body, or posterior chain, will be worked,” says Reay. “It’s a heavy lift so there will be a lot of work through the glutes, lower back and the upper back, if you set up correctly, and to a lesser extent your calves and hamstrings.
“You’re likely to get a little more glute work from a rack pull than a deadlift due to the fact that you can lift a bit heavier, and the range of motion means the glutes do a lot of work. The glutes are big, powerful muscles and they respond well to a heavy load, so if you can lift slightly heavier then you’ll get slightly more glute activation.