The Official Power Rack Thread - August 2010 version

[Cadz]

it needs to be bolted down if your going to use the band pegs. it also makes it more sturdy (of course). the way i bolted mine down was i built a platform which you could see in my earlier post.

You have the Texas Strength Systems rack right? You had to bolt it down also. What would happen if you didn't?
I'm wondering if all sumo base racks need to be bolted down or can some like maybe the EliteFTS get away with not being bolted down because of the weight or would the feet still splay out?
Elite says their 2x2 rack must be bolted down, so I'm thinking it's the weight.

[smcleod90]

You have the Texas Strength Systems rack right? You had to bolt it down also. What would happen if you didn't?
I'm wondering if all sumo base racks need to be bolted down or can some like maybe the EliteFTS get away with not being bolted down because of the weight or would the feet still splay out?
Elite says their 2x2 rack must be bolted down, so I'm thinking it's the weight.

if i didnt have it bolted down and i used bands, i think it might lift the rack up a little. the other reason i did it is when you do pull ups on it you dont want the rack shaking or moving. also when you go to rack a squat you dont want it to tip over.

[Cadz]

if i didnt have it bolted down and i used bands, i think it might lift the rack up a little. the other reason i did it is when you do pull ups on it you dont want the rack shaking or moving. also when you go to rack a squat you dont want it to tip over.

Thanks for the reply. I have no way to bolt down a rack. EliteFTS said unless you do heavy band work you do not need to bolt down their 3x3 rack. They did say you did have to bolt down their 2x2 rack.
Your rack is 2.5x2.5 so I guess it still needs to be bolted down. My F430 is wide enough that it moves very little, although I can tilt it if I push up on it. That's how I moved it.
Still trying to get the F430 to work, but if not I was looking at the Texas Strength and the EliteFTS racks. I think Elite requires you to order their custom rack if you want it cut down to 7 feet that's an extra $300 just for the custom rack and then $67 to cut it down. Kinda pricey.

[Jimbo.]

Stumbled across this online while looking at some football weight rooms.

[Jimbo.]

Hey guys you're doing it wrong...



Sweet racks, tho

[Jimbo.]

Look at the length of the spotters... Those racks are deeeeeep. No clue on who made them, maybe someone else knows

[Cadz]

Hey guys you're doing it wrong...



Sweet racks, tho

Maybe it's just me but it looks like they bench press outside the rack and use the inside of the rack for squats. No safeties on the outside that I can see.

[Keetman]

Maybe it's just me but it looks like they bench press outside the rack and use the inside of the rack for squats. No safeties on the outside that I can see.

Really??? Considering there are two people benching on the outside of the rack in the picture......you are stepping way out on that limb.


I'm kidding, don't get all pissed off.


Seriously, when I first looked at that pic I just thought they'd put jhooks on the front and were benching that way to get the full ROM and not worry about safeties (like most people bench with a regular bench press). But if you inspect that picture, you'll see that these racks are set up this way specifically and are made to bench from that side and to enter/squat from the other side. There are technically two setups with a weight storage area in the middle.

I'm of the mindset that I never want to bench without safeties again, but considering most gyms use regular bench presses for this move....this is a pretty cool setup.

[dumb.bell]

They have safety spotter arms stored right there next were they are benching, they just aren't using them.

[animalfan]

I'm of the mindset that I never want to bench without safeties again, but considering most gyms use regular bench presses for this move....this is a pretty cool setup.

what a waste. wonder if those benches have wheels? 'cause if i was there, i'd move it inside unless i had a good spotter.

i never wanted to bench without a rack either (except in meets), but lifting with experienced spotters is awesome.

i know pics of dumb.bell's rack were in here, but now i'm obligated to post one of mine since i am in this thread now:



it's an old pic, but yea, there it is.

[dumb.bell]

Now that is an impressive rack!!!!!!!

[animalfan]

Now that is an impressive rack!!!!!!!

i've also got this "flex fitness" rack in the garage, got it at an auction and planned to sell it. with my work schedule, it's about impossible to sell anything and have people come check it out. my wife isn't willing to show equipment to people, so i have to wait till i get to a different shift.



terrible pic, i haven't even assembled it since i got it home. i had saved the companies website, but that site is down now. anyway, it is a commercial rack with weight storage on the back. this one was at a powerhouse gym that closed. i had used one like it at a local ymca a few weeks before this auction (last winter), and couldn't believe that nobody was really bidding against me for it.

[dumb.bell]

Flex made some nice equipment. Did they get bought by someone else or go out of business?

[dumb.bell]

These Wynmor racks are a little hard to come by now. They went out of business a while ago, but they made some strong racks.








York purchased Wynmor (as you can see from the York logo on the first rack) and continues to make similar racks.

[dumb.bell]

I really like this rack. Combines the Jones Smith concept with a nice rack in a very attractive package.

[animalfan]

These Wynmor racks are a little hard to come by now. They went out of business a while ago, but they made some strong racks.

...

York purchased Wynmor (as you can see from the York logo on the first rack) and continues to make similar racks.

did you happen to check with york while you were looking for accessories for your rack? those j-hooks look very, very familiar...



edit: i have seen a couple wynmor racks on ebay in the last year or so.

[dumb.bell]

did you happen to check with york while you were looking for accessories for your rack? those j-hooks look very, very familiar...


edit: i have seen a couple wynmor racks on ebay in the last year or so.

I did, but they haven't responded. I'm guessing that those are some of the racks that were produced shortly after York's acquisition of Wynmor. York has changed the design of their J-Hooks and they don't look as beefy as the older Wynmor style. However, they might still fit. I'm going to have to call them since they haven't responded to my e-mail.

That second rack is on ebay right now.

[Cadz]

Just some info regarding EliteFTS racks.
If you opt for the EliteFTS 3x3 Classic Rack
You cannot get any modifications done to it.
It's basically a standard setup and you can't add options other than hooks, various safeties, dip handles and a step up.
They will not cut the size down for you.
This rack is much cheaper than the 3x3 custom rack which charges you for options that are standard on the Classic.
You are going to spend at least $400 more if the only option you want is to have the rack cut down to 7 feet.
I got this from Jim Wendler himself.

Too bad, now I have to look elsewhere as paying that much to get one cut down isn't worth it.

[yankeemarko1]

Just some info regarding EliteFTS racks.
If you opt for the EliteFTS 3x3 Classic Rack
You cannot get any modifications done to it.
It's basically a standard setup and you can't add options other than hooks, various safeties, dip handles and a step up.
They will not cut the size down for you.
This rack is much cheaper than the 3x3 custom rack which charges you for options that are standard on the Classic.
You are going to spend at least $400 more if the only option you want is to have the rack cut down to 7 feet.
I got this from Jim Wendler himself.

Too bad, now I have to look elsewhere as paying that much to get one cut down isn't worth it.

Didn't you just purchase a nice Bodycraft cage? Why are you looking at a new rack?

[Jimbo.]

what a waste. wonder if those benches have wheels? 'cause if i was there, i'd move it inside unless i had a good spotter.

i never wanted to bench without a rack either (except in meets), but lifting with experienced spotters is awesome.

i know pics of dumb.bell's rack were in here, but now i'm obligated to post one of mine since i am in this thread now:

it's an old pic, but yea, there it is.

yeah buddy. I think its crazy that there are two guys in here who have the same rack from Notre Dame. Some pretty cool nostalgia with those racks I bet. And I was thinking the same thing about those benches, the rack is walkthrough so nothing stopping you from rolling one of those benches back... or at least using the damn spotters sitting on the rack. Kids these days.

i've also got this "flex fitness" rack in the garage, got it at an auction and planned to sell it. with my work schedule, it's about impossible to sell anything and have people come check it out. my wife isn't willing to show equipment to people, so i have to wait till i get to a different shift.


terrible pic, i haven't even assembled it since i got it home. i had saved the companies website, but that site is down now. anyway, it is a commercial rack with weight storage on the back. this one was at a powerhouse gym that closed. i had used one like it at a local ymca a few weeks before this auction (last winter), and couldn't believe that nobody was really bidding against me for it.

That rack looks pretty solid, I bet it will sell for a great price.

These Wynmor racks are a little hard to come by now. They went out of business a while ago, but they made some strong racks.

York purchased Wynmor (as you can see from the York logo on the first rack) and continues to make similar racks.

I love those! They have a great slightly old school look, if that makes sense, and they look solid as hell.

[desslok]

Look at the length of the spotters... Those racks are deeeeeep. No clue on who made them, maybe someone else knows

Dang those are long spotters. Synchronized squatting in pairs of 2? Lol

[Jimbo.]

Dang those are long spotters. Synchronized squatting in pairs of 2? Lol

That's funny. Honestly though I think you are right, it looks like there is plenty of room for two people to squat in there at the same time, but man that would be weird.

[Cadz]

Has anyone heard of Strength and Power Equipment?
http://www.snpequipment.com/images/p...ochure_pg1.jpg

They seem to make a decent rack. I've seen pics of it on another website it's similar to the Texas Strength Rack but 2.5" square tubing 11ga. with 1" hole spacing and supposedly they will customize it any way you like.
Only an email contact tho. I'm just wondering if anyone has their rack or is familiar with the company?
Thanks.

[dumb.bell]

This is my old rack that I sold recently. It was made by streamline (out of business). I've mentioned it in a couple of threads as 11 gauge steel. However, I'm thinking now that it was actually 10 gauge (but not sure). It was a great rack, would have kept it if I hadn't ran out of room. I believe it cost me around $1,100 new.

[dumb.bell]

This is my Panatta Rack. I measured the steel thickness, and based on a chart I found on the internet, it appears to be 10 gauge gym. The guy I purchased it from said he bought it from a gym.

It is a compact rack designed for someone with less space. As you can see, it will accomodate a normal 6 foot bar since the safties and uprights are around 42 to 43 inches.

I originally purchased it for my father, thinking I could add weight storage and a selectorized high pully stack for lat work. I was then going to repaint it. However, things got side tracked when my father decided that he wasn't going to lift weights.

Now the rack is just being stored in my garage (wife complains about this a lot). When I have time, I may repaint it as original planned. I may even add the lat station since I have a extra 300lb Bodymaster stack.

The main thing that I really don't like about the rack is the diagonal supports at the base. They limit how far back a bench can go. Since I've never lifted in the rack, I don't know if this would pose a problem or not, but I could see where it might.

[2020Wellness]

Stumbled across this online while looking at some football weight rooms.

If you want to look at some serious equipment, look up the brand Power Lift. They have a 2500 client list and supply the NFL with their equipment. They have the best racks I've ever seen. Makes the elitefts stuff look cheap.

[dumb.bell]

If you want to look at some serious equipment, look up the brand Power Lift. They have a 2500 client list and supply the NFL with their equipment. They have the best racks I've ever seen. Makes the elitefts stuff look cheap.

I agree. I think Power-Lift is probably the the best stuff made. However, that Sorinex rack can't be far behind.

[darkfact]

In a gym setting I'd be willing to agree although I've never actually seen any power lift products in person they look close to the quality and durabiltiy of my other favorite gym brands like Hammer Strength and Body Masters.

In a home setting I'd disagree. There really is a point of build quality where anything better isn't really better just because getting something more durable than something that will last you forever is just a wash. I took nearly a year to choose my latest rack and the first thing I look at for home use after a certain durabilty is hole spacing. None of the super heavy duty racks have hole spacing that I'd consider for my home usage.

Alot of the other options have already been talked about here but basically I feel a good home rack should be the more versatile rack because you'll tend to use it for a much wider array of exercises than you would at a gym in a power rack. A gym power rack can be pretty general and simple but to be considered really good it must be extremely durable.

IMHO there is no simple answer and it's all based on individual need. But I do think that the best commercial gym rack does not necessarily = the best home gym rack.

[dumb.bell]

Hole spacing is a very important point. My old Wynmor rack has 4 inch hole spacing, and I have to be creative to make it work sometimes. Luckily, I have two benches that are different heights and that helps, but not a real substitute for closer hole spacing.

[Essexlad]

In a gym setting I'd be willing to agree although I've never actually seen any power lift products in person they look close to the quality and durabiltiy of my other favorite gym brands like Hammer Strength and Body Masters.

In a home setting I'd disagree. There really is a point of build quality where anything better isn't really better just because getting something more durable than something that will last you forever is just a wash. I took nearly a year to choose my latest rack and the first thing I look at for home use after a certain durabilty is hole spacing. None of the super heavy duty racks have hole spacing that I'd consider for my home usage.

Alot of the other options have already been talked about here but basically I feel a good home rack should be the more versatile rack because you'll tend to use it for a much wider array of exercises than you would at a gym in a power rack. A gym power rack can be pretty general and simple but to be considered really good it must be extremely durable.

IMHO there is no simple answer and it's all based on individual need. But I do think that the best commercial gym rack does not necessarily = the best home gym rack.

Couldn't agree more. A decent mid level home rack will take more weight than 99% of people are throwing around. Something equivalent to an EFS would only be an upgrade for all the extra bells and whistles you can get put on it. And most of these are quite specialist anyway.
A true full commercial monster isn't an upgrade in my eyes, they're designed to take sustained day in day out abuse, not to be overly versatile. If you can get one for cheap second hand then why not, but especially buying anywhere near their retail price is just expense for expenses sake to me.