Posted: 2/2/2009 3:10:30 PM EDT
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I've been lifting since September and starting to lift heavier and worried about lifting alone without a spotter. First I thought about a Smith machine, but after using a friends and reading more about them, I decided a power rack would be better. I'm just wondering if I really need one though, and had a few questions. Right now I'm using a cheap style weight bench, Cap weights with the screw on bar, a screw on ez curl bar, and the screw on dumbbells.
1st question is can I use my Cap weight set with a power rack, or will I have to swap them all out for olympic weights. 2nd do you guys think my bench I have now with the rack arms taken off would fit inside a average rack. 3rd i'm thinking about getting the lat attachments so I can add lat pulldowns and tricept press. Do you guys think it's worth the extra $$ for these workouts. I'm going to get one with a chin up bar, but can only do a couple of chin ups at the moment. The stuff I'm doing now with what I have \flat bench incline bench deadlifts squats dumbell rows BO BB rows leg ext leg curls thanks in advance |
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You'll need olympic weights. Buy them locally at a Dicks Sportings good or similar store for like $99 for a 300lb set with a bar included.
They go here and buy a power rack. I have the Titan and it's solid. I've bought over $5k worth of equipment from this company over the past 6 years and they are super to deal with. ETA: The lat pulldowns are for the most part junk. You'll be much better off doing pullups on a power rack and closegrip bench and dips for triceps. |
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I just went from a smith machine set-up to a power cage and could not be happier.
The smith cage system I had was decent but I NEVER used the pec-deck. The leg attachment part was just ok. The bench was somewhat wobbly. I eventually just took the smith bar out of it because I never used it and it was just in the way. I did all my work outside the cage. It had safety pegs which were longer pegs that should serve as a catch if you failed on something like bench but they sucked. After pinning myself once (cuz I had the weights clipped on) and then throwing plates all over the garage because I went to failure and then missed the safety pins I decided to get a power cage. The power cage is much simpler and much more effective. I don't have to worry about failing any more. My workouts have been better. The bench is very solid. If your current bench is only so-so get another one. The bench being more solid helps immensely not to mention the new one is much easier to adjust. As a bonus the power cage is much smaller and thus takes up a lot less room. Points to keep in mind: The distance that the adjustment holes are apart matters. Mine aren't super close so I wind up using a piece of 2x4 to fine tune the bench height so I'm not banging the barbell bar into the safety bars but can still set the bar on it if I fail. You really want a cage that has some room in the back part of the cage so you can get your bench in further. The pic of the cage posted above is a perfect example. See how the bottom of the cage goes back past the uprights allowing the bench to go in further. That is what you want. Mine is like that one but not quite as deep and I still wind up having to set the bench on the bottom of the cage when doing incline bench if I want to work inside the cage. My new cage has a nice pull-down but I only use it for cable crunches. For any lat pull down type of work I just use a chin up bar. I can't recommend getting a power cage highly enough if you are working out alone. Just DO IT. Get a solid bench if you don't have one already. Pick up a set of Olympic weights. You will be glad you did. Craigslist is your friend for this stuff. Old set-up: 
Link to big pic New set-up: 
Link to big pic |
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I've had the predecessor to this http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/4160.html one for a dozen years, and it is the ideal home gym setup. Pretty much lets you do everything important.
The high and low pulleys are great to keep things from getting too stale. Mine doesn't have that bar on the ground between the rack. That thing might make squats a bitch, but it looks like something you could leave off. |
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I have this one:
Sumo Power Rack The one without the monolift attachment. I've had it for 4 years and it will outlast me. It's not cheap but it's worth every penny. I built a platform for it consisting of (2) 3/4 inch plywood 4x8 sheets laid next to each other and 2 more laying the opposite directon. I found an 8x8 rubber mat that fit it perfectly and bolted it all together. It's extremely stable. |