My absolute favorite piece of equipment in my home gym is my power rack. I consider it to be one of the necessities for a home gym. If you are on a budget, I want to discuss the best affordable power rack for your home gym.
First, a little plug for my own power rack. I purchased my Marcy Home Gym Cage System just over three years ago, and it’s still going strong.
I purchased that particular power rack due to my space limitations and its affordable price. It offers most of what I desire in a power rack and it is quite affordable.
If you don’t have similar space limitations, but you are still on a budget, I will show you the best affordable power rack for a home gym.
First, let’s discuss some of the features you want to look for.
Features to look for
There are several features I look for in a power rack…
- Sturdy construction
- Safety pins
- Pulley system
- Weight plate storage
- Pull up bar
- Dip bars
Construction
The most important feature is obviously the sturdy construction. Power racks are typically graded based upon their overall weight capacity. You want to look for a minimum of 1,000 pounds.
My pick for an affordable power rack has 1,200 pound capacity due to its 2 inch x 2 inch steel frames from 14 gauge steel. The machine is less than 81 inches tall, so it can fit under most low ceilings. It weights 176 pounds.
Safety
This power rack comes with two safety pins, which are important if you are training alone. Almost every guy who’s ever bench pressed has had to bail out of a set, and safety pins allow you to do that.
(Pro tip – I don’t recommend trying to set PRs when training alone!)
Pulley System
For me, it’s important to have a pulley system to provide different options for training the lats and arms. This power rack does just that with a pulley system that will allow you to perform lat pulldowns, triceps pressdown, seated rows, cable curls, etc.
One interesting attachment they’ve added to this budget power rack is a landmine attachment, which is great for adding T-Bar rows and a variety of solo arm and shoulder exercises.
Plate storage
This lower budget power rack also offers ample plate storage, and even a space for your barbell
Other accessories
A pull up bar and dip bars are accessories I like to have with my power rack just to add in some body weight exercises. This affordable power rack comes with both items.
What is the best affordable power rack?
The best affordable power rack for your home gym is the Mikolo Power Cage, pictured to the right. You can learn more about it on Amazon here or by clicking on the image below.
Priced at under $600, this is a very nice piece of equipment and it won’t break the bank.
