I'm a personal trainer — try the old-school 'Run the Rack' dumbbell method to increase lean muscle growth

Have you heard about a dumbbell workout method that involves “running the rack?” It might sound like something you’d find on Instagram workout inspo pages, but actually, it’s an old-school dumbbell method used by bodybuilders to help you reach failure, then move straight on through it.

The method has been credited with helping to pack on muscle mass and increase muscular output by reaching failure at every weight until you’ve finished moving through the rack of dumbbells. Here’s how to do it, and the all-important benefits.

How to ‘Run the Rack’

You might need to visit your gym at a quiet time or risk annoying your fellow gym-goers because you'll need access to a whole rack of dumbbells to run the rack effectively. Once you’re ready to go, choose a dumbbell exercise like reverse flyes, curls, or triceps kickbacks, for example.

Next, pick up a weight that you can lift for roughly 5-8 reps, so that the last few reps are tough and close to failure. Once you hit your rep range using the first weight, move straight down to the next set of weights and repeat. Continue moving down the rack, decreasing the load a set of dumbbells at a time.

Repeat until you’ve run the rack and reached the lightest set of weights. You’re aiming to hit near failure (or until form deteriorates) with each set, but by stopping and decreasing the weight, you should be able to continue. You'll either reach the end of the rack or hit total failure first.

It might be trial and error, and I've spoken to some people who prefer to base this method on performing as many reps as possible with each weight before moving on.

Here's an example:

• 5-8 reps 12kg
• 5-8 reps 10kg
• 5-8 reps 8kg
• 5-8 reps 6kg
• 5-8 reps 4kg
• 5-8 reps 2kg

You could use the same rep ranges every set, as above, while others choose to increase the reps as the weights get lighter. For example, you could start with a set of 8 reps, then increase to 10 reps, 12, 15, and so on. Remember, you need to aim toward fatigue with each set to really benefit from running the rack, so you’ll need to figure out the correct weight to start and the rep ranges that work.

Does it work?

Like dropsets, the method allows your muscles to work past failure by decreasing the weight each round. This taps into a method called time under tension (TUT), which means your muscles stay stimulated and under contraction for longer, increasing overall volume and helping you build muscle. It’s efficient and minimizes rest while keeping the intensity high, which is why people love it.

I don’t recommend doing this for every exercise in your strength block, just as a finisher for the muscle group you want to max out on most, like your shoulders at the end of an upper-body session. Use it to make that last set leave an impression — but I would stay away from your big compound lifts and aim for isolation exercises like curls or extensions where you can really zone in on those muscles and max them out.

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