Squat Rack or Power Rack?

[YoungGunz28]

Im not sure if I should get a power rack( the big cube) or a squat rack. I have been lifting for about 1 year since march 2005 and i have seen great upper body gains, and I want to now move into the heavy leg movements(basically have a nice legs and a decent squat). I already have a decent weider bench, with an olympic bar and 240 pounds of weight, and a chin/dip/leg raise station. I do not want to spend more than 350 or 400 dollars.

Questions:
1. I do not want to go real heavy on the squat, I want to do more of a bodybuilding workout for them. Still I want to have it decently strong. I read in muscle and fitness that a overreliance on a belt may cause the lower back to get underdeveloped. Id rather not use one. Should I buy a weight belt?

2. This is probably a dumb question(sorry im new to these boards) Im 16 right now almost 17 in about a month and Im not sure if Im done growing in height. I have this belief that doing weightlifting(specifically squats and deadlifts) at an early age stunts your height growth. It doesnt help that the strongest kid in my school is about 5'3 and hes been lifting for a while. Can someone honestly tell me if squatting affects height?

3.My main question should I get a sqaut rack, so I can finally train legs, or should I get a big power rack that would kind of make my bench and pullup/dip station useless?

Im torn between these
squat racks
http://www.fit-1.com/cgi-bin/categor...psq&type=store


power racks
http://www.fit-1.com/cgi-bin/categor...ppc&type=store
http://www.fit-1.com/cgi-bin/categor...127&type=store

Any suggestions and help would be greatly appreciated.

[The Red Viking]

If you are planning on continuing the development of your upper body and you think you might outgrow the bench then I would go with the power rack. If your bench can handle whatever your goal bench mark is then you could probably get by with the squat rack. Also you need to consider a lat tower, if you plan on getting one in the near future its a lot easier to get a lat attachment on the power rack instead of buying one seperate. As far as weightlifting stunting growth I have no idea. And I would forget the weight belt since you are not planning on setting any squat records. Sounds like your off to great start, keep up the hard work!

[Dinotrainer]

Im not sure if I should get a power rack( the big cube) or a squat rack..... . I do not want to spend more than 350 or 400 dollars.......

Get the Power Rack. There are PLENTY decent racks available in your price range.

Questions:
1. I do not want to go real heavy on the squat, I want to do more of a bodybuilding workout for them. Still I want to have it decently strong.

Huh??? To get "Decently strong", you must use decently heavy weights, with proper form.

I read in muscle and fitness that a overreliance on a belt may cause the lower back to get underdeveloped. Id rather not use one. Should I buy a weight belt?

Please....Throw away those "Muscle comic books" with their "Homo-erotic" overtones, and find another way to get training info. Many of the articles in them are written by "Ghost writers", and NOT the so-called "Champs" that you're led to believe wrote them. Many of the routines are also geared toward "chemically enhanced" trainers. ABSOLUTELY NOT for you, at your age and stage of the game.

2. This is probably a dumb question(sorry im new to these boards) Im 16 right now almost 17 in about a month and Im not sure if Im done growing in height. I have this belief that doing weightlifting(specifically squats and deadlifts) at an early age stunts your height growth. It doesnt help that the strongest kid in my school is about 5'3 and hes been lifting for a while. Can someone honestly tell me if squatting affects height?.

There is NO EVIDENCE that I know of to support the claim of "stunted growth" due to weightlifting.

[smokeater]

1) Yes, I'd say buy a weight belt for when you do very heavy things. I used a belt for things like heavy shrugs, bent over rows, heavy deadlifts and seated rows. Some people treat them like the plague and others rely on them too much. Better safe than sorry but when you do use the belt frequently you reduce your core muscles working and it could lead to lack of core strength.

2) If you're 17 be careful because even if your body is done growing, it's not done developing. If you hurt yourself you could suffer some sort of consequence for the rest of your life (ie back injuries) . I grew up hearing the same things but as was said, have never seen any scientific facts that relate weight training to shorter height.

3) Get the full cage if you can afford it. They are the most versatile piece of equipment available.

[ScruffNeck]

Please....Throw away those "Muscle comic books" with their "Homo-erotic" overtones, and find another way to get training info.

Lol, nothing like those 'daisy duke' shots with the sunglasses on while curling all the fake plates.