Are you looking for the best power rack for your commercial gym or personal training room?
If so, this clear buying guide will help you go through the most important details to choose the best power cage for your needs.
Owning a power rack is demonstrably the most important one of strength training equipment you should have. Whether you're doing CrossFit, powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, or just looking to build muscle and burn fat, a power rack is the perfect tool to achieve your fitness goals.
Whether you choose a power rack from DHZ FITNESS or not, this article will help you to choose the right one by starting from the key factors of a premium power rack.
But first, let's consider why you should buy a power rack in the first place.
Why Buy a Power Rack?
Because they are Adaptable
-- One rack can handle so many different exercises including deadlifts, bench presses, cable crossovers, squats, overhead presses, curls, chin-ups, lat pulldowns, rows, and more. It’s your one-stop station for your ultimate power rack workouts!
They Can Be Cost Effective
-- The perfect solution for limited space, not only does it eliminate the need for trade-offs in strength training, but it also saves you time and cost.
Convenience
-- Having one at home helps keep close to your workouts and saves a lot of time waiting in line, driving back and forth from the gym, and more.
No Spotter Necessary
-- Because of safety spotters and other safety attachments, you can work out safely by yourself without a spotter.
Consistency
-- Developing good exercise habits can help you achieve better training results, and you can find the most suitable training mode on the power rack.
Freedom
-- Training in the comfort area without someone staring at you as they wait for you to finish your set is truly a pleasant experience.
Zero Wait Times
-- You’ll never have to wait in line again for someone else to finish their sets.
Peaceful
-- Tired of having someone tell you that you’re doing it wrong? You’ll never have to hear this ever again.
How Do I Choose the Best Power Rack?
Next, it's time to dive into what makes the best power rack.
Here's a look at the 12 most important considerations to help you decide which power rack is best for you.
1. Choose the right type
There are two types of options available. The first type is modular system and allows you to buy a base rack then choose the attachments you want. This way, you don’t pay for attachments or stations you don’t want or need. The second type is a fixed package system where a certain number of attachments and stations are included that you may or may not use. For the budget conscious, we recommend a modular power racking system.
2. Choose the right attachments
Selecting the right attachments and stations for your power rack will give you all the possible combinations of workouts you will ever need in one simple system. Here are some common attachments that can help you reach your weightlifting goals:
● Chin up bars
● Lat pull down seat
● Knee holder for lats
● Lat pulldown and low row
● J-Hooks
● Monolift Systems
● Band pegs
● Core trainers
● Plate holders
● Benches
3. Verify the Weight Capacity
For safety reasons, you’ll want to find one that supports more weight than you will ever use. This is one area you don’t want to overlook. We recommend a power rack that offers 1,000lb (or more) static rating weight capacity.
4. Consider Your Safety
Because you’ll be working out by yourself without a spotter, you’re going to want to invest in a power rack that is structurally safe and secure. Not only that, but you’ll also want to buy attachments that help keep you safe.
The best power rack will offer safety features and options including:
● Ability to anchor the rack to the floor
● Strong welds and high-quality materials
● Thick gauge steel construction
● Strong and secure safeties
● Safety spotter arm attachments
● Safety sling attachments
5. Verify Product Dimensions
Measure your floor space and consider your room’s dimensions to make sure it will fit. When buying a modular design, you’ll also want to verify that you will have enough space for any additional stations or attachments you may purchase in the future.
6. Check the Hole Spacing
Holes should be consistent in diameter and run from the top to the bottom. This is important so you can do low, medium, and high lifts. Smaller adjustment increments are best, roughly ½” to 1” apart, and are critical to adjusting things like safety spotters and j-hooks for precise customization to your body’s dimensions and workout goals.
7. Check there is Hole Numbering
This is a small but important feature. Having numbered holes on both sides of the power cage takes the guesswork out of pin placement so things are level on both sides. This also helps you to remember your numbers to find the right positions quickly and easily for your chosen workouts.
8. Check for Ease of Adjustment
The best power rack will allow compatible attachments to be easily adjusted from position to position. Pins should securely mount to the structure while being easy to attach or remove.
9. Check Your Budget
Establishing a budget is always a good idea. While you can find cheap base power racks for around $200, the materials, fit, finish and welds are generally of low quality. Higher quality base power cages can cost upwards of $400 and offer better materials, welds, and construction. Remember with attachments, your final cost could be over $1,000. Depending on your budget, it may be best to buy the base rack and acquire attachments every month to spread out the expense and make it easier to afford. When buying a pre-configured power rack system, higher quality models can run $2,000 or higher.
10. Read the Warranty
Whether you buy in-store or online, it’s important to know the warranty of the product. Look for a lifetime structural warranty. In general, higher cost/quality units typically come with the best warranties. Cheap power racks typically don’t come with a structural warranty while the best power rack does.
11. Verify Shipping
When buying online, you need to determine if shipping is included in the purchase price or if it's separate. Most companies charge shipping.
12. Verify Packaging
Power racks aren’t small or light. They will either be shipped in one large box or several boxes. Find out how it will be shipped to make sure you know if you need help getting it into your gym or studio.
Post time: Sep-14-2022