After initial investigations into acquiring a power rack/cage (for big squats, b-presses, chins, and dips with a little ingenuity) I have stumbled upon a lack of availability in my country.
I also can’t decide what commercial company to go with, or whether to get one custom built by a local steel or ironworker. I have seen some ‘nice’ Bodysolid, Powertec, Nautilus, York Barbell, Parabody (associated with Hammer Strength) models on US sites, some of which looked to be of a generic type (from the same original source, yet with custom spec and labelling added). I also thought the Husker Rack by Wynmor/York met my requirements. However, I’ve also seen some decent ‘specially made’ cages too. In simple terms, I am looking for cage approaching commercial gym standards: thick struts, heavy duty pins and such like, yet I cannot seem to find one from a UK distributor. This leaves me with the solution of global or European shipping.
Where I live, most mainstream suppliers haven’t ‘caught on’ to the importance of fundamental and basic items for strength training (e.g. power cages, simple bombproof benches).
To give you an example of what I’m talking about, check out one of our main fitness suppliers: www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/equipment. Running machines, ‘semi-recumbent’ bikes and super-duper multi-stations all round I’m afraid. Home Gym Equipment | York Fitness | The Strongest Name In Fitness isn’t much better. In other words, what I’m trying to say is, shipping and costs are also very important to me.
If anyone has any ideas with my problem I’d appreciate it.
Assuming you’re lookiing for the home equipment for convenience, if you have a commercial gym in your area that has such equipment, ask them where they get it.
Go into a commercial gym or somewhere that has the equipment similar to what you want and take measurements. Then draw a sketch and take it to a good welder or craftsman who will probably be able to make it for 1/10 the cost of what you’d pay for it brand new from an equipment dealer.
Try to find someone who sells Tuff-stuff equipment. This may cause some of you to roll over and start laughing, but their home equipment line features some power racks/cages and heavy-duty benches. The man who I bought my cage from had the very same unit in his home and before opening his fitness outlet store was a competitive powerlifter for 5 years or so.
Stuart McRobert has sketches for a welder to follow to build a power rack in his Beyond Brawn Book. he also may have them on his website hardgainer. You should go to their forum and ask around if anybody can provide you with them. It s a good forum, peopel are very helpful (just like this one).
If you absolutely can’t find any info on the web for it, I may just write the specs out to you0but you won’t have the sketch.
David, a company called Pullum Sports sells power racks in the UK (along with other great lifting things like Ironmind stuff). I think the website is pullumsports.com or .co.uk or something like that. A simple search on yahoo should help you find it. Hope this helps.
first the cheapest way is to call any local gyms anywhere near where you live and see if anyone has any equipment they want to get rid of (a budy in HS filled his whole garage w/ equipment he got from local gyms, he even got a commercial pulldown w/260# wt. stack for free, he just had to pick it up)if that doesn’t work just go to a gym w/ a tape and tell the owner you don’t want to join 'cause you w.o. at home but your haveing a power rack made so can you measure his, it may sound funny but it has worked ( the same guy I spoke of earlier made a power rack out of plumbing pipes and it was the strongest, most solid one I’ve ever seen) than have the ironworker you know make you one. its alot cheaper than haveing one shipped and what do you care if the paint is F’d up (if you get one from a gym) or if it is finished(powdercoated, painted,ect)if you have one made. just make sure the guy knows what a what he is doing, if he does it is REAL easy to make, good luck