Know the Features of a Good Power Rack if You Own a Gym

Being a gym owner means that, sooner or later, you’ll have to buy new equipment. Ideally, you would know how to pick this equipment from the start for your ideal gym. Now, the majority of people starting a gym for the very first time believe that they know how to make this choice simply because they’ve used so many racks during their own gym experience. This impression is, of course, completely wrong, seeing as how there are only so many things that you can notice, feel, and recognize from your point of view as a gym-goer. Here’s how a gym owner would approach this acquisition!

1.      Why do you need a power rack?

The main reason why you want to buy a power rack is that it will enable you to do so many basic exercises, of course for making strong muscles. In fact, if you had to pick a single piece of equipment to start your gym with, going for a power rack and one barbell would be your safest choice. Here, you can do squats, deadlifts, shoulder press, bent-over rows, bicep curls, and shrugs. If you add a bench below a power rack, you get perfect conditions for doing a bench press. On some power racks, they can even do dips, while almost every power rack provides one with a pull-up/chin-up bar. In other words, the first thing you need to look for when picking a power rack is – pragmatism.

2.      Rack types

This is the simplest form of rack that offers the smallest amount of support. In other words, it’s the bare minimum of features that a piece of gym equipment needs to possess to still qualify as a rack.

When they talk about racks, what the majority of people have in mind are half racks. The reason why these are so popular with gym owners is that they provide a lot of support and enable gym-goers to use them in different ways. In other words, these are several equipment pieces joined in one. This means that you save money on having to buy multiple pieces of equipment.

The last category worth mentioning is wall-mounted racks. Now, this can be used to maximize gym space and it’s a way to achieve a much higher level of stability. However, they need to be securely fixed by a professional. This is the only way to guarantee that it will hold under a heavy load.

3.      The construction

When choosing a suitable power rack for your gym you need to pay close attention to the frame (the construction). You see, in a gym, dimensions will matter far more than you think. This is because you have other racks to fit and you need to leave enough maneuvering space. What does this mean? Well, if you pack them too tightly, you’ll restrict one’s range of motion. Not only that but you’ll also create conditions in which an injury is far more likely. The material will determine the thickness of the rack, carrying capacity, and even its weight. Also, while examining the construction, pay attention to the wealds.

4.      Safety

Naturally, the No.1 priority when choosing a rack is its safety. You’re handing dangerous, heavy materials and, if unstable, you’ll potentially have someone injured. If the rack is not balanced enough, it is possible to disrupt the barbell while adding weights, which is the moment during which the majority of people are not cautious. We’ve already covered a lot of factors while discussing the construction. Now, you also need to think about balance and stability. How do you do this? Well, you test it out. If you’re ordering online, you can read about dimensions/specifications or look for user reviews.

5.      Pragmatism

Another thing you need to consider is pragmatism. What does this mean? Well, for starters, how easy is it to use? We’re not talking about the exercises themselves but the preparation process. Can you adjust the height? While this is usually a prerequisite, there are different methods that you can use in order to set it up. How easy it is to do so? More importantly, how easy is it to load and unload the bar?

6.      Weight capacity

The first thing worth keeping in mind is the fact that rack capacity and hook capacity are never the same. For instance, a 1,000 lbs rack can have hooks that are rated to little over 350 lbs. needless to say, this is a disaster in the making. This is also the biggest difference between a rack for a home gym and a rack for gym use. Different people have different requirements. You want to predict any eventuality, which is why you can never go too high when it comes to weight capacity.

7.      Bar storage

The versatility of the rack comes from one’s ability to customize the barbell. You’re not using the same weight for rows, deadlifts, and squats, so what do you do with all the weights while you’re not using them? You place them on bar storage. Here, you’re looking for safety and convenience. Now, removing the weights after you’re done with the exercise is basic gym etiquette. Now, we understand that this is something that a lot of people lack but if you provide them with all the conditions and they still fail to do it, you’ll know that the fault is 100% theirs.

In conclusion

In the end, it’s important that you understand one thing – buying a rack is not an exact science. Moreover, not everything can be read off a features list. Still, you need to understand your requirements in order to know whether the rack can fulfil it. The thing is that rack is under a lot of encumbrances all the time (most in your entire gym). This is why you can’t risk buying low quality.

Other than this, remember that you have limited space in the gym and that, while acquiring the equipment you’ll have a certain budget. So, you need to know that it’s your responsibility to choose the best rack that fits these criteria.