A power rack (also known as a power cage, squat cage or squat rack) is a piece of

weight training Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength, size of skeletal muscles and maintenance of strength.Keogh, Justin W, and Paul W Winwood. “Report for: The Epidemiology of Injuries Across the Weight-Trai ...

equipment that functions as a mechanical spotter for free weight

barbell A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting and strongman, consisting of a long bar, usually with weights attached at each end. Barbells range in length from to above , alth ...

exercises without the movement restrictions imposed by equipment such as the Smith machine. Its general design is four upright posts with two adjustable horizontal bar catches (also called "supports," "rails" or "pins") on each side. Many power racks also have accessory attachments, such as a chin-up bar, pulldown cable attachment, or pegs for storing

weight plate A weight plate is a flat, heavy object, usually made of cast iron, that is used in combination with barbells or dumbbells to produce a bar with a desired total weight for the purpose of physical exercise. Two general categories exist: "standard ...

Overview

The power rack serves several purposes. Best among them is safety: for instance, in the bench press, placing the bar catches, also known as spotter arms, right above the lifter's chest will prevent the barbell from crushing the athlete in the case of muscular fatigue or other loss of control of the bar. In the case of squats, catches placed just below the lowest position of the squat allow the lifter to "dump" the weight safely. The power rack is also useful for performing limited-range exercises, often involving heavier weights than their full-range equivalents. These include rack pulls, a variation of the

deadlift The deadlift is a weight training exercise in which a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting exercises ...

where the starting point of the bar is higher than a conventional deadlift, and rack lockouts, a bench press variation limited to just the upper portion of the lift (the " lockout"). Power racks became popular in the 1960s, when

Terry Todd Terry Todd (December 31, 1937 – July 7, 2018) was an American powerlifter, and Olympic weightlifter. Todd was co-founder of the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports, co-editor oIron Game History: The Journal of ...

and Dr. Craig Whitehead used them to test their "theory of maximum fatigue."

Peary Rader Peary Rader (October 17, 1909 – November 24, 1991) was an American early bodybuilder, Olympic lifter, writer, and magazine publisher from Nebraska. He was the founding publisher of ''Iron Man'' from 1936 to 1986. Early life Rader was born on Oc ...

then devoted a long article to the subject in his '' Iron Man'' magazine. A newer form of power rack that has become popular is the half rack, which utilizes two or four vertical posts (with

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cant ...

ed bar catches) that the user stands in front of, in contrast to standing in the center of four posts in a conventional rack. The first half racks were developed at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

References

Weight training equipment {{Sport-equipment-stub