One of the most important pieces of equipment for a garage gym is a good squat rack. A good squat rack will allow you to do squats, presses, pull ups, dips, suspension trainer exercises, shrugs, hip hinges, etc. In other words, its really versatile. The squat rack, at a minimum, needs a few things. First, you need a pull-up bar. Not only will you be able to do pull-ups, but you’ll be able to secure things to it without having to worry about putting holes in your ceiling! The image below shows a rack with a pull-up bar which has a suspension trainer attached to it.
Second, I’d recommend going with a half rack for a garage gym. This will still let you do every exercise you want to do. It will be less expensive and it will take up a smaller footprint in your garage.
Third, you need to be able to adjust the j-hooks. The j-hooks are where the bar sits. Being able to adjust them up and down means that you have the ability to do lots of exercises. For example, if they are higher you can do squats, military presses, or incline presses. At a medium height you can do bench presses. At a lower height you can do bent over rows, deadlifts, shrugs, or Romanian deadlifts. So it’s important to be able to adjust them.
Fourth, you need safety arms. Not only can these hold the bar to allow you to do certain exercises (see below, they are set up for partial deadlifts), but they are important for safety. A home gym doesn’t have a roomful of people to come help you if you get stuck, so you need these if you get into trouble.
Fifth, make sure the rack is rated for the amount of weight you are likely to use. If you are just starting out, 300-400 pounds will be fine for a long time. If you are struggling with 300 pounds you are unlikely to ever need 1,000 pounds. Be honest with yourself as this will help to hold the cost down.
Sixth, make sure the rack is stable. Check the reviews to learn this. You do not want a wobbly squat rack!
Finally, consider getting a rack that lets you do dips. Usually this is an attachment for the safety arms. This is a fundamental exercise and it adds variety.
I’ve been happy with the rack that I purchased just as the pandemic hit our shores. If you want to try it out, you can find it on Amazon by following this link –>
In future posts we’ll look at suspension trainers, kettlebells, heavy ropes, jump ropes, barbells, and weight plates.
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