Power Racks

Power racks are fantastic pieces of equipment that greatly increase the safety of free weight workout with barbells by providing support for the weight and limiting possible motion that could lead to a dangerous fall. Though they provide safety first, they also allow users to change their range of weight and perform special limited motion exercises. These are not as beneficial as the full range of motion used during normal lifting, however they allow athletes the chance to attempt greater weights and accustom their body to these loads.

The general construction of these machines is very simple. They are a rack of four posts connected together at the height of the rack, usually about seven feet or so. The lengths of these bars contain holes in which supporting bars and racks can be placed to hold weight for safety or for preparation to lift. This is the power of these products as weight can be placed on bars at a specific height in an exercises motion and an athlete can then work only a portion of a say a bench press. This is very similar to the idea of a smith machine, however, these products still allow the user to move the weight freely and balance it, which leads to more positive fitness results as stabilizing muscles used in balance are developed.

These products have been used by many gyms and have also been used in athletic research to study the limits of muscle. They can be used by athletes to begin to expand their range of possible weight are a great place to test ones current abilities to lift.