Buying a Power Rack - Opinions?

michellekicks
michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
MrBigMack and I want to replace our smith with a power rack in our home gym. Since we're both relatively new to heavy lifting of this nature (basically Stronglifts 5x5) we want something to get us going that won't break the bank but something we can use for a while.

I have stopped progressing with the program because I don't want to go heavier on the smith for squats. I'd rather start over from the bar and re-learn how to do them free.

I'd love your opinions on what to look for.

Here's one that we're considering. It's super affordable as far as power racks go, but can anyone see any glaring issues with it that you could point out? For reference, MrBigMack is 6'2" and over 250lbs and should be able to move some pretty heavy weight if he keeps it up, but I don't see him becoming competitive with ridiculously heavy weights.

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http://www.amazon.com/BD-11-Hard-Power-Rack-Pull/dp/B004RXRTS2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=310GC3XMRU6RR&coliid=I1QS5Z5X1D39W3

I like that it has the attachments available since I'd like to get dip bars and a lat pull down too.

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Replies

  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    I would recommend to go used if there's any sort of market at all in your area on craigslist, because you can get usually a rack, cheapo barbell, and set of plates for less than the price of a new rack.

    All in all they're all about functionally the same. Make sure you have enough ceiling height. I guess go as tall as possible to accommodate pullups. Dip attachments are nice.

    FWIW my rack has a lat pulldown which nobody ever uses.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    http://newyorkbarbells.com/92563.html

    I bought this one over a decade ago and still love it.

    ...but I did not buy the accompanying pull-down/pulley thing that no one uses.
  • craigmandu
    craigmandu Posts: 976 Member
    Defnitely make sure the room you put it in has high ceilings...racks can get pretty tall.

    I also don't believe a lat station is of any real use, even if you can't do regular pullups, you could probably do horizontal pullups til you could do the regulars.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Sorry I should have said we have all the plates we need for now - 2x45, 4x35, 2x25, 4x10, 4x5, 2x2.5, 2x1.25 - and a bench. We will need a new Oly bar (mine is only 5' because space is limited with the smith in the room), but the local used market is slim pickin's and we're not close to major cities, so shipping becomes expensive. I can ship to a US address, though... (I'm in Canada, near the border).
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Cheap bars are...well, cheap. Shouldn't be too hard to find one of those for...well, honestly, I don't know how much just the bar would be...but I know the typical 300 lb starter set is (or at least was) ~$200.
  • craigmandu
    craigmandu Posts: 976 Member
    Sorry I should have said we have all the plates we need for now - 2x45, 4x35, 2x25, 4x10, 4x5, 2x2.5, 2x1.25 - and a bench. We will need a new Oly bar (mine is only 5' because space is limited with the smith in the room), but the local used market is slim pickin's and we're not close to major cities, so shipping becomes expensive. I can ship to a US address, though... (I'm in Canada, near the border).

    Check Craigslist for a locale near you...you can usually find Oly bars (sometimes you need to take everything off of someone's hands) real cheap. I picked up a set of bars for $50 - Standard Oly bar, Oly, preacher curl, tricep extention, and some other crap bars.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Most racks should be fine for your needs. Some of them have to be bolted down to be safe so be aware if that's the case and be prepared to bolt it to your floor. I would get one with either a dedicated chin up bar or at least a rounded support bar that I could do chins on. I wouldn't bother paying 2 cents for one with a pulley system as it's usually more trouble than it's worth.

    you're going to need more weights than that. at least 2 more 45s and 4 would be better. MrBM is a big dude.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    you're going to need more weights than that. at least 2 more 45s and 4 would be better. MrBM is a big dude.

    lol thanks... yeah he'll need more as soon as he gets consistent with it. I guess I just meant we're not starting from scratch. There's a wholesaler near us who sells the plates sometimes for about $.85/lb, so fairly affordable as plates go. I don't mind buying plates on CL though, too. It's just not many people selling the racks near us - Vancouver/Seattle/Spokane is our CL area.
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
    That is a nice rack and should serve your needs well. The attachments aren't required. Once you start deadlifting anywhere near your 1 rep max, you will forget about any lat pull down machines. And to do tricep dips, just put two oly bars across the safety stops and dip away.

    I got a very nice used one with 2 oly bars, plates, an incline bench and weight rack for $450. It has been the best addition to my home gym. Squats, deadlifts and bench press are so much better than the multi-place machine I have been using. The family likes the multi-place so I have to keep it, but I haven't used it since I got the power rack. It's a billion times better than a smith's.

    Good luck!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I was in the same position a few months ago... shopping for a cage to replace a smith.

    Most any cage will work just fine, but here are a few subtle differences I watched for...

    1 - rack height... can you do OHP inside the rack? From what I've seen, most consumer grade racks aren't tall enough for this.

    2 - rack depth... most rack are open across the front but have a cross member along the back for stability. Make sure that cross member doesn't interfere with bench positioning.

    3 - usability... play around with the rack id you can, especially the safety bars. Some are a nussiance to adjust, some are fast and simple.
  • thomas127
    thomas127 Posts: 32
    Its worth spending a little more and getting a good rack and a good barbell. Rogue fitness make some really great gear. Their rogue bar is also good value for money.

    http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-r-3-power-rack.php - You will never break it, Wont take up too much room. Better adjustment for the safety bars.
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
    That R3 is nice but it doesn't look like you can deadlift inside the rack. Not a big deal, but I like deadlifting inside the rack because I don't have to move the barbell to another spot.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    That R3 is nice but it doesn't look like you can deadlift inside the rack. Not a big deal, but I like deadlifting inside the rack because I don't have to move the barbell to another spot.

    Agreed. This was a key point in my search for racks.

    Rogue stuff is nice, but IMO its overpriced and trendy because of the crossfit affiliation/popularity. When I was talking to them about racks, their service was less than stellar.

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