Looking at getting some stuff together for the garage, and while I would love a power cage, space is going to be an issue there. Does anyone here use the freestanding squat stands instead. Seems to me that not having the safety catch of the cage would be a major negative, but I wanted to get some opinions from the group.
I used stands for years when I was a teenager working out in the basement. You have to be careful to neatly place the weights on the stand at the end of the set as they can tip (which can be pretty scary). If you plan to go that route you'd be wise to get some rubber bumper plates if you can afford them. Heck, bumper plates are a good purchase regardless.
That would certainly be cost effective, are they home built?
Nope, they were just sitting in the basement of the house when we bought it. But, they hold up. And they are a big target when setting the bar down. They are low and resting the bar on the saw horses puts me at just barely below parallel. The only downside is that you're lifting the squat up out of the bottom position which is especially awkward for front squats, but I've made it work.
I've had 285lbs (not on a squat...I'm not there yet) on them before and they didn't seem to have any issues holding the weight. But, I have considered reinforcing them in some way.....just in case.
I have this thing. It takes up less space than a power cage, but probably not that much less. It cost about $300. Add a bench and you can do pretty much anything with it. I keep it adjusted pretty wide, and it is a pain to adjust the width, so I don't use it for dips or pushups. I use it mainly for squats, bench press, and chin-ups. In hindsight a power cage might have been better for my purposes, but this works fine and takes up a little less space.
I have this thing. It takes up less space than a power cage, but probably not that much less. It cost about $300. Add a bench and you can do pretty much anything with it. I keep it adjusted pretty wide, and it is a pain to adjust the width, so I don't use it for dips or pushups. I use it mainly for squats, bench press, and chin-ups. In hindsight a power cage might have been better for my purposes, but this works fine and takes up a little less space.
I have this thing. It takes up less space than a power cage, but probably not that much less. It cost about $300. Add a bench and you can do pretty much anything with it. I keep it adjusted pretty wide, and it is a pain to adjust the width, so I don't use it for dips or pushups. I use it mainly for squats, bench press, and chin-ups. In hindsight a power cage might have been better for my purposes, but this works fine and takes up a little less space.
Search "homemade equipment" here and look for my thread I posted a few years ago. Lou Schuler was nice enough to put my homemade squat rack plans in MH Muscle years ago, and I posted the plans in the thread. 7 years later, I still use mine, and it cost me $11 to build.
what is the secret to dumping it? Or rather what is the risk?
There is no risk, if you do it right (then again I squat ass to calves). I can do 405x2, but one time I had to dump 410.
All I do when "dumping", regardless of weight, is let it go the bottom of the movement, and push the bar off with my traps, allowing it to drop behind me onto the floor.
okay cool. That is what I do as well. When I am lifting too heavy for ATG, I do bench squats and can dump from there too. I don't quite get where there is danger and have wondered why a rack is a needed thing or where there is danger but I don't lift as heavy as you either...
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
okay cool. That is what I do as well. When I am lifting too heavy for ATG, I do bench squats and can dump from there too. I don't quite get where there is danger and have wondered why a rack is a needed thing or where there is danger but I don't lift as heavy as you either...
Yea, the need for a rack is solely to get the shit on your back. Kinda hard to clean 400lbs then throw it overhead to place on your back.
Damn, think of the strength of someone who could do that..HULK SMASH!
okay cool. That is what I do as well. When I am lifting too heavy for ATG, I do bench squats and can dump from there too. I don't quite get where there is danger and have wondered why a rack is a needed thing or where there is danger but I don't lift as heavy as you either...
Sadly, I've seen this - the danger is injury when people don't dump, or don't dump properly. I've seen a squat turn into a collapsed GM (can't imagine his back felt too good when he finally got out of that one) when it should've been left on the floor behind the guy, and I saw a video of a guy smushed under the bar when he tipped forward struggling to hang onto a squat that was too heavy...
Sadly, I've seen this - the danger is injury when people don't dump, or don't dump properly. I've seen a squat turn into a collapsed GM (can't imagine his back felt too good when he finally got out of that one) when it should've been left on the floor behind the guy, and I saw a video of a guy smushed under the bar when he tipped forward struggling to hang onto a squat that was too heavy...
Ahhhh... Totally makes sense. I have been contemplating getting a cage since I have a room dedicated now to a gym but could not figure out why a cage was better than the rack that I have now.
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
You'd have to be pretty experienced and confident at dumping the bar to train outside of a rack without a spotter. Also you need to be in an environment where dumping a loaded bar from shoulder height is okay, aka not in most gyms!
Search "homemade equipment" here and look for my thread I posted a few years ago. Lou Schuler was nice enough to put my homemade squat rack plans in MH Muscle years ago, and I posted the plans in the thread. 7 years later, I still use mine, and it cost me $11 to build.
Looks like the link to the pdf file went dead though, or maybe its just me.
Do you think that you could post it up again?
Agreed! I'm in the process of collecting wood and parts in order to create one. While I'm sure that I can create one without a plan...having one would be helpful.
In my current gym you're using stands as well for both front & back squat as well as rack jerks (w/o a clean).
It took me some time to get used to them, especially after having trained in a gym for so long where dropping barbells is a no-no. Hard to get rid of reflexes to grab the bar when you need to drop it. That's when you can get hurt.
Anyone use squat stands?
Linear Mode
