Today on the Body-Solid Built for Life blog we’re talking all things Power Racks! What are Power Racks, what are their benefits/uses and a look at the Power Rack options we offer at Body-Solid.
Sometimes called a power cage, squat cage or squat rack, the Power Rack is weight training equipment designed to allow for a free-weight workout using a barbell with no movement restrictions.
Power Racks became popular in the 1960s thanks to Terry Todd and Dr. Craig Whitehead who used them to test a theory of maximum fatigue. A final patent was created in 1987 as they exploded in popularity in the last half of the decade.
The 90s were not kind to the Power Rack as it fell out of favor as people began more often using cable-assisted/weight stack workout equipment as opposed to the free weights of yesteryear.
This has turned around in the last few years as Power Rack and all free-weight based equipment has made a huge comeback. Power Racks in particular are one of our most popular pieces of equipment these days.
The benefits of Power Racks are numerous — they allow for a safe free-weight workout by eliminating any dangers like falling weights, failure or accident by the use of bar catches on the side pegs. Another benefit is the ability for a lifter to handle more weight than they normally would using full-range equipment.
The amount of exercises you can perform on a Power Rack are numerous but also dependent on which product. Some come with a full cage allowing for pull-up or lat pulldown-related exercises while others merely work as catches for free-weight based workouts.
If you were to use the Body-Solid GPR378 Power Rack, you can perform a ton of different exercises and movements including Bench Press, Incline Press, Decline Press, Upright Row, Deltoid Raise, Shoulder Press, Standing Military Press, Wide Grip Front Lat Pullup, Close Grip Front Lat Pullup, Wide Grip Front Lat Pulldown, Close Grip Front Lat Pulldown, Bent Over Row, Seated Row, Shoulder Shrug, Biceps Curl (standing), Tricep Press Down, Tricep Extension, Squat, Glute Kick, Outer Thigh Abduction, Inner Thigh Adduction, Calf Press, Barbell Thruster, Dead Lift, Curl Grab, Front Grab, Hang Crunches, Crunch & Extend, Behind-the-Neck, Negatives, Wing Chin-Up and Hanging Shoulder Shrugs.
Needless to say, your standard Power Rack can be used many different ways with a variety of movements working numerous muscle groups.
Whether a top athlete, bodybuilder, powerlifter or a casual exerciser, you’ll find benefits with a Power Rack — but what’s the right one? Each major fitness brand, including Body-Solid, offers many different options of Power Racks, each with different features, weight capacities and more.
We recently created a helpful table to compare and contract each of our Power Rack options to give you all the information you’ll need for an informed decision. Need a full cage, ½ cage or fine with just a squat stand? What type of warranty are you looking for? Do you need chin or safety bars? What about the height, weight and width? You’ll find all that information and more below:
To view our selection of Power Racks or to learn more about their benefits, please visit http://www.bodysolid.com/Home/Free_Weights/Power_Racks.
