Power Racks

Power racks vary on height, largely dependent on their intended purpose – whether it be the environment in which it will be used (domestic or commercial) or the type of training that will be primarily performed (CrossFit racks are generally taller).

Domestic power racks are designed for homes where the average ceiling height is around 230-250cm. So, they are generally between 210-220cm. This will give you enough clearance for chin ups. Commercial power racks can be up to 240cm which enable most people to perform hanging chin ups.

With housing prices increasing globally, people are squeezing power racks into smaller spaces. ATX have designed a power rack specifically for low ceilings with a height of 195cm.

Bench pressing on a power rack is one of the safest ways to bench, especially if you are training by yourself. Power racks enable you to adjust the height of the j-hooks which will be your start and stop point. Most importantly, a good quality power rack will come with spotter bars. These are used to protect the lifter if they can’t complete a lift.

You can adjust these to be slightly below your bottom point of the lift. They won’t impede on your range of motion but will stop you from being crushed by the barbell. This will allow you to push yourself to your limit to squeeze out that extra rep with the confidence that you are completely safe.

Power racks are perfect for training by yourself safely. I have done it for over 30 years! Power racks have spotter bars which can be adjusted to your shape, size, and exercise that you are performing. For example, on squats, set the spotters the position below your bottom out points. This will save you from being crushed by the bar if you can not complete the rep.

Initially it will take a couple of workouts until you know the perfect positioning of your spotters. If your power rack uprights are not numbered just use a marker or some tape. After a couple of sessions you will be able to move the spotters around effortlessly.

You don’t necessarily need to bolt your Power Rack down, however, there are some racks that are designed to be floor mounted. These racks will come with steel plates at the bottom of each upright. These can then be bolted to the floor. This provides the stability as they typically don’t have lower beams.

There are also plenty of other racks that are designed to sit on the floor. These come with rubber feet which prevent the rack from moving around or marking the floor surface.

Power racks come in all shapes and sizes, so the cost of them will differ. The cost will depend on the size, functionality, features, or add-ons. Quality is also a significant factor in determining price. There are so many racks out there with so many prices. The tough part is trying to find the best one that will meet your training requirements. That’s what we are here for, so reach out.

As a rule, do not buy the cheapest. They are usually junk and could be potentially dangerous. Although you might not want one now, later you may want to add a lat pulldown option. Cheap racks often don’t have this option. If they do you will wish they didn’t. They do not feel good to train on and they frequently chew out the cheap cables and pulleys.

If you stick to reputable brands, you can’t go wrong. Unlike a TV or mobile phone, your power rack is a 20+ year investment.

The added bonus with choosing ATX is that you have access to their wide range of power rack attachments. This means you can add variety to your free weight training. Plus it spreads out the purchase of your gym.

A good guide to start with would be about 250 x 250cm. This would give you enough room to use your Olympic bar as well as enough room to move your bench in and out of the front of the rack. It would also depend on what type of Power Rack you purchased.

The footprints on racks do vary. These days you can get Power Racks that are deeper than average. The depth on these racks would be more than your average rack. These will take up more space.

You can reduce the width a little by using a 6ft power rack barbell. If depth is the issue, you can look at a quality half rack if free weight barbell training is your preferred method of training.

Adjust the position of the J-Hooks to just below shoulder level. This makes it easier to re-rack the barbell.

Within the rack, stand under the bar with your feet shoulder-width apart, ensuring the bar rests on your upper back/traps. Place your hands behind the bar with a narrow grip. Hold it at an even distance on both sides and lift it off the J-Hooks. Take a couple of steps back.

Keeping your chest up, squat down pushing your knees slightly to the side while moving your hips back.

Always make sure to set up safety pins at the correct height. Do a squat with just a barbell to see where it stops at the bottom position. Place the spotters a little lower than that. The idea is for them to catch the barbell before it falls on you.

If you need to know what exercises can be done in a power rack, there is no point listing them all. You would only know a fraction of them. You can do bench press, squats, chin ups and shoulder press – all great compound movements. If you just did these along with deadlifts you could build an impressive physique.

All you need to know is that you can hit each bodypart with multiple exercises and variations. The rack can also be used as an anchor point for suspension trainers, resistance bands, dip handles and myriad of other attachments. That is why if you like variety, choose a rack that has an impressive range of attachments. You will just be able to add more variety to your workouts as you need it.

Power racks can fit into cars, but not all cars. Utes and station wagons would be the better option. If your car has back seats that can fold down, we can usually fit the longer boxes through the back seats to rest on your centre console. Always best to measure how much room you do have before attempting to pick up any power rack. It’s all about the length.

When I started the business, I would frequently use my wife’s old Honda Civic, it would have been a tiny circa 90s model. The back seats went down, and the upright boxes would slide through onto the centre console.

If you are not sure just let us know what rack you are interested in and what car you drive. We have had plenty of practice at loading up cars!