No home garage gym is ever complete without a squat rack. This highly versatile item is a must if you are serious about working out and making real progress.
Not only will you be able to take your leg training up a notch by implementing the use of all sorts of barbell squat variations, but as I have mentioned before in my article on how to create your very own home gym, it can serve as a means of doing bench press, overhead press, pull ups, muscle ups, dips, and plenty of other exercises. You can also attach a pair of gymnastic rings to it.
A squat rack is therefore a valuable piece of equipment and should be carefully chosen according to the amount of available space you have, how much weight you will be lifting, what you will be using it for, but most important of all; durability and versatility.
Best squat rack review – What to expect from this guide ?
This best squat rack buyer’s guide will go over the most valuable products you can currently get for your money, how you can use them effectively for you workouts, and with which exercises. Note that the order they are reviewed in does not mean one is considered better than the other; for each and every product, I will cite it’s pros and cons so that you can effectively decide for yourself which one is the best for you.
 Product reviews
In this article I will go over some of the best squat racks currently available in terms of:
- durability/solidity
- adjustability
- customer reviews
- price
[box title=”Recommended” bg_color=”#b1d698″ icon=”check-circle-o” icon_style=”border” icon_shape=”circle” align=”center”]
Fitness Reality 810XLT Super Max Power Cage with 800lbs Weight Capacity
In terms of durability, stability and price to quality ratio, this is a very impressive squat rack.
It will probably last you a life time if you don’t plan on taking it to a power lifting meet, and is simply a great tool that will get the job done.
The pull up bar offers a wide variety of grips for you to choose from, and is incredibly solid; ideal for doing weighted pull ups.
[/box]
Fitness Reality 810XLT Super Max Power Cage
 Arguably the best value for the price out of most squat racks out there, this rack is a great product. You will find it’s assembly quite easy, the instruction manual is very clear and everything is packaged according to which steps of the construction you are on.
Once put together, it stands very solid, with a heavy duty pull up bar that has several grips for you to choose from. You can also choose to purchase separate add-ons like weight storage pegs, dips bars, and more.
It’s unlikely that you will find a better squat rack with a similar style in it’s current price range, or even the slightly higher up price ranges.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Very easy to assemble | Some reports of damaged packaging and hardware |
| Hard to beat value and price | |
| Several add-ons available | |
| Perfect for home use | |
| Durable construction | |
| A 4.5 star rating with over 430 customer reviews on Amazon |
Cap Barbell Power Rack Exercise Stand
 Not the biggest nor most stable of squat racks if you plan on moving very high amounts of weight, but I had to include it due to value you get for it’s price.
It has a solid construction, and will provide you with sufficient stability, especially if you use the weight pins on the back.
It comes with a strong pull up bar that won’t budge when you use it for pull ups, or even controlled muscle ups.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Great Price to value ratio | Not recommended for anything over 300 lbs |
| Easy assembly | Light (not recommended for kipping) |
| A 4.5 star rating with over 830 customer reviews on Amazon |
Titan T-2 Series Short Power Rack
The Titan T-2 is simple and effective piece of equipment. With it’s height of 71.5″, it has been shortened to fit into rooms with lower ceilings.
It is easy to assemble and well packaged. Altogether, another rack with solid value for it’s price.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Durable construction | Inconvenient for people 6 feet tall or more |
| Easy assembly | |
| Fits into low ceiling rooms | |
| Dip bars can be purchased separately | |
| A 4.5 star rating on Amazon with over 130 customer reviews |
Titan T-3 Series HD Power Rack
 A neat piece of equipment that will make you feel safe squatting 400 lbs and even slamming the barbell down into the j-hooks.
It’s safe to say that this squat rack is of commercial quality; it would work nicely in commercial gyms and so it will definitely work for a garage gym.
It weights 230 lbs and it’s beefy steel construction is noted to be able to handle up to 1000 lbs.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Durable construction | None to note |
| Two pull up bars with different widths | |
| Can handle high amounts of weight | |
| A 4.5 star rating with over 100 customer reviews on Amazon |
Titan Fitness T-3 Series 82″ Power Rack
Very similar to the Titan T-3 HD, it offers the same functionality, stability, and overall durability.
If you are going to be slamming weight onto it however, keep in mind that unless bolted to the floor, it will shake a bit.
Nevertheless this cage is perfect for working out from your own home gym if you are fed up of having to wait for people in your local gym to finish their 10th set of bicep curls in the squat rack.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Sturdy construction | Mediocre paint job |
| Can support a lot of weight | |
| 2 pull up bars with different widths | |
| A 4.5 star rating with over 50 customer reviews |
PowerLine PPR200X Power RackÂ
 
This rack is probably tougher than you think. It can handle a lot of punishment and is all around, very durable.
Squatting on the inside allows you to really re-rack the weights hard without any stability issue. I would be careful doing this on the outside of the cage though, if it isn’t bolted to the floor. Sold separately are a lat cable attachment an adjustable bench, and a dip attachment.
It’s construction and pull up bar are very solid and will provide you with some incredible workouts.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Durable build | Paint chips off easily |
| Can handle a lot of weight | |
| Useful attachments such as dip bars and lat pull down are sold separately | |
| A 4.5 star rating with over 240 customer reviews on Amazon |
Valor Fitness BD-7 Power Rack with Lat Pull AttachmentÂ
 
A versatile cage that can take a beating. As a squat rack alone, it does the job; it’s durable, doesn’t shake around, and the pegs are useful for storing all your standard barbell plates.
What really makes this product interesting though is the adjustable lat pull down attachment that comes with it. The pulleys and sliding weight holder are smooth and grant you access to exercises that you wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise like lat pull downs, tricep extensions, face pulls and more.
It comes with it’s sturdy knurled pull up bar and can also be upgraded with a dip attachment and Olympic plates weight holders.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Durable | None to note |
| Comes with a pulley system and lat pull down attachment | |
| Easy to put together | |
| A 4.5 star rating with over 310 customer reviews on Amazon |
Best Fitness Power RackÂ
 
Cost wise, this is a very cheap squat rack. The quality however, definitely does not match the price. The welds are nicely done, the whole thing is solid once constructed and will not move around too much, for a squat rack that isn’t bolted to the floor.
If you want to make the assembly process a little bit easier for yourself use a ratcheting wrench; you’ll be set up and working out in no time.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Durable | Not for anything over 400 lbs ranges |
| Nice paint job | |
| Stable | |
| A 4.5 star rating with over 30 customer reviews on Amazon |
Body-Solid Pro Power RackÂ
 
With a maximum weight capacity of 1000 lbs, this is a heavy duty squat rack intended for people looking to make some heavy personal records, and have something that is built to last.
Assembly is pretty straight-forward and can be completed in less than an hour. You will need wrenches/sockets (around 19mm) which are not provided with the rack.
The pull up bar is very strong and features a nice gripping texture that should prevent your workouts from being hindered by “slipping syndrome”.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Very durable | Instructions display many errors |
| Can handle heavy weights (up to 700 lbs) | The shape of the J hooks can prove to be awkward for some |
| Can be upgraded with a dip bar attachment | |
| A 4.5 star rating with over 40 customer reviews on Amazon |
Things to note
Be sure to pick a squat rack that will fit comfortably in a room according to its ceiling height, and keep in mind that due to their different widths, your current barbell might not fit properly in the squat rack; always take measurements beforehand.
If you are a professional power lifter or strongman, you may want to consider looking for a specialized power rack.
Some exercises you can do with a squat rack
As I stated earlier, having a squat rack not only allows you to squat safely in your own garage or home gym, but you can also use it for basically anything, with the right set up.
Here are some examples:
- Squats
- Bench press
- Dips
- Pull ups
- tricep extensions
- Australian pull ups
- Bodyweight Bicep curls
- Overhead press
- Rack pulls
Combine your squat rack with a bench a a pair of rings or TRX straps, and you have the most complete gym you could ever need.
Conclusion
We have gone over the best squat racks currently available on the market according to their general price to quality ratio, durability, overall rating, and more. You have also seen a list of all the essential exercises that you can do with a squat rack.
Now, what squat rack will you be investing in for you own home gym? If you think I missed anything that should be in this guide, comment below and we can get a discussion going!
