It is time to get creative and have the convenience of setting you great personal records right at the comfort of your home. You can create your power rack, and even add some things that you want to it. A lot of the powerlifting and heavy lifting are done in the power rack.
I that you have seen the usual power rack in the power gym and some of its materials are getting in the way especially if you are trying to do the squat. If you have an extra space in your house or a big backyard, then it is the best place to set it up.
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We are going to show you how to build your DIY Power Rack to do your workouts at home. It is not going to take you a while to build one. You can finally invite your training partners over your house and have the convenience of working out at home.
Functions Of A Power Rack
From the name of the equipment, I guess you have already figured it out. It is where you set all of you heavy lifts and create moments in your life that will undoubtedly go down in your records. You can never go wrong with power racks, and I bet veterans would agree with me. With the simple piece of equipment, it could get you into many places. It is the stepping stone for many weightlifters out there, and at the same time, it is their device that could get them to wherever they want to be.
1. It Can Hold Heavy Weights
Absolutely and literally can take a heavy pounding. If you plan to invest on one, it can definitely last you for a lifetime. A standard power rack can withstand 1000lbs on a daily basis. The thing is, not many people go for a thousand pounds on their squats so that a power rack can last you for a lifetime.
Even if you load up heavy on your deadlift, it can withstand it all day. You can do such wonders with its capacity.
2. Multiple Positions
It can cater to anyone with any size and any height. The J-hooks are adjustable, and you can place it where ever you want according to you r dimensions. Even with the safety pins, certain uses for it allows you to have accessory work for some training.
3. Progression and Accessory Works
For you to improve your power lifts and dynamics, you can perform the necessary skill work for the lift. Like let's say, you can set it up as bench press, and do the resistance band variation to improve balancing and static muscles while improving on the weight load.
Why Not Buy, instead of a DIY?
Some of the squat racks or power racks, have something that you don't need. Others have missing features that you need. So, how will you fix that solution? Just build your power rack instead.
It allows you to customize to your liking freely. You can even add a dip bar, so you can perform various version on the dips and do similar workouts with. You can also set it up higher so that you can do power jerks or push press inside without hitting the bars. You will have all the freedom to design your power rack that way you imagined it to be.
Power Racks are expensive, but I am not saying that they are not worth it. They are worth the investment because they can last you a very long time. Again, it is essential to have it in your arsenal of training equipment but take into consideration of building one of your own.
Materials Needed
Since I am no carpenter, I found a reliable source which is from buffdudes.com, to give you everything you need for your personal power rack, and as a bonus, they have included a pull-up bar along with it. As the site says, here are the things you need for your power rack:
POWER RACK MATERIALS NEEDED:
- 8 - 8 Foot 4x4 Douglas Fir or Equivalent Wood
- 8 - 3x5 Flat Steel Ties (Simpson's Strong-Tie TP 5)
- 14 - 1/2x2x2 3/4 90 Degree Steel Ties (Simpson's Strong-Tie A23)
- 1 Pound of 2 inch Star Bit Wood Screws
- 1/2 Pound of 3 inch Star Bit Wood Screws
- 1 - 1/8 inch Drill Bit For Pilot Holes
- 1 - 1 1/4 inch Tri Fluted Wood Boring Bit
3/4 INCH PIPE LIST:
Racking Pins-
- 2 - Chair Flanges
- 2 - 1 1/2 Inch Pipes
- 2 - Pipe Connectors
- 2 - 4 1/2 Inch Pipes
- 2 - Caps
Safety bars:
- 2 - 60 Inch Pipes
- 2 - 4 Inch Pipes
- 2 - 90 Degree Elbows
- 2 - Caps
Pull Up Bar:
- 1 - 60 Inch Pipe
- 2 – Caps
DISCLAIMER: This is not my list, and this is from buffdudes.com
There are other reliable sources scoured around the internet, but this is the best out there for me.
Assembly
I don’t want to be sued for copying their ideas, so please click and watch the video on how to assemble the power rack. It will only take twenty minutes of your time, so please have patience. Remember to take some important notes while watching the video. If you have no experience in woodworks, please have a professional supervision with you while making it.
Workouts To Do In a Power Rack
Now, this is where I can give a lot of professional help. There are a lot of workouts and exercise s you can inside the power rack. Time to mark your journal with lifting numbers, and see how it increases over time.
1. Squats
Let's start off with arguably the king of all workouts. After building your rig, you can perform the squats inside the cage. It is important that you set your safety pin near to your deep squat. Just in case you fail, the safety pins will catch the bar and avoid any fatal injuries.
To add stability, use your lifters or squats shoes. It helps you especially if you have poor mobility in your ankles. Make sure that you tighten up your core at the bottom of the movement to maintain your balance.
If you have weak knees, I suggest that you wear knee sleeves to tighten it up, and support you during the execution.
2. Deadlift
The deadlift is the squat's rival when it comes to a whole-body workout. A lot of muscles are involved when you do squats, and I can say the same for the engaged muscles groups while doing the deadlift.
Once it gets heavier and you can't handle it anymore, you can use your weightlifting straps and weightlifting belt to support you. Leave your ego out the window and work smart and protect yourself at all times.
3. Bench Press
Time to get the pushing going. The Bench Press is the power builder of all pressing movements. Some people would only consider this as a chest workout, they are partially correct, but what they don't know is that there are certain muscles groups coordinated with it as well.
Since these are taxing for your wrists, invest on a wrist wrap. It won't cost you much and will support your wrists once you go heavier on your progression.
4. Barbell Row
If you want to have thickness and mass for your middle back, the Barbell Row is the workout responsible for that. It targets your rhomboids and latissimus dorsi and adds girth that improves your body frame.
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5. Pull-Up Variation
The power rack I presented you from buffdudes.com includes a pull-up. It is time to add width to your back, and you can do different variations of grips for the exercise. If you want to add more of your biceps, then do the supinated grip. It will target both the back and the bicep simultaneously. If you want more challenge for your pulling muscles, then the traditional pull-up is the way to go.
If you are still progressing with your pull-ups, you can use the resistance bands to strengthen it.
Safety and Healthy Tips
- Make sure that you have a proper and neat workplace because this will include sharp objects. Wear protective gear as some debris could fly out and hit you in the face.
- Warm-up before your workouts, and do mobility works because you will be dealing with heavy objects.
- For your motivation, take down your notes and your approach to further improve your performance for the next session.
- Allow yourself an ample amount of recovery days in between training sessions.
- Have the proper diet, nutrition, and supplementation for optimal and quicker results.
Conclusion
I hope this article helped you with your DIY Power Rack. I am not good when it comes to wood works and carpentry, so I took the liberty of getting one of the best references on the internet. I can only help you with the lifts, tips, and training techniques to further improve your performance. If you have any other questions about training, leave them in the comments section below.
References:
Hi there,
I’m Gregory Brown, chief editor at ConstructMuscles.com
I spend half of my time in this blog while the other half on being physical fitness trainer. Believing in the great benefits of bodybuilding and fitness to the body, I’ve been motivated to become a fitness enthusiast. It also was what gave me the self-confidence and assurance within myself both physically and psychologically.
