How to Build Your Own Power Rack at Home (Safely)
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If you’re a serial lifter, this quarantine might be posing some challenges in terms of lifting heavy and staying in shape. If you’re a serious gym rat you know that even a week off can set you back substantially when it comes to progress, let alone a few months inside.
If you’ve got the space, money and dedication you might already be considering setting up a home power rack. In this article we’re going to walk you through the process of setting up a safe power rack in your home gym that will keep you in shape without destroying your floor or costing thousands of dollars.
Please note that we are not experts and any equipment you buy and use is at your own risk.
We’re going to cover:
- Where to put your power rack at home
- Where to buy your rack
- How much weight to buy and which plates to get
- Protecting your floors and foundation
- Other notes and helpful equipment
If you’ve ever been curious about adding a power rack to your home gym repertoire but intimidated by the weight, don’t be. With a few steps you can add a serious amount of weight lifting equipment to your home.
Where to Put Your Power Rack
Chances are you’ve already got an idea of where you want to place your power rack, but here’s our advice when it comes to placement of this heavy machinery.
If you have a choice and can put it on the ground floor of your house, apartment building or condo do so. If you can put it in your garage, even better. Concrete will work better than a hardwood floor, but any solid floor will do. As long as you’re not ridiculous with your workouts, you won’t be punching a hole in your floor anytime soon.
Be mindful of neighbors and how thin your walls and floor are. If you’ve got sensitive neighbors, I would put it in a place further away from them since the clanging of plates and bar against the rack does make noise. I would also think about storage and the amount of equipment you’re probably going to accumulate. After the rack, bench and set of plates you’re taking up quite a bit of room, so you’ll want everything to be in a part of the house that’s out of the way.
Where to Buy Your Rack
Power racks are a bit harder to come by right now during the pandemic, but there are still some available online for purchase. The expensive part, unfortunately, is shipping since everything is so heavy.
Here are a few power racks available for purchase online that can be sent right to you. There’s most likely going to be some assembly required but thankfully each one comes with instructions and there are plenty of online tutorials to walk you through it.
GRIND Fitness Chaos 4000 Power Rack
This squat and power rack from GRIND Fitness can hold up to 1,5000 pounds and includes heavy-duty weight pegs for your plates, pull-up bars and squatter safety arms. Each side has three weight pegs for holding your 45’s, 35’s and 35’s as well as lined, numbered pegs for your bars and more.
It’s a high-quality rack with a black powder coat for protection and style in your home gym.
F2C Power Squat Rack
This power squat rack from F2C is perfect for your home gym as it’s got 29 adjustable levels for your barbell and three steel-powder coats for a smooth and durable finish. It includes bar catches for safety when front squatting, dead lifting and curling. It also has an overhead bar for pull-ups, chin-ups, leg raises and other bodyweight exercises.
This piece of equipment is a little slimmer than the full cage above and can be placed anywhere in your home with minimal disruption. While smaller it can still hold up to 550 pounds, perfect for the average gym-goer looking to implement strength training into their at-home gym routine.
Type of Weight and How Much to Get
How much weight to get depends on your current lifting routine and your strength training goals. When lifting with a barbell on a rack you add weight via plates that stack next to one another. The average person only needs two 45 pound plates, two 25 pound plates, two 10 pound plates and two 5 pound plates. This is enough to challenge you and give you enough to work with when doing different exercises where you most likely have varying capacities.
If you’re a larger fella who’s used to heavier weight, adding extra 45 pound plates or even 35 pound plates should suffice. No matter what, you’re going to want to add safeties as well to your collection. These clips hold the plates in place on the bar and let you lift much heavier than you otherwise would be able to for fear of them slipping off and, god forbid, punching a hole in the floor or smashing a toe. We have a whole article available on weight lifting clips here where you can find our picks for which ones to buy and why.
A note about the material of the plates: Cast iron plates are the cheapest option but are harder to maneuver and feel less secure to drop after a deadlift. Bumper plates are just as heavy but bounce when they hit the floor and are designed for more dynamic lifts because they’re easier to maneuver. If you’re planning to do power cleans, hang cleans, push presses, split squats or anything overhead you’ll want bumper plates. They are more expensive, but you’ll feel safer using them.
We’ve included our picks for weighted plates and safeties below. Most fit with your standard olympic barbell, our recommendation for you when building your at-home power rack.
Titan Technique 5lb Weight Plates
These Titan Technique 5 pound plates add extra weight without adding too much to your olympic barbell. They’re made of LDPE and HDPE plastic and designed for long lasting performance without breaking down or disintegrating with use. The bright red color will help you differentiate it from your other plates and measure your weight accurately. These plates will fit any olympic barbell.
Buy: Titan Technique 5lb Weight Plates $122.99
Hampton Olympic 10lb Grip Plate
Hampton is known for making high-quality plates that are available for a lot less than other retailers. These grip plates are made with virgin rubber that’s high-quality and long-lasting so you’ll be lifting it for years to come. This plate fits all Olympic barbells or any bar with a 2-inch hole. They’re designed with comfort in mind, each one has an easy handle grip for moving it on and off the bar and they’ve got a semi-gloss professional finish. The weight size is easy to read on each plate and storing them stacked on one another is easy.
CAP Barbell 25lb Grip Weight Plates
These grip weight plates from CAP Barbell are made of solid cast iron with a gray enamel coat for protection that prevents chipping and peeling over time. These plates have a standard 1-inch center hole that works with most standard bars, and the weights can also be used freely for other strengthening and endurance exercises.
The plates have three hole grips for easy handling, loading and unloading and you can trust the quality from CAP — a pioneer in the fitness industry for over 30 years.
Buy: CAP Barbell 25lb Grip Weight Plates $17.89
Day 1 Fitness 35lb Olympic Bumper Weighted Plates
These high-quality olympic bumper plates from Day 1 Fitness are made of heavy-duty stainless steel combined with a covering of high-grade rubber that’s low-bounce for protection around the parameter. This coating helps you protect your floor and reduces injuries when doing more dynamic lifts.
Each plate also has a steel ring insert that is bonded to the rubber for security and control when using it. This ring prevents the plate from sliding around on all standard racks, sleds and bars. These plates are made to be used with or without bars — you can also use them freely for core strengthening or other floor work. The rubber won’t irritate your hands and they won’t make loud noises when dropped or stacked together.
Buy: Day 1 Fitness 35lb Olympic Bumper Weights $159.99
Hampton Olympic Rubber Grip 45lb Plates
These Hampton Olympic Grip plates have both an attractive and functional design with easy-to-grip handles for picking them up off the floor without hurting yourself. This particular design is available in three different materials including iron, rubber and urethane-covered. Each one provides protection for your floor and prevents scratches on your other equipment.
How to Protect Your Floors and Foundation
Now, the good news is most modern up-to-code apartment complexes and homes will be able to handle the weight of your power rack and weights, so there’s no need to worry about the floor buckling. The question now becomes how to protect your floor from scratches and damage that may come from the weights, especially if you’re renting.
One of the most important things to remember is that you want stability and sturdiness underneath your feet when lifting. You don’t want a squishy mat that’s going to give way, and you want something on the thicker side.
Heavy-duty lifters will advocate for horse stall mats — they come in smaller cuts so you can fit them in a standard room and buy them individually depending on how much space you have. You can get them on Amazon or at most hardware or tractor supply stores.
Rubber-Cal Shark Tooth Heavy Duty Mat
These mats have high contents of EPDM so it’s perfect for flooring in your indoor or outdoor space. They’re super protective and made domestically with recycled tires. They’re durable and weather resistant just like the material they’re made from, and are completely anti-slip and anti-fatigue, creating a safe environment for hard work.
Buy: Rubber-Cal Shark Tooth Heavy Duty Mat $61.00
If you’re lifting in an apartment and you’re not on the first floor you might want cushions nearby in order to deadlift or lift heavier weights and have something to place them down on. In a regular gym, you’d drop the weight on the floor and let it bounce — but since that’s not available this is the next best thing.
Grab a few of these heavy-duty cushions for absorbing the dropped weight so you can make the moves you want to in order to reach your goals without disrupting a downstairs neighbor or hurting yourself.
Arlee Pad Seat Cushion
These cushions are made for your seat but will do perfectly fine in the gym as they’re filled with premium memory foam and have a non-skid backing to keep it in place so it’s there when you need it. They’ve got a durable design and are fully tufted so they won’t flatten over time. They also come in a pack of two so you’ve got one for either side of the barbell.
Buy: Arlee Pad Seat Cushion $28.36
Other Notes and Helpful Equipment
Having a power rack at home can be incredibly convenient and serve as motivation for reaching your weight lifting and strength training goals. That being said, it’s always a good idea to practice safety best practices while working out, and if you’re going to push it to your max it’s a good idea to have a spotter nearby.
Another great product to have around is a solid workout bench that you can lift from and use for stretching, smaller arm workouts and resting between sets.
FLYBIRD Adjustable Utility Bench
This adjustable bench has a 500 pound weight capacity and is designed to give you a safe and stable environment for working out. It’s got six different adjustable back positions and four seat positions to give you a full body workout. It’s got a 9.7” backrest filled with soft foam to give you support, is easy to carry and requires no assembly after delivery — just place it where you want it and go.
Buy: FLYBIRD Adjustable Utility Bench
Tourna Rosin Bottle Grip
Rosin is a chalk alternative that’s cleaner and easier to use than typical chalk bags, and this bottle of rosin is designed for easy disposal onto your hands. It dries sweat instantly and has a simple twist and shake bottle design so you can apply it quickly between sets. The bottle also closes securely so there’s no accidental mess.
Buy: Tourna Rosin Bottle Grip $3.95