The Official Power Rack Thread - August 2010 version

[Domicron]

Not that I would be so bold as to contradict you but......generally the bottom two posts are going to be 45/35's, 35 probably on bottom due to less use. 25 on third which I would call chest level and then change plates up top. Depending on how many 45's you have, I wouldn't want all that weight too high.

my weight storage is shorter and double sided, but i put the 45's at chest height and 25's on the bottom. chest height makes loading 45's for either squat or deadlifts more convenient. similar to how some people put their heaviest dumbbells up high; bending over to lift the plates can get annoying sometimes.

it's all personal preference, of course, but i think it makes sense too. center of gravity on weight tree is one thing (maybe) but i think if you don't trust your rack storage to hold up 45's on the center rack, you bought the wrong rack.

i don't think you'd want heavy plates higher than chest level, but otherwise i should think safety isn't an issue.

[chadsalt]

my weight storage is shorter and double sided, but i put the 45's at chest height and 25's on the bottom. chest height makes loading 45's for either squat or deadlifts more convenient. similar to how some people put their heaviest dumbbells up high; bending over to lift the plates can get annoying sometimes.

it's all personal preference, of course, but i think it makes sense too. center of gravity on weight tree is one thing (maybe) but i think if you don't trust your rack storage to hold up 45's on the center rack, you bought the wrong rack.

i don't think you'd want heavy plates higher than chest level, but otherwise i should think safety isn't an issue.

I hear you, personal preference certainly. When I mention second post they would basically line up my hands with elbows at 90 degrees, at my waist more or less. Drop down for DL, in line for BP, lift for SQT. Incidentally who's chest? Your rack outside top peg looks about 32" off the ground? I think we might be saying the same thing.

I wouldn't see it as a safety issue, with the lighter racks having that weight above COG will make the rack more likely to walk when racking the bar. Your heavy commercial rack will no doubt stay put.

[Domicron]

I hear you, personal preference certainly. When I mention second post they would basically line up my hands with elbows at 90 degrees, at my waist more or less. Drop down for DL, in line for BP, lift for SQT. Incidentally who's chest? Your rack outside top peg looks about 32" off the ground? I think we might be saying the same thing.

this is exactly why i tell people never to contradict me: we're saying the same thing.

"chest" is too high, but i just mean high enough that you don't have to bend over to grab it off the peg.

[chadsalt]

this is exactly why i tell people never to contradict me: we're saying the same thing.

"chest" is too high, but i just mean high enough that you don't have to bend over to grab it off the peg.

My bad.

[murphyreedus]

When you get the DF painted to match, I'd love to see them both in the same photo if you are going to placing them side by side.

Finished painting and reassembled over the weekend. I need to find some some more foam/rubber rings with 2" ID for bumpers/spacers on the plate storage pegs, and there are still some finishing touches left like numbering the drop-in slots, but otherwise it's complete. One of these days I'm going to get some flooring down in there.

[dieselmike]

You did a great job. That's looks sharp as hell. Excellent, excellent work.

One member here posted how he used a 2" hole saw and a 3" hole saw and cut up his spacers from 3/4" stall mats. Good idea if you have scrap pieces of mat laying around. Or if you want to forgo the work, there are these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=ATU99V9UX6MC1

[irongrandpa]

You did a great job. That's looks sharp as hell. Excellent, excellent work.

One member here posted how he used a 2" hole saw and a 3" hole saw and cut up his spacers from 3/4" stall mats. Good idea if you have scrap pieces of mat laying around. Or if you want to forgo the work, there are these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=ATU99V9UX6MC1

This works but be sure you do the 3" cut first. You'll still have the pilot hole to use for the 2" cut.

[Domicron]

Finished painting and reassembled over the weekend. I need to find some some more foam/rubber rings with 2" ID for bumpers/spacers on the plate storage pegs, and there are still some finishing touches left like numbering the drop-in slots, but otherwise it's complete. One of these days I'm going to get some flooring down in there.

good looking setup and great paint job. i think i saw your open top rack when i was doing some research on mine...

[murphyreedus]

One member here posted how he used a 2" hole saw and a 3" hole saw and cut up his spacers from 3/4" stall mats. Good idea if you have scrap pieces of mat laying around.

The rack did come with 5 rubber rings, roughly 1/2" thick with 1 7/8" inner diameter, but the guy I bought it from wasn't able to find any more (the guy dug it out of the back of his barn in pieces, and I was just happy that all the major components were there). Nearest I've found locally are these, but if the ID is 2" they'll hang loose:

farmandfleet.com/products/118384-green-leaf-gator-lock-epdm-replacement-gasket.html

good looking setup and great paint job. i think i saw your open top rack when i was doing some research on mine...

I have seen your setup as well, and it's pretty impressive, especially with the ceiling height to work around. It's amazing the deals you can find on Craigslist if you have a little patience and willingness to drive.

[wgpa]

Thinking of changing my stand alone power rack for something bolt down - making my platform this weekend. In the UK choice is more limited though. An interesting piece I found today - apologies if it's been posted before but thought some might be interested:

https://www.kustomkitgymequipment.co...l?options=cart

Custom Kit Catalyst V2 - 5mm (6 or 7 gauge) steel, I-beam spotters, separate spotters available for front, bolt down, 200kg+ / 440lbs+ weight, customisable logo on spotter arms.



Still leaning towards a Rogue - thinking the RML-390 with sandwich cups and possibly monolift (because toys). Worried it will be too wide for racking/unracking though at 49" - sandwich cups should help a little. Westside spacing is nice. Not a fan of pin and pipe safeties though but straps are ridiculously priced.

I'll post up any other interesting pieces I come across - probably more useful for any UK bro's.

[TheCrager]

Hey guys, I couldn't find much on Google so I thought I would try here. I recently bought a power cage and I want to get after market J cups. The problem is that the rails are 3 inches wide and 2 inches deep, when most cages are usually reverse, or 2x2 / 3x3. Does anyone have any idea where I can find J cups that will fit this size of rail? I'll attach a photo of the rack. Thanks!

[murphyreedus]

Hey guys, I couldn't find much on Google so I thought I would try here. I recently bought a power cage and I want to get after market J cups. The problem is that the rails are 3 inches wide and 2 inches deep, when most cages are usually reverse, or 2x2 / 3x3. Does anyone have any idea where I can find J cups that will fit this size of rail? I'll attach a photo of the rack. Thanks!

If you're wanting "regular" removable j-hooks another problem that I'm guessing you'll have is that the holes on your rack are for 1/2" pop pins, while most j-hooks use 5/8" rod. For some pop-pin hooks you might look at these, I believe they are for 3x2 (not sure on pin size):

https://www.amazon.com/BodyCraft-F43.../dp/B0011UP7QA

Bigger picture on the page here:

https://www.bodycraft.com/f430-power-rack.html

[TheCrager]

Thanks Murphy - those are the ones that came with the rack
I am hoping to find some that are easier to remove so I can switch from inside the rack to outside. Perhaps I'll just have to get some welded?

[ShepherdGuy]

Can anyone recommend me a good power rack or half rack that will work in a basement with a somewhat low ceiling and limited space that can't be bolted?

Half my basement is approximately 85" tall, and the other half is approximately 96" tall. Based on the configuration of the room, there is basically no way to have a full power rack in just the tall half of the room (due to the location of the door to the outside and the hallway). When I factor in the room I'll need to load plates onto a bar, part of the rack is going to have to be in the short half of the room. No way around that. So the rack has to be 84" max height.

So I'm fairly new to weight lifting, but it's going well so far. I've got a powertec wb-ls which I'm really enjoying. I also have a pull-up bar in a doorway, an olympic bar for deadlifting, quite a few adjustable dumbbells... close to 400 lbs in olympic plates and another few hundred in standard plates for my adjustable dumbbells. I'll be picking up a curl bar, some more standard plates, and a bench tomorrow also (got a good deal on some used stuff). So the main thing that I'm missing obviously is the ability to do bench presses and squats with a normal bar. They do feel pretty good on the powertec, but I feel like I'm missing out a bit.

So here's my situation: I'm renting right now, so no bolting anything to the floor. In about 2 (maybe 3) years, I'll likely have my own house where I'll hopefully be able to get a good quality full rack with all the bells and whistles. So what should I do for the next two years? Just stick with what I have for now? Is there something I could buy now that will work in my current basement, that will also still be useful in a couple years when I have a nice full Rogue rack or whatever?

I was looking at something like this: http://www.roguecanada.ca/sml-1-rogu...-squat-stand-1

That would fit fine in my current basement, but I could still use it as a dedicated bench press station when I get a full rack in a few years. The problem is, is that this thing becomes pretty expensive when you add in the safety spotters, tax, etc. It also becomes a bit redundant if I get a full rack in a couple years, but I guess not completely useless either. If I could find something like this used for only like $200, that would be a realistic option for the time being. Rogue stuff never comes up for sale used where I am, but are there other ones I should keep my eye out for that would work for me? Should I keep my eye out for a used Body Solid Multi-Press Rack? I just don't want to spend any significant amount of money on a mediocre quality short rack, cause I know I'll just want to get rid of it and get a good quality one when I get my own house. Is there something I might be able to pick up used, for cheap, that will let me do safe bench presses and squats in my current basement, but that might also still have a use when I get a good quality full rack in a couple of years?

[RemainDieHard]

Just get a good one with storage and you'll never have to bolt it down. You said you don't want to waste money on a mediocre one so here you go just buy a good one like these from the get go.

[SomeIronBoy]

The Parabody Power Rack and Body Solid Power Rack come to mind with you're maxmimum height. The powertec Power Rack is 84", so that might be cutting it. There's a lot of good quality power racks with under 7'. Most of which will be older. That Bombproof rack BP-96 is a very good option. What's your budget and where are you located?

[ShepherdGuy]

The Parabody Power Rack and Body Solid Power Rack come to mind with you're maxmimum height. The powertec Power Rack is 84", so that might be cutting it. There's a lot of good quality power racks with under 7'. Most of which will be older. That Bombproof rack BP-96 is a very good option. What's your budget and where are you located?

Located in Mississauga, Canada (just outside Toronto). Budget kind of depends. Ideally, I'd like to get a good deal on something used. I don't really care if something isn't in brand new condition as long as it works. So if it's something in the $200 - $300 range, I could get that over Christmas no problem. If we're talking $500 - $1000... that might have to wait till at least the Spring time and it's gonna have to be something pretty sweet. If I'm spending over $1000, then that basically becomes my forever power rack. So I'm maybe thinking that I could keep my eye out for a used Body Solid Multi-Press Rack for around $200. I have everything else (bar, bench, weights), so I'll be good to go. Then I can spend $2000 on a nice setup in a couple years where I can bolt stuff down and get something appropriate for my new space.

That Bombproof rack looks sweet, but it's way too big for my current space. If I go with a full rack, it's gonna have to be smaller than standard... something the size of a Rogue R-3, but obviously short enough for my ceiling and no bolts. Which is why I think I'm pretty much stuck with going with a half rack / squat stand. I would want one with fairly long arms. That Rogue one looks awesome, but it's too expensive. The Body Solid Multi-Press Rack could work maybe if I can get one used (there's one for $350 right now, but I could probably get it cheaper). Any other ones that I should look out for or any other options I'm not really considering?

[ShepherdGuy]

The Parabody Power Rack and Body Solid Power Rack come to mind with you're maxmimum height. The powertec Power Rack is 84", so that might be cutting it. There's a lot of good quality power racks with under 7'. Most of which will be older. That Bombproof rack BP-96 is a very good option. What's your budget and where are you located?

Actually, the Body Solid Power Rack could work I think.

http://www.treadmillfactory.ca/body-...er-rack-gpr378

I'll do some more research, but I think that would fit in my current basement, and I think I could be happy with that going forward. Thanks for the suggestion. I could also buy the attachments in the future without breaking the bank. From what I can gather, Body Solid is probably good enough in quality for a home user and the price is pretty reasonable.

[SomeIronBoy]

Located in Mississauga, Canada (just outside Toronto). Budget kind of depends. Ideally, I'd like to get a good deal on something used. I don't really care if something isn't in brand new condition as long as it works. So if it's something in the $200 - $300 range, I could get that over Christmas no problem. If we're talking $500 - $1000... that might have to wait till at least the Spring time and it's gonna have to be something pretty sweet. If I'm spending over $1000, then that basically becomes my forever power rack. So I'm maybe thinking that I could keep my eye out for a used Body Solid Multi-Press Rack for around $200. I have everything else (bar, bench, weights), so I'll be good to go. Then I can spend $2000 on a nice setup in a couple years where I can bolt stuff down and get something appropriate for my new space.

That Bombproof rack looks sweet, but it's way too big for my current space. If I go with a full rack, it's gonna have to be smaller than standard... something the size of a Rogue R-3, but obviously short enough for my ceiling and no bolts. Which is why I think I'm pretty much stuck with going with a half rack / squat stand. I would want one with fairly long arms. That Rogue one looks awesome, but it's too expensive. The Body Solid Multi-Press Rack could work maybe if I can get one used (there's one for $350 right now, but I could probably get it cheaper). Any other ones that I should look out for or any other options I'm not really considering?

I was going to say I might have a couple racks you can look into, but you're about 4 hours away. If you can't find anything in your area, your best bet would to check around Buffalo New York.

[CliveWarren]

If I were you, I'd buy the Crossbox from Fitness Depot

http://www.fitnessdepot.ca/H11OTO102...l#.WDL2PeArLC0

This rack for $788 is a good deal, but is 90" tall. However, they do make 82" uprights which are a little cheaper. So get them to make that substitution, and then bolt the rack to a platform made from plywood and stall mats.

[RemainDieHard]

Most of these non-commercial racks could be trimmed down very easily at home.

[ShepherdGuy]

I actually think I might go with this Fit505 rack for $230 Canadian:

http://www.treadmillfactory.ca/fit505-power-rack

It says it's 83" and my ceiling is 85"... but I think I'll measure again to make sure. I also heard that you can install the pull-up bar upside down to make it a bit shorter.

This rack seems to have gotten pretty good reviews, especially for the price. I would rather get that Body Solid rack... but that one is selling for $800... and I don't think it's all that superior. I found a used bodysolid rack for $400... but I think a brand new Fit505 for $230 + tax still wins. From the reviews I've seen, the quality of this rack is comparable to those in the $500+ range... so it's a lot better than pretty much all the other racks in this price range. I like the fact that it has a multigrip pull-up bar and plate storage. It's rated to 700 lbs which should be plenty for me. I'm just a beginner and I'm not lifting very heavy... and I doubt I will ever progress to the point where I'm lifting super heavy where I would want something stronger.

I'm also gonna need to pick up a bench, but I think I can find a good one used for $100 pretty easily. I picked a bench recently when I bought some used stuff, but it's not good enough to use in a power rack. It works great for dumbbell work though.

[ShepherdGuy]

I got the OK from the wife to go ahead and get the Fit505 power rack for $230. I should be able to fit it in my SUV, so I can do pick-up and not have to pay any shipping. I'll hopefully get it on Saturday, though I'm really busy with work and might not be able to set it up for a week or so.

I thought about waiting until boxing day to see if there are any other good deals, but I doubt I'll get a better deal than this, right?

Anyone know of any reason why I should hold off on this purchase?

I'll still need a bench, but I think I'll go used on kijiji for that. Cheapest one at treadmillfactory is $170 and it's not in stock. Seems like I should be able to get a better one on kijiji for $100.

[CliveWarren]

I got the OK from the wife to go ahead and get the Fit505 power rack for $230. I should be able to fit it in my SUV, so I can do pick-up and not have to pay any shipping. I'll hopefully get it on Saturday, though I'm really busy with work and might not be able to set it up for a week or so.

I thought about waiting until boxing day to see if there are any other good deals, but I doubt I'll get a better deal than this, right?

Anyone know of any reason why I should hold off on this purchase?

I'll still need a bench, but I think I'll go used on kijiji for that. Cheapest one at treadmillfactory is $170 and it's not in stock. Seems like I should be able to get a better one on kijiji for $100.

I don't think you can go too wrong. You can't get much cheaper, yet I've heard no real complaints. If you're successful, you'll upgrade in time. If not you won't have too much money tied up. I'm sure you can get a healthy chunk of money back when it's time to sell.

[ShepherdGuy]

I don't think you can go too wrong. You can't get much cheaper, yet I've heard no real complaints. If you're successful, you'll upgrade in time. If not you won't have too much money tied up. I'm sure you can get a healthy chunk of money back when it's time to sell.

Ya, that was my thinking as well.

[ShepherdGuy]

What do you guys think about this bench for use in a power rack (for a beginner who is not lifting super heavy)?

http://www.fitnessdepot.ca/H11OTO102...l#.WDeJvflVhBc

Someone is selling it used for $100, and another person for $125 with the leg attachment (and much geographically closer).

I don't think I'll ever use any of the bench attachments. Does the empty attachment hole get kind of annoying?

Hoping to find a quality used bench for between $100 and $150. Should I try and get one of these or keep my eye out for something better?

[CliveWarren]

What do you guys think about this bench for use in a power rack (for a beginner who is not lifting super heavy)?

http://www.fitnessdepot.ca/H11OTO102...l#.WDeJvflVhBc

Someone is selling it used for $100, and another person for $125 with the leg attachment (and much geographically closer).

I don't think I'll ever use any of the bench attachments. Does the empty attachment hole get kind of annoying?

Hoping to find a quality used bench for between $100 and $150. Should I try and get one of these or keep my eye out for something better?

It's 21" tall. That's considered extremely high for a bench. It varies depending on your height, but 17" is considered the best height for proper leg-drive when benching. It's also a little bit ugly IMO.

[ShepherdGuy]

It's 21" tall. That's considered extremely high for a bench. It varies depending on your height, but 17" is considered the best height for proper leg-drive when benching. It's also a little bit ugly IMO.

Thanks! I didn't even think about that. I'll look for a shorter one. I'm about six feet tall exactly and ya, I'll for sure want to be able to put my feet flat on the ground when benching.

[CliveWarren]

I suppose for $100 it might be a good deal. Sorry for being wishy-washy.

[ShepherdGuy]

I suppose for $100 it might be a good deal. Sorry for being wishy-washy.

I guess if I can't find anything better, I could settle for that. It seems to be a popular bench and they're for sale a lot used. So I shouldn't have a problem finding one for $100 if I go that route.

Though maybe I should keep my eye out for a body solid bench like this one?

http://www.treadmillfactory.ca/body-...ne-bench-gfi21

That one is only 17" high. You're right though... a 4" height difference seems pretty significant.

If I could get a body solid for around $150, that might be a lot better.