How to Use Power Rack: Benefits, Exercise

The power rack is prevalent fitness equipment because it can almost exercise the whole body's muscles. A rack can train the shoulders, back, upper chest, chest middle seam, lower chest, three heads, and two heads. , exercise the core, exercise the gluteus maximus, and exercise the outer thigh. It also has many rack accessories, such as ropes, straight bars, curl bars, etc. Most fitness beginners will be very confused after seeing the power rack. With a power rack, you seem to own the whole world!

What is a power rack?

 

A power rack (also known as a power cage, squat cage, or squat rack) is a weight training equipment that acts as a mechanical observer of free-weight barbell exercises that are not restricted by the movement of equipment such as Smith machines. Its general design is four uprights with two adjustable horizontal rod buckles (also called "supports", "rails" or "pins") on each side. Many power racks also have accessory attachments, such as pull-up bars, LAT pulldown cable attachments, or pegs for weight plate storage. 

Advantages of a power rack

Compared with other fitness equipment, the most significant advantage of the power rack is that it can help you exercise a comprehensive body part. Its limitations are relatively small. Every gym will have this fitness equipment to help you exercise a lot of parts. And many corresponding exercise methods can increase your body flexibility and exercise every part of your body, so it is very suitable for the fitness enthusiast to exercise and fitness. It is no less than other exercise equipment for fitness effects, so it is prevalent.

Power rack exercise benefits

IFAST Power Rack

 

No spotter required

If you train alone, you must train safely. Power racks provide the protection needed when moving heavy objects without a spotter. Of course, you can use regular squat racks (i.e. half racks), but these usually don't have adjustable safety catches. Not only will this prevent you from doing deeper or shallower squats, but it can ultimately prevent you from doing other exercises. The only other option is the squat rack, commonly used by Olympic weightlifters. However, these are not as safe or versatile as power racks (or even squat/half racks).

A stable mind

The best part about power rack training is not just your safety but the peace of mind that comes with it. That said, you can add an extra 5 pounds to the bar, or try to do one more repetition, as this ensures that you don't end up under the bar!

The precise range of motion

Since you can adjust the safety buckle to any height, the Power Rack enables you to precisely train any part of the full range of motion in a given exercise, such as partial repetitions.

Variety of exercises 

While you can't do every exercise known to man with a power rack, you can certainly do the most important ones. Additionally, there are ways to increase the number of exercises you can perform in your power rack by including or adding specific equipment options. For more information on training, see the sections below.

5 Best Power Rack Exercises

Pin Squats

 

Set the safety pin inside the squat rack so you can touch the safety pin when you reach parallel while squatting.

Untangle as you would a regular squat, slowly descend until you hit the pin, pause briefly, and then come back into lockout.

Touching the pins is essential - like a ninja! Don't let the weight of the barbell rest on the hooks. 

Rack Pulls

 

The advantages of the rack pulls are apparent: short travel, lower down and support so that you can pull a lot of weight, so what's the reason for that? 

You must remember the role of the lats in the deadlift. It is a stabilizing muscle group. Before the bar is moved, the lats are already tightened, right? Then this rack pull means that you have a big "sharp weapon" for building a thick back (the other big weapon is rowing)

Pulling from the rack, the shorter the stroke, the more weight you're pulling, so your lats will be able to load more tension in a single rep throughout the deadlift (provided you're tightening your back) latissimus)

Close-Grip Bench Press

 

Lie on the weight bench with your hands about shoulder width apart (this is the narrow gap), then lift the bar from the rack. This is the starting position.

Slowly lower the bar while inhaling, lowering the bar to almost mid-chest, and pause for a while.

Exhale, use the strength of the triceps to push the barbell up, and when the triceps are pushed to the top, the triceps do the peak contraction, hold for 1-2s, and then lower it repeatedly.

Close Grip LAT Pull Down

 

Inhale, contract the latissimus dorsi, pull down the horizontal bar vertically from the top of the head to the chest, tighten the scapula and tighten the latissimus dorsi muscle; pause for 2-3 seconds for peak contraction. 

Exhale, controlled reduction! Stretch the lats along the same path until the lats are fully stretched.

Many people want to know which is better, wide-grip LAT or close-grip LAT. If interested, you can learn about this article: Close Grip Vs. Wide Grip LAT Pulldown, which introduces 2 kinds of exercise in detail

Front squats

 

The arm only acts as additional support and should neither bear the weight of the barbell nor actively exert upward force when exerting force.

Pay attention to the support point of the bar on the chest, neither too high nor too low. If it is too low, the support will be unstable. If it is too high, it may squeeze the carotid artery and cause dizziness.

Squat down as you inhale and stand up as you exhale.

Keep your chest and your head up during the entire movement to expand the support area in front of your chest and obtain stable support.

Don't squat too fast to prevent the load from being transferred from the muscles to the bones and joints. But when you stand up, try to improve your explosiveness as quickly as possible.

 

A power rack will help you lift heavier, train harder, stay safer and ultimately see more dramatic results. Its endless utility can also help you have more fun and expand your training knowledge during workouts.

Whether you're outfitting a commercial gym or a home gym, the right power rack is a purchase that can pay for itself many times over. IFAST power rack can meet your various training needs, it is worth starting!