Power Rack vs Squat Stand and Pull up Bar

[Kevin Quinn]

I am putting together my garage gym and was looking for some input. I was originally thinking of purchasing the Garage Gym squat stand and the stud pull up bar to put up in my garage. Then i started thinking of a getting a power rack with a pull up bar at the top of it. the squat stand and pull up bar would probably run me just over $400, while the power rack would be anywhere from $800 to $1200 depending on what i want. I figure that i wont always have someone working out with me, so the self spotters on the rack could come in handy. From any of your experiences does the power racks pull up bar support kipping pull ups? Any suggestions on racks?

any input\point of view would be welcomed.

Thanks
KQ

[Lawrence "Bo" Boland III]

I have a power rack, and I love it for the safety features it provides when squatting and benching. That being said... I would NOT kip on the pull-up bar, unless you can anchor the cage to the floor. Most Power Racks will have holes on the bottom pieces to do so, but if you don't want to drill holes in the floor, you might have to get a separate pull-up bar (which you can easily make out of pipe and a 2x6 for $40).

Edit: And for what its worth, if you're not in a rush, you can look for them on Craigslist. I got mine for $100 and it is solid.

[Ian Kovtunovich]

Originally Posted by Lawrence "Bo" Boland III

I have a power rack, and I love it for the safety features it provides when squatting and benching. That being said... I would NOT kip on the pull-up bar, unless you can anchor the cage to the floor. Most Power Racks will have holes on the bottom pieces to do so, but if you don't want to drill holes in the floor, you might have to get a separate pull-up bar (which you can easily make out of pipe and a 2x6 for $40).

Edit: And for what its worth, if you're not in a rush, you can look for them on Craigslist. I got mine for $100 and it is solid.

I'd second all of the above. I have been flattened out by too-heavy squats a few times, and being able to just lean over and park the bar on the pins is a great feeling. I have seen video of a guy sort of leaping forward out of a failed squat, but I'm not sure I would be able to. I also found mine on craigslist - it took quite a while, but I found one for $150 that had been custom made. Really great piece of equipment; it is definitely on par with any of the $600-$800 ones I looked at, and is mostly welded at that - only a couple of bolted connections.

Good luck, and happy squatting.

[Robert Britt Freund]

Originally Posted by Kevin Quinn

I am putting together my garage gym and was looking for some input. I was originally thinking of purchasing the Garage Gym squat stand and the stud pull up bar to put up in my garage. Then i started thinking of a getting a power rack with a pull up bar at the top of it. the squat stand and pull up bar would probably run me just over $400, while the power rack would be anywhere from $800 to $1200 depending on what i want. I figure that i wont always have someone working out with me, so the self spotters on the rack could come in handy. From any of your experiences does the power racks pull up bar support kipping pull ups? Any suggestions on racks?

any input\point of view would be welcomed.

Thanks
KQ

Hi Kevin.

I think this is an excellent question. I hope you don't mind me chiming in.

I have both a power rack and a squat stand. I use the power rack in my indoor gym and the squat stand for my outdoor work. Basically, for outdoor work I have Hi-Temp bumpers, a Rogue bar, Rogue Collars, and my Samson squat stand.

I am torn over what I would have if I could only have one or the other. I LOVE the portability of the squat stand, bumpers, and bar. I routinely load them up in my Tahoe and take them with me wherever I have to travel. You can do all of the fast lifts plus presses, rows, front squats, deads, etc... anywhere you want. Throw in a couple of rings and you have virtually everything you need to get strong and powerful and fit.

The big problem for me comes with wanting to test my 1RM in the bench and squat. Nothing beats a good power rack for doing these lifts safely, and that includes spotters. I understand from another post (but have not used them myself) that you CAN get squat stands that have cantilevered adjustable safeties (I believe that Sorinex may offer something along these lines). So, maybe that would work.

Bo suggested not doing kipping pullups on the rack. I think he is absolutely correct if you have a relatively lightweight rack. My Samson power rack weighs 800 lbs and is attached to a lifting platform, so that is not a problem for me.

If you don't plan on testing 1RMs in squats or bench presses, I think you could get by with a squat rack and a ceiling/wall-mounted chinup bar. It would save you some money, too (which you can then use on a good bar and bumper plates ).

Hope this helps,
brittf

[Jim Luckey]

Originally Posted by Lawrence "Bo" Boland III

I have a power rack, and I love it for the safety features it provides when squatting and benching. That being said... I would NOT kip on the pull-up bar, unless you can anchor the cage to the floor. Most Power Racks will have holes on the bottom pieces to do so, but if you don't want to drill holes in the floor, you might have to get a separate pull-up bar (which you can easily make out of pipe and a 2x6 for $40).

Edit: And for what its worth, if you're not in a rush, you can look for them on Craigslist. I got mine for $100 and it is solid.

Same for me. I paid $100 on craigslist and I love the extra safety. I workout by myself quite a bit.

[Matt Thacker]

We have all of the above at our box. The pull-up bars are not that great on the power racks...however they are better than nothing, I prefer the thicker bars we fabricated (and that you could fabricate with some pipe and fittings from home depot). Some of the girls prefer the thinner power rack bars and can kip on them (as both of my power racks are loaded with weights). If you can stand the size of the power racks pull-up bar I would go for it, however like other posters mentioned, Craigslist can save you a ton. Also power racks are way more sturdy for bar work.

Good luck,

Matt

[Kevin Quinn]

Thanks for all of the input. Im leaning towards the Sorinex Half Rack. gonna have to wait till i get back to the states to get it. cant wait!

[Clay Jones]

Originally Posted by Kevin Quinn

Thanks for all of the input. Im leaning towards the Sorinex Half Rack. gonna have to wait till i get back to the states to get it. cant wait!

That is a great rack. I had an acme 2000 and it was a very solid piece of equipment.

[Mark Cheney]

The answer also depends on how tall you are. My school had a power rack with a pullup bar that was a full 8' above the ground. I'm 6'3" and could reach it on my toes, which gave me enough room to kip. A lot of power racks are only 7'6", which makes kipping darn near impossible for tall guys.

Also, some pullup bars on power racks are knurled. Call me a wuss, but that shreds my hands after 100 pullups or so.

I agree that the safety of the cage is great for max squats. Another option is to use sawhorses along with the squat stand. There are four threads that discuss this - http://board.crossfit.com/search.php?searchid=3761289 (WFS) This is definitely a money saver, too. That is, if you're buying new. You'll find all kinds of deals on Craigslist if you're patient.

[Evan Anderson]

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