Finding The Perfect Rack For Your Home Gym Pt. 1 | The GymCrafter Podcast

[@GymCrafter]

Good notes from the comments... Buy as nice as you can with a rack. It will be the centerpiece of your gym and you'll have it for a long time. That said, if you are on a budget, don't be afraid to go with something that's not a premium rack. But spend what you can and you won't be sorry. It's much better to save the money on plates or other things than your rack. Keep ecosystems in mind if you plan to expand down the road. It's much harder to expand on an off brand rack than if you buy from a company that has a solid ecosystem of add ons already in place. Companies mentioned below are: Rogue, Rep, Titan, Bells of Steel, and Body Solid

[@themalloftheinternet5682]

That was a good intro to racks. Half racks include spotter arms to go along with the j cups which is another reason half racks are a safer option than squat stands. When you combine the stability of a half rack due to having weight horns like you said along with the spotter arms, half racks can be a very good option for alot of people who cannot afford a quality power rack or don't have the space or simply feel at home with a half rack because that is what they learned on. All of these reasons are why i have a half rack. However,if you can get a power rack you should since its even safer and a good one can handle 1,000 plus pounds as opposed to my half racks 600 pound max weight capacity. My only other thing to mention is an add on to what you said about brands that allow you to expand and grow with. You neglected to mention Titan Fitness. Rogue, Rep, Titan and Bells of Steel are the most popular. Body Solid is another one to possibly consider.

[@GymCrafter]

Good info! I'll make a note in the pinned comment about brands to go with if you want to expand down the road, that's a good point!

[@HughLeFitness]

Agree with your sentiments Tim. At minimum, I would say half rack (with weight storage for stability) or full 4-post rack. You need safeties to support weight if you fail a heavy squat or bench. No compromise and buying something less does not save you money because you'll upgrade eventually.

[@GymCrafter]

@@HughLeFitness Totally agree! I really like lifting inside of a rack and not on the front of a half rack. Plus, the way straps work is so much better than pins imo. I'm not a fan of feeling the bar touch safety pins at the bottom of a lift, but you don't even feel it with straps.

[@Mrwatson185]

Biggest advice I have for people looking for a rack is to buy the one you really want. There is a push online to always go for the best value, but such a large purchase that is truly the heart of the home gym should inspire pride in ownership. For premium racks the finish, quality, and overall presentation justify the cost in my opinion. If you get the “just as good” version you will always work out with that in the back of your mind. Also I would take your time and understand the ecosystem you want to have and make sure you are buying into what works best for you. For me I can only go rogue because I want a rhino and don’t want to have comparability issues down the line.

[@bobbyhunt3009]

100% agree with you, the problem that people run into though is they don't have enough money to buy what they want so they buy what they can afford. Most people want a rack and a cable system and if they don't have $5,000 to get a nice rack and a nice cable system, then buying this piece is okay if it gives them a rack and cables. If they save money then down the road they can get what they want. This type of full rack without the Smith machine will support a 350 lb. bench or squat, I would not trust the safeties to support more than that. I hate Smith machines, would never have one but these types racks without the Smith is okay for those poundages mentioned above. Smith machines are the most overhyped piece of gym equipment ever IMO. I would not recommend these half racks with the Smith machines as to me they just are not safe. In these type racks the full rack w/o the Smith is the only way to go if you can't afford what you want. The spotter arms on these half racks with the Smith, I would not trust over 185 lbs. on them and if you don't anchor it with plates on weight horns on the back of the rack and you drop over 150 lbs. on the spotter arms that rack could easily flip. I bought the full rack for the cable system 2 years ago from Elevtab, the whole thing was $734 to my door and the cables are worth it. I bench,, squat,, etc. in my REP 5000 rack. Just my thoughts

[@Mrwatson185]

@@bobbyhunt3009 thanks for the response. I would never want to make anyone feel bad for buying what they can afford. With that being said, there is a whole world in between a cheap rack and a $5000 cable and rack combo. In your example, I strongly believe that a person would spend the same or less even and be better suited with a high quality rack, weights, and barbell from a reputable manufacturer than getting extensive pulleys and other functional trainer equipment from less premium brands. Keep it simple, build strength, and grow as needed. You’ll find there is not too terribly much needed to get great results and when you buy quality you end up saving in the long term for sure.

[@iserlonia]

Good point. If you buy sth just for value, In the end you end up spending more and getting the one you really wanted in the first place

[@ven412]

Yup. I would even say cheap out on the barbell before the squat rack. You can replace a bar bell very easily but replacing a squat rack would be a major hassle.

[@bobbyhunt3009]

​@@ven412 You can cheap out on bar first to get started and then keep cheap bar as a landmine bar but I'm thinking most people starting a gym has saved enough money to get the bar they want first. Fortunately I didn't have to start that way but I do wonder how I would do it if I was in that situation. I'm different than most people and I do bodybuilding lifts so I think I might have started off with getting the Functional Trainer I wanted and then go from there. You can work every muscle with a FT, not as well as with a bar and plates but you can work every muscle

[@bobbyhunt3009]

Boy oh boy, you brought back some memories of the 1st bench I ever had. Looking back now it sure wasn't much but at the time, it was all we could get and I was so proud of having that little bench. Mine had 2 uprights for squats and 2 uprights for the bench press, no safeties other than the guy standing behind you. Got my bench max up to over 200 lbs. on that very bench you described but we were not safe at any time. We outgrew that bench at 14, 15 years old, got it at 12 years old and we had those cement weights with the burgundy plastic shell around them. The weight set was 110 lbs. if I remember correctly and had 1 inch holes, not the 2 inch holes that are standard today. Memories!!!!!

[@GymCrafter]

@@bobbyhunt3009 same here. There was nothing safe about those benches at all!

[@JoeyLisano]

I have a 6 post rack with a lat pulldown and low row. I like it, but I also prefer to superset, and I don't have much room in front. For example, I bench inside the rack with the lat pulldown leg rollers nearly touching my forehead so I can alternate. I plan to switch to 2 half racks, one for pressing/squating and one for pulling.

[@GymCrafter]

@@JoeyLisano Wow, that would be awesome. I didn't even consider having two racks, but that sounds like a cool setup.

[@jeremyc7825]

The end of the episode: I'm allergic to hitting the like button and break out in hives if my mouse hovers over it. (ok fine, I hit the button!) I'm currently using the Rep Apollo half rack with lat attachment, and if I could go back I would have just went with the Ares setup as a half rack and called it good. I don't have a ton of room and both my wife and I can end up in our gym at the same time, so I needed a compact rack. As much as I would like a 6-post, it would compromise the floor space I have to the point that there could be nothing done outside of the rack.

[@GymCrafter]

@@jeremyc7825 Thank you! I agree, those 6 post racks are sweet, but take up a ton of room. I've been looking hard at the Ares in a 6 post, 30" deep setup, but it's a bit out of my budget right now. On the other hand, I think the setup you have is really smart and you'll probably be able to use it for a really long time! Thanks for the comment and the like!

[@shiwakuseven5859]

I'm 67 and 8-months-old, and I've been weightlifting for 55 years. I also own 4 home gyms: a garage gym, a basement gym, an extension room gym, and a backyard patio gym. I strongly recommend choosing what strength training program you want to use before buying any home gym equipment. For instance, if you follow Pavel Tsatsouline "Greasing the Groove" Barbell Strength Training Method or his Kettlebell Strength Training Method, you don't need to buy a power rack. Pavel's Greasing the Groove Barbell Strength Training Method advocates lifting 50 to 80 percent of your one-rep max for 5 reps with 3 to 5 minute rest intervals for 10 to 20 sets to avoid muscular fatigue and soreness, and it is arguably the best strength training method to develop a strength foundation. If you choose the Louie Simmons Westside Barbell Conjugate Strength Training Program, you will need to buy a power rack along with a stability ball, a plyo box, resistance bands, a reverse hyper bench, a glute ham bench, chains, foam pads, boards, and even a Tendo velocity measuring unit. There are many strength training methods, and several of them require little to no home gym exercise equipment, like calisthenic training, gymnastic training, bodyweight training, and even the old Charles Atlas Dynamic Tension Strength Training Method, which is still being sold and which is also very effective in developing muscular endurance, size, and strength. The Charles Atlas Dynamic Tension Strength Training Method creates progressive resistance and muscular overload by pitting one muscle against another. Even if you do heavy bench press, deadlift, and squat, a Titan Fitness T-3 squat stand will suffice. Squat stands are cheaper than power racks, and squat stands take up less space than power racks. You can also use power rack attachments on squat stands.