Recommend a home power rack

zamphir66

So I'd like to take the plunge again and try to do this and be really serious about it. I've made space in my basement. I'm saving up over the next few months and my budget will be $1,000. What I'm looking for is of course power rack and it would be nice if included in that was a bench and an Olympic Bar. Any other accessories are icing on the cake. Now that I say that I don't know if Olympic bars typically come with the racks?

steveko89

I highly recommend taking a look over at the r/homegym subreddit. There are some really knowledge users in that community and make a lot of effort to review and evaluate equipment.

A bundle like you described isn't exactly commonplace (rack, weights, bar) though most equipment manufacturers will offer all of those pieces individually but that doesn't necessarily mean that you're getting the best/recommended piece of equipment for the price.

For $1000 I'd check out Titan Fitness for a rack and REP fitness for a bench (I own two Titan benches and both pale compared to some of REP's offerings). REP also makes racks but charges shipping and I find their racks lacking in some of the details I look for in terms of hole spacing, etc. That will probably eat up about 1/2 of that $1000, if not more. Titan runs a ton of sales so it's worthwhile to sign up for their email newsletter. Most people have never heard of Titan but the lion's share of the equipment in my homegym is Titan and I'm overall very pleased. Even the benches I criticized earlier aren't terrible, there are just some better ones out there.

The common opinion on barbells is that it's the most important piece of equipment you buy so you should plan to spend heavily on it for something like a Rogue Ohio, Texas Power bar, etc. I'm of the opinion that most home lifters don't necessarily need that level of bar for safety and durability. Personally I own 2 "economy" bars from Titan, which are rated to 750 lbs and have performed admirably for me. I also have a safety squat bar from Titan; if you plan on specialty bars I think that emphasizes the need for a high end barbell even less. However, I will say you don't want to go for the extreme low end bars that come with a cast iron weight plate set; these are pretty garbage and do not hold up well.

If you haven't already you should explore the used market local to you via craigslist, facebook marketplace, letgo, etc. You can get some really good deals on quality equipment that people are looking to get rid of.

zamphir66

I wasn't familiar with the "safety squat" bar, so I looked it up and I think I really want one. One of my big problems in the past was just never feeling comfortable under the bar. I could never get all the parts of my anatomy lined up just so; something was always not feeling right in the wrists, or elbows, or shoulders, or neck, or... The safety squat looks like it takes a lot of that out of the equation without compromising what the squat is all about.

wiigelec

https://yorkbarbell.com/product/2-cast-iron-olympic-plate-set/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI26ab-qnP5AIVuh-tBh376QzoEAQYASABEgLMVfD_BwE

https://www.amazon.com/Titan-Power-Squat-Deadlift-Bench/dp/B00GHNLK9E/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=titan+power+rack&qid=1568430336&sr=8-4

https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-flat-utility-bench

sgt1372

zamphir66 wrote: »

I wasn't familiar with the "safety squat" bar, so I looked it up and I think I really want one.

When you set up a gym, avoid combination sets and buy ala carte based on your specific needs. I have a lot of excellent lifting equipment, all of which I bought used at a fraction of the retail price off of Craigslist.

One of my favorite pieces of equipment is an EliteFTS SS (safety squat) Yoke bar, which I recommend highly. I injured my back doing squats improperly w/a straight bar but w/this SS bar everything just seems to line up "right" and feels way more comfortable than having a bare bar on my shoulders.

It retails for $425. I got mine for $300 which I considered a bargain. It's a huge beast that weighs 65# on it's own but it's well worth the price, even at retail, if you want/need one but will probably be beyond your reach if you are limiting you budget to $1k, given all of the other things you'll need to buy.

On the other hand, I bought a full sized 7' tall (no name) power rack that looked "rough" but was entirely functional and safe to use for just $200 from a personal trainer who was going out of business. I also bought a Hamton power bar (that I use for deadlifts) and some other things for just a little more.

So, rather than buying at retail, I suggest you first try to find what you need used, if you can.

zamphir66

sgt1372 wrote: »

zamphir66 wrote: »

I wasn't familiar with the "safety squat" bar, so I looked it up and I think I really want one.

When you set up a gym, avoid combination sets and buy ala carte based on your specific needs. I have a lot of excellent lifting equipment, all of which I bought used at a fraction of the retail price off of Craigslist

...

So, rather than buying at retail, I suggest you first try to find what you need used, if you can.

I will try however I live in BFE Appalachia so the secondary market for things like fitness equipment just isn't really there.

BrianSharpe

Your choice of equipment should also be based on what your weightlifting goals are. I picked up a CAP power rack for under C$300 but it's rated to 300 lbs (more than I expect I'll ever be squatting or bench pressing), at the other end of the spectrum you can go for a Rogue that's rated at (IIRC) 750 lbs and will set you back $700 or $800.

Similarly barbells have different ratings and prices, if you plan on deadlifting 1,000 pounds a cheap bar won't do the job.

A budget of $1,000 should get you a pretty sweet home gym.

wifeoferp

steveko89 wrote: »

I highly recommend taking a look over at the r/homegym subreddit. There are some really knowledge users in that community

Can you give me more details on how to do this? Is it a website?

zamphir66

wifeoferp wrote: »

steveko89 wrote: »

I highly recommend taking a look over at the r/homegym subreddit. There are some really knowledge users in that community

Can you give me more details on how to do this? Is it a website?

www.reddit.com/r/homegym