I’m seriously considering getting a cage, I already have a bench and 90 lbs of powerblocks and a meager collection of plates. I went down to a store today and was talking with a sales person and he told me they are getting in some Keys equipment in a few weeks and can sell me a power cage for around 550 CDN.
This is the model I was looking at
http://www.keysfitness.com/st-rk-kps-pc.html
Any comments on this manufacturer?
Nice rack, good company. I recently put together a home gym and purchased a Body Solid power rack and a Keys 300lb Olympic weight set and EZ bar (along with other equipment I needed).
Keys makes pretty good stuff. Not the best, but it will last you a while and be durable. The Body Solid rack that I purchased cost me $264 and has a lifetime guarantee. I like it, but if I had the money, I would have gotten an Elite power rack.
That Keys power rack looks good, and if the price is good, go for it. Otherwise, check out the Body Solid power rack with one of your local places or at www.fitnessfactory.com.
The pin holes are about a mile apart and the pin holes dont even start until about 2 feet off the floor it looks like. Why is equipment designed by people who have never lifted a weight in their life? If that is the one that you can afford go for it, but that looks pretty scarey to me.
Thanks Nate - I think I will have a look at them when they get a display up. But the guy told me they are decent quality and I think for a lil fella like myself it will be perfect.
Before buying that cage, consider your level of strength and where you intend to go with your training. That cage may be fine holding 225 but if you get to the point where your back squatting 400 or 500 pounds, those are pretty shakey. Consider
your goals and buy the most solid cage you can afford.
i bought my cage from www.sorinex.com - made with custom height for my low cieling garage 
but the rack itself kicks ass and i use it for tons of work!
also, be patient and look at e bay - i snagged a lot of stuff from gym closings and movings, as well as search the classifieds
I bought my cage used form a gym. I was really happy with it until I started working out in a gym with a cage from Elite Fitness. That cage is highly adjustable and rock solid. I would recommend that one above all others.
http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/frames.asp
If you don’t want to shell out that much cash. This is a good place to try. You never know what they are going to have but you can score some great deals.
Good luck.
Go to elitefts.com. They know what a real cage should be like and have designed one for their needs. real athletes know what real athletes need. Not some pencil neck engineer who does not know how to even squat.
Thanks for all the comments guys. I checked Elite out and they look like excellent cages but they are double the price. I know you get what you pay for but real life finances come into play and if I can get set up for around 700 bucks vs 1200 I have to choose the cheaper even though it won’t be top of the line it will still be better than doing squats with dumbells which is what I am doing now.
My goals? Basically I just want to get into and keep in excellent physical condition. I am not a competitive lifter and don’t have any aspirations to do so. As far as squatting 500? I will leave that to the big fellas. If I can get to deep squatting 300lbs I will be a happy guy.
I will still have a look at Elite and maybe send some emails to them asking for some advice.
I wish I had gotten the Elite Power Rack. But at the time, I didn’t have the money to spend (twice as much as mine). Although Keys makes a decent rack, I’d suggest Body Solid or Powerline over the Keys.
If you can afford the Elite power rack, go for the standard one for $599. It’s definitely the best one out there. Eventually, I hope to be able to get that one. I would give mine to my dad or a friend. Or, if T-nation were to have the Elite rack available as part of the T-Jack reports and I won it, I would just give mine to a current T-Man and keep the Elite one.
I also want the home glute-ham bench, and I hope to be able to buy that one in the future.
I’m with you in that my max lifts will be in the 300-400 range even if I get beyond my best lifts, so my current rack should be okay for that, but nothing beats the Elite power rack.
One step further. If you had to decide between a elite glute ham or a reverse hyper, which would you purchase?
dk73
Get the Glute Ham because you can do more movements on it.