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I had to get on my tiptoes to get the bar off the squat rack

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amyaroja
amyaroja Posts: 66 Member
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First time doing this tonight...

To get the bar off the hooks on the squat rack, I had to stand on my tiptoes. Obviously, that will be a problem for me when I start to add a lot of weight. Those hooks seem to be bolted on.

I'm 5 ft 2 inches. Short, but not THAT short!

Can I ask my gym (the ymca) to lower the hooks? Or will that make all the men angry?

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  • vashnic
    vashnic Posts: 93
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    Hmm, that's very odd. All the squat racks I've seen have hooks welded/bolted to a metal sleeve that can slide up and down the main vertical supports. Usually have a removable bolt thing underneath that you can slide out to adjust the height. But definitely ask them to adjust it for you!
  • Fittreelol
    Fittreelol Posts: 2,535 Member
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    At one of my gyms they are technically bolted on, but you just unscrew the nut on the back, place where needed, and rescrew. :smile:
  • lwoodroff
    lwoodroff Posts: 1,431 Member
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    definitely ask someone how to adjust it before you start next time :)
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
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    Are you using a squat rack or a power rack? Sounds like the latter.

    Edit: I recommend reading Starting Strength; you shouldn't be that unstable when unracking in a squat. Dangerous.
  • amyaroja
    amyaroja Posts: 66 Member
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    Hmmmmmmmm. I guess I don't know the difference. It looked just like this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=YK29zn2DTL4&feature=fvwp

    I'll go look for that book. Maybe I should study up more before I go back. Thanks for pointing that out.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
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    Hmmmmmmmm. I guess I don't know the difference. It looked just like this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=YK29zn2DTL4&feature=fvwp

    I'll go look for that book. Maybe I should study up more before I go back. Thanks for pointing that out.

    Wtf, there's a dog in the gym! :)

    That's a power cage. It's a good thing that you have access to a power cage, but yeah, you need to adjust the height of the hooks to fit your height so they are approximately at the level of your sternum. Don't ask anyone for permission--just do it yourself. (Also, the hooks in that video are facing in the wrong direction, but whatevs).

    A squat rack usually has multiple hooks for different heights, and some horizontal bars to catch the barbell if you fail the lift. Those might be slightly more convenient for squatting... Although some people refuse to lift outside the power cage.

    You can get a kindle sample of Starting Strength for free--it's huge, and the section you get covers most of what you would need to know about squatting.

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