Treated myself to a power cage <3
violet976
Posts: 310 Member
I began this program with a basic low end bench/weight set to make sure weight lifting was going to be a good fit for me. I'm only on my 3rd week (and halted due to a knee acting up from previous injury) but this has been the first workout routine that I've truly enjoyed. For safety, and especially since I have one knee that sometimes unexpectedly pops to an extent where it fails to support me, I decided to purchase a power rack for peace of mind.
I initially cringed at the expense, but now that it's here I have absolutely no regrets. I went with a Body Solid rack since it seemed the best choice in my price range. The J-hooks are indeed too long (a common complaint), and the hole spacing a bit wide so you can't dial it in as well, but both are problems I expected and can live with/work around. I'm also planning to have a local welder cut my 7 foot barbell down as it's much longer than it needs to be for me, and possibly shorten the j-hooks as well.
Hands down no regrets, and I'll certainly feel much more secure during my workouts. I'm loving the pull up bar as well, though I can only do a few chin ups at a time and no pull ups at all - yet. And, now that I've got this much money invested, it's a lot more incentive to truly stick with it.
I initially cringed at the expense, but now that it's here I have absolutely no regrets. I went with a Body Solid rack since it seemed the best choice in my price range. The J-hooks are indeed too long (a common complaint), and the hole spacing a bit wide so you can't dial it in as well, but both are problems I expected and can live with/work around. I'm also planning to have a local welder cut my 7 foot barbell down as it's much longer than it needs to be for me, and possibly shorten the j-hooks as well.
Hands down no regrets, and I'll certainly feel much more secure during my workouts. I'm loving the pull up bar as well, though I can only do a few chin ups at a time and no pull ups at all - yet. And, now that I've got this much money invested, it's a lot more incentive to truly stick with it.
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Replies
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I am jealous! That looks awesome.0
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I have the same one! Love it!!!0
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i love how you have girl stuff hanging from it already
it's beeyootiful. 0 -
@massage97: Glad to see someone else with this rack. What are your thoughts on the longer j-hooks? Did you get used to them over time or do you also wish they were shorter. For squats especially, I find it awkward to have the bar move so much when I place it on my shoulders. Definitely not a deal breaker, but if the welder I know can shorten them for a decent price I'll most likely go for it. Also... what bench are you using? I'm still looking to buy a bench for mine.
@canadianlbs: lol. Since we kind of crammed it into the area right by the entry door I figured I'd help make some room on the coat rack. I suppose no one will mistake who the cage actually belongs to.
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Congratulations! It looks great. I really like your wall color too 0
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Congrats! The power cage was hands down the best purchase we made for our home gym! Enjoy it! You'll get lots of use out if it!0
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Did I read that right that youre going to have your barbell shortened?0
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I don't have any j hooks that are longer. I roll the bar to the end of the hook I have and get underneath do it doesn't move for me.
I bought mine all as a used set so the bench she had is this http://www.bodysolid.com/Home/GFID31/Body-Solid_Flat_Incline_Decline_Bench I'm sure any bench would be fine just check the height I think so your legs can be comfortable and hit the floor to get your legs included in benching.
Happy lifting!!0 -
Congrats. Like massage I just shift the bar until it's all the way to the back and then it doesn't move during my set up. Bench is harder to get a good setup, but a lot of benches don't have ideal hooks so I just think of it as practice. 0
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Yes, I'm definitely looking into shortening the barbell. For the space we have available, it's definitely long, and for the weights I lift currently (ranging from 40 pounds to 100 pounds) I simply have no need for a barbell that long. Ideally, I wanted slightly over a 6 foot barbell. I'm working with standard weights so barbells are cheap enough for me to simply buy another one down the line if I change my mind and I'd much rather have the clearance in the room.. And with previous back and knee issues I'm having to take the program slow, so a longer barbell is definitely not needed for me at this point.0
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Why not just buy a shorter one for now?0
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Because the shorter ones were said to not fit correctly on the power rack. When I was shopping, I couldn't find a 6 foot barbell with a wide enough grip area to line up with the j-hooks. I researched online and everything I found said that most 6 foot barbells were not going to work for a rack.0
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I guess that would make sense my bar only has a dew inches on each side, i never looked at shorter ones though. I would keep the bar the way it is though. Find a different spot or turn it to keep it the right length.0
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Definitely no other spot in out house as I work from home and have taken over most of the house, and with 10 pets, this was probably the only spot we could have fit this beast. Personally, I'd much rather just shorten the barbell to a more convenient length. If I ever get to the point of actually *needing* a 7 foot barbell for weight capacity, having to buy a new barbell will be a wonderful problem to have. 0
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Very similar to mine. I do have a 5' bar that works well with it, until you need to add more than 4 plates to each end. I don't really have that problem yet, but it is an inconvenience to my husband. If you wanted to just get a 5' or 6' bar, I found them on Amazon, search Cap standard barbell. I will have to get a 7' bar and some more plates for him soon, and happened to find the bars while I was shopping around.0
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Very Jealous...but yah for you.
Makes me want the men to get on mine asap now....(son is a welder/ Husband is an engineer) so they are making me one.0 -
Ah...just bought myself a power rack off Craiglist this past weekend and I'm loving it. It does take up a lot of room. And hubby wasn't thrilled about us having to take it apart and put back together because it wouldn't fit through the door...lol. But I have a spare bedroom in the lower level of our home since the kids have moved out, so it works great there. The guy I bought it from on Craigslist even threw in a weight bench for free. Yay!! Got a set of Olympic weights and bar a few weeks ago on Craigslist, so I'm all set now. Just started SL about a month ago...loving it so far!0
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Very cool! I have no idea what j-hooks and all the rest of it means...I guess I better start Googling. LOL0
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Just got mine this weekend and it is awesome! So much better than trying to get my hubby to spot me, etc.0
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Aww it is a thing of beauty!! And can I say how much I love that you have handbags hanging off it :drinker: Total badass lol0
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I pick mine up Monday!! Got this same cage with lat pull down, Olympic barbell, full set of weights AND a bench for $750 on CL!!!! I can't wait to start this program and see muscles again!0
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when I get myself a bit more financially settled (just moved 4000 km n all that) I'm going to get myself a power cage. I've even found one on Amazon that I want. It's not that expensive compared to others, and can't take enough weight, but if I ever manage to deadlift more than the recommended maximum weight (which would be a mega elite lift for a woman) then I think I'll deserve a new power cage. i.e. that probably won't happen.
Another thing, the expense may be high, but when you offset that against the cost of gym membership for years or even decades, it's a bargain. That kind of thing is a lifetime investment. And for me, I have two daughters, they can use it too if they want when they're older and save themselves gym membership too.0
