Best Half Racks

Half Racks Buying Guide

As a bodybuilder, you know the importance of having a good home gym. With all the different equipment options on the market, it can be hard to decide which pieces to buy. If you’re looking for a versatile piece of equipment that’s perfect for both home and commercial gyms, then you should consider a half rack. 

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What are the best Half Racks?

In this best half racks buyer’s guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know before making your purchase. Plus, we’ll give you our top picks for the best half racks on the market. Let’s get started!

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What are the types of half racks?

There are two main types of half racks, based on how the beams are supported.

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Half Rack with Beam Support Fixtures

These have beam support fixtures that can adjust to fit different positions along the length of the beam. They usually come with a bar that rests in the notch. The only disadvantages are they are often more expensive and take up more floor space.

The Half Rack with Beam Support Fixtures is where the height above the ground is ~6 feet (~1.8 m) or less, in which case it can be assembled with adjustable jacks to adjust it in height. This kind of design allows easy access even if there isn’t a pit underneath because you can just slide the rack into position and then adjust it in height. It is also more stable than the second type which is more of a tall, skinny cabinet that rests above ground level, with adjustable feet at the base to provide stability on uneven surfaces. Because these types of racks rest entirely above ground, they are not as easy to move around when fully assembled.

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Half Rack with Adjustable Uprights

These don’t take up much space, but they only adjust in one direction, so the bar must be lifted over the support beam if it’s not in the upright notch. You may also need an extra plate storage unit because there is no room for plates on the ends of the beam.

This second type of half rack is designed to be permanently installed in concrete or asphalt, making it incredibly stable and heavy (1500-2000 lbs). These are large, transportable boxes that can withstand just about anything you can throw at them. They typically weigh 1500 lbs (680 kg) when fully assembled because they must hold several thousand pounds of weight. The weight limit for the second type is determined by how much it can hold before the bottom of the boxes are pulled out of their sockets in the ground, not by the strength of any welded joints or bolts holding them together.

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What are the benefits of half racks?

Half racks are an important part of any gym, and they offer many benefits that you can take advantage of. In this best half racks buying guide, we’ll discuss the benefits of half racks and how you can make the most of them in your workouts. 

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Safety

One benefit is that even though you are limited in the amount of weight you can lift, this increases safety. Because The spotter bars are lower, you are forced to lift in a better position. Also, because the barbells don’t go up very high into the air that means that there is less of a chance that someone can get their fingers caught.

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Ease

Another benefit is it’s easier to find weights for half rack styles. Many people have old dumbbells lying around, so you can find the weights to use on your half rack without buying anything new.

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Mobility

By not having a long bar that runs along the ground it will be easier to take this type of equipment with you when visiting friends or working out at different gyms. This is excellent for people who frequently workout at different locations.

If you need to train your team, half racks are an excellent choice for maximizing safety and taking up less space than full power cages.

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Save On Costs

You should consider buying a half rack if you want to save money or workout with other people in the same space. If you like to change the types of weight that you use often, this is also an excellent option. In some cases, half racks have additional features such as pegs for storing thick bars and holders used for kettle bells.

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Convenience

Another benefit is that it is easy to switch between exercises. With a full rack there are many different configurations possible, but with this type of equipment you only need the barbells (and weights if you like) and you can perform a variety of exercises.

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What exercises can you do with half racks?

Half Racks are awesome pieces of equipment, but they aren’t used nearly enough at gyms. They usually just sit there being decorative or holding some dumbbells. Well, I’m here to tell you that half racks are freaking awesome with the exercises you can do with it, and no gym is complete without one.

Moves that can be done with the Best Half Racks are bench presses, shoulder presses, squats, pull-ups, and so much more.

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Bench Presses

You can do bench presses with just about every variation you want. Standard flat bench press, incline, decline, dumbbells…the list goes on. The nice thing about this exercise is that the pins hold the bar in place, so you don’t need a spotter to lift heavy things.

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Shoulder Presses

Shoulder presses are another exercise that is easy to do with the half rack. You can use both dumbbells and barbells, but I personally prefer using a barbell instead of dumbbells because it automatically balances for you. This prevents any cheating by leaning one way or another to compensate for an imbalanced load.

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Squats

Squats are an exercise done best with a proper Olympic barbell, although people have gotten creative before by putting the bar on the pins to do squats. I wouldn’t recommend this for two reasons: 1) It can be unstable since you are doing so at an incline rather than a normal squatting angle, and 2) The pressure on the pins can be hard on them. If you have a full power rack or a squat rack with different height settings, then you have no excuse to not do squats in the half-rack.

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Pull-Ups

Pull ups aren’t my favourite exercise to do, but if I must do them, then I prefer using a half rack. Half-racks are great for this because you can set the pins at any height that best suits your size. You would just need a belt or something to hook onto the bar if it is too high for pull ups.

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Bench press with weights on pins

There are so many other things you can do with a half rack. You can put the bar on the lower level of the pins for curls, shrugs, calf raises, rear delt flies…I could go on all day. And who says that you must use both levels of the pins? If there is just one weight on the pins, you can do bench dips by putting your feet on the floor with your hands holding onto the bar for extra stability.

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How to choose the best half racks?

Choosing a half rack is a tricky thing to do so we have the following things to look out for when doing so.

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Weight

If you are buying a half rack for one-time use or for personal use, then that is not a problem. If you are buying it for commercial use, then you need to look at the weight of the half rack as the pack might be limited.

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Size

Half racks come in different sizes of which most will fit any garage or home gym. However, there are those which only work with specific equipment and if you happen to have one of these, then it is important that you take the measurements and ensure that everything fits.

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Safety

You would not want a corner of your home or garage to be messed up with holes from the bolts from your half rack so due diligence in choosing a half rack should be done in this regard too. For comfort you will want to purchase a half rack that you will be comfortable using and this may vary from one person to the next according to their body shape and size as well as height.

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Budget

How much are you willing to spend on a half rack? Some might need something affordable while others would want the best no matter the cost so think about what kind of budget you have. As well as that, think about whether you can spend a little more if it means that you get better quality. This is a no-brainer; this will determine how much you pay for a half rack and whether or not you can afford it or not.

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Accessories

Just like the name implies, this refers to things that go with the half rack and maybe an optional purchase. For example, there could be straps to help secure certain items in place and therefore give us peace of mind as we workout.

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Tips for using half racks

Half racks can be a great way to add variety to your routine and target different muscle groups. Below, we’ll provide tips for how to use a half rack to get the most out of your workouts. 

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Adjusting Bench Height

The drawback to half rack designs is that the bench height cannot be adjusted (and neither can the bar height). However, this is not too much of an issue if you’re able to adjust yourself to using a lower bench height – preferably high enough for your feet to be flat on the floor with a slight bend in the knees. If this is not possible, then you can place a plyometric box underneath the bench, so it rests at around waist height.  

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Safety

A safety bar is a great addition to have because it can be used in place of a spotter if you’re worried about getting pinned under the bar. As always, safety must come first. However, when using half racks for squats and bench presses you should never need a safety bar because these movements are performed within your means, and you shouldn’t try anything beyond your strength limits.

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Conclusion

I like to think of half-racks as a great piece of equipment that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Many gyms have one, but not many people use it. It can do everything for you except for bench pressing unless you get a weights bench to go with it, and you don’t even need other exercises if you’re okay with setting pins and adjusting bars. The list goes on and on, but I’m going to end it here because you get the point.

Happy training!