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Whether you train at home, in a studio or in a commercial gym, the ability to utilize a power rack in your training is a game changer.
A power rack opens up the door to many compound exercises that will give you the most bang for your buck. You’ll also be able to specialize your training and be able to make leaps and bounds in your strength.
All of these power rack exercises will build serious strength and should be in your training routine in some shape or form. You can either increase the weight or choose a more difficult variation to constantly challenge yourself and continue to make progress for years to come.
Let’s take a look at 8 of the best power rack exercises that you should be incorporating into your training:
Squats are one of the fundamentals and a great compound exercise that should be incorporated into any program. Using a power rack for your squats allows you to go heavier with enhanced safety.
You can set your weight on the J-cups for racking/ re-racking with ease (make sure to align the J-Cups at the same height!). This is a lot easier than having to get the weight into position without a rack. Doing so will keep your attention on the set at hand and not how many adjustments you need to make.
Another great thing about having a power rack for this exercise is safety. If you are training heavy, we recommend squatting inside the rack with safeties in the right place so if you do fail a repetition you can drop the weight without harming yourself or the flooring. This is especially important if you are going for a PR or training close to failure.
Squats are one of the best exercises to perform with a power rack as there's so many variations. Mix up your training whilst using a power rack with any of these squats; back squats, overhead squats, box squats, front squats or sumo squats.
A great upper body and core builder, the overhead press will improve posture, stability and shoulder strength. By utilizing a power rack for this exercise you have a great starting point for the movement and can easily increase the weight.
With the safeties attached at the correct height, you can perform paused presses by resting the barbell. Alternatively, if you feel you need to adjust you can do this mid-set with ease.
If you have a power rack with a smaller frame, you may have to switch this to a seated overhead press with a supportive adjustable bench.
Another great upper body exercise that are unrivalled for back & bicep development. Pull-ups on a rack are much easier than drilling a pull-up bar into a wall.
Regardless of the pull-up attachment on the power rack, you’ll have great versatility and unmatched ability for progression. Change up the grip with a wide-grip, close-grip, or neutral grip.
You can try different pulling movements depending on your ability including chin-ups, wide-grip pull-ups, archer pull-ups, band-assisted pull-ups, one-arm hangs and kipping pull-ups. If you have the space above the power rack you could even implement muscle-ups into your program. The possibilities are endless.
Deadlifts are widely regarded as the king of exercises that is excellent for the posterior chain muscles including glutes, hamstrings and lower back. They are one of the few exercises that really develop the lower & upper body in one movement.
Though traditionally performed straight from the floor with a loaded barbell, there are a range of variations you can perform using a power rack. Exercises include rack pulls/ partial deadlifts and stiff-legged deadlifts. Deadlifting from a rack makes it easier to load weight onto the barbell too.
A rack also allows you to perform moves that assist with your deadlift progression. You can set safeties at a set height and start the movement from there instead of from the floor. This is great if you are working on specific parts of the movement.
This is also handy if you want to gradually improve mobility as a beginner to the exercise, want to try out paused reps or are recovering from an injury.
The final of the big 3 powerlifting movements and an essential to perform the move with a power rack. The bench press is one of the best ways to develop the chest, shoulders and triceps with variations to target each more specifically. Make the most of your bench and perform incline, flat, or decline presses with ease.
Using a power rack for bench pressing allows you to get in position and adjust your grip before picking up the weight so you can keep your focus on the lift at hand.
You’ll also have the peace of mind even without a partner that you’re safe when benching from a power rack. A pair of safeties set at the right height will protect you in the event of a failed rep although we always recommend you to train with a friend too.
If your power rack has the jammer arms attachment such as our Rival Series Power Rack you could also perform seated presses without a barbell.
Another benefit of having a pull-up bar attachment on the power rack and an exercise that targets the abdominals specifically. Whether you want to perform basic knee raises or practice your toes-to-bar having a rack makes them much easier to perform.
This will also promote grip strength and can be a great additional exercise in between other rack exercises.
One of the most superior back-building exercises which offer a different focus in contrast to the pull-ups. This again works the posterior chain and you’ll find much easier to perform from a power rack.
You can either perform the exercise inside the rack with a pair of safeties to rest the barbell or outside the rack with the spotter arms.
In most instances, spotter arms are preferred as you can pick up the barbell at a suitable height, take a step back and row deeper than the arms would go when you’re in position. Alternatively, repping from the safeties or spotter arms is great if you are trying to stick to a specific depth or want to try paused reps.
An often overlooked exercise, barbell shrugs are a great way to target the traps, which can improve posture, neck positioning and grip strength. Using a rack for this movement prevents any damage to the floor and helps you start in a preferred position.
Should you be training close to failure on this movement or pushing your grip strength whilst performing, a pair of safeties set up is better to drop on than the floor. Especially if you are training at a home gym.
This is by no means an exhaustive list and there are dozens of other great exercises you can perform with a power rack. Some worthy nominations include barbell lunges, inverted rows, hip thrusts, military presses, as well as tricep dips or lat-pulldowns if you have the appropriate accessories.
We recommend incorporating some of these movements into your training to get the best results and to make full use of your power rack. Your programming will dictate which exercises you should include and the weights you look to perform with them.
Explore our entire collection of power racks to find the perfect rack for your training or commercial needs.
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