What exercises are acceptable in a squat rack?

Zamboni

We all know curling in a squat rack is not cool but apart from the various squats are there any other exercises that you think are acceptable to perform in a squat rack?

choons

I use the squat rack in my gym to do bodyweight inverted rows.

I can't see anywhere else to do them and its usually fairly empty so it has never been a problem.

itsallaboutheL

Squat Rack or Power Cage?

G86

choons wrote: »

I use the squat rack in my gym to do bodyweight inverted rows.

I can't see anywhere else to do them and its usually fairly empty so it has never been a problem.

I do inv rows in the power cage if the rings are in use, nowhere else to do them really. I'd do push presses at the squat rack.

the drifter

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

Squat Rack or Power Cage?

important question....big difference...


ive presonally kicked someone out of a squat rack for doing curls....with an eliko bar..and bumper plates...on a platform....

Magic Eight Ball

I bench in the power rack.

1ceman

choons wrote: »

I use the squat rack in my gym to do bodyweight inverted rows.

Smith machines are good enough for this

Zamboni

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

Squat Rack or Power Cage?

Just the rack I suppose.
For some reason I get self conscious doing anything in a rack other than various squats, especially if I take the bar out of the rack and perform deads in front of the rack (no other bar around).
I doubt there is a consensus so I just wanted to see what folks various opinions are as to what is cool and what is not

As for smith's, I only use them for pull ups, hanging leg raises etc.

Hanley

I've never given a second thought to what I use a squat rack for.. If someone wants to use it for squatting and I'm not squatting in it, let them ask. Not my problem if they can't do that.

If there's someone OBVIOUSLY looking to squat in it but won't say anything, I usually just get outta the way.

Red Cortina

I've used the squat rack for Good Mornings. Is this acceptable?

Doug Cartel

I do all sorts of exercises in the cage that don't really require it. My gym is really cramped and badly laid out, so it's difficult to find a space where you can do your lifts without being in the way of somebody else. When you're in the cage you have some space that's yours and there's no danger of some plonker walking into you.

That said, I only go when it's relatively quiet and there's usually more than one cage free. If I was doing something that didn't really need the cage and somebody asked me to move so they could squat, or if somebody was hovering about looking impatient, I would have no problem moving.

Brian?

It depends on the rack really. In my gym there's a power cage and a rack that doubles as a deadlift platform. In the cage I only do squats, good mornings or inverted rows. In the other boyo i deadlift, squat, gm or OH press.

Some of the stuff I see people doing in the racks defy logic. The other day i saw a lad doing db curls in the one that doubles as a DL platform. The regular crimes are curling, upright rows and shrugs. Why not just pick the bar off the floor for these?

Hanley

Red Cortina wrote: »

I've used the squat rack for Good Mornings. Is this acceptable?

Abso-f*cking-lutely.

Any exercise that requires a bar on your back is 100% cool in the rack. Dont' even think about it.

RE: shrugs - if you're shrugging right, you should be able relatively high %'s of your deadlift. Picking it up set after set is more trouble than it's worth.

Brian?

I might grudgingly concede on the shrugs, except that the lads i see doing shrugs in a rack usually use a massive weight and a 1 inch ROM. If they can't DL it, they shouldn't be trying to shrug it.

grimloch

I've used the racks/cages for rows, benching, shrugs, overhead presses, good mornings and squats. I've curled in there to take the piss once or twice aswell. I train in Raw so there's plenty of racks to go around.

briankeating wrote:

I might grudgingly concede on the shrugs, except that the lads i see doing shrugs in a rack usually use a massive weight and a 1 inch ROM. If they can't DL it, they shouldn't be trying to shrug it.

Must say I noticed much better trap development once I started getting somewhat sloppy with shrugs; lower weight, better ROM and squeezing at the top never did anything great for me. They're not quite power shrugs, but they're close and they work great.

itsallaboutheL

briankeating wrote: »

I might grudgingly concede on the shrugs, except that the lads i see doing shrugs in a rack usually use a massive weight and a 1 inch ROM..

There's not a whole lot more ROM in a shrug tbf.

squod

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

Squat Rack or Power Cage?

I play at golf in Mine.

BigBraveBear

I like to do bodyweigh squats or maybe dumbell squats in the power rack

Barry.Oglesby

I would be very surprised if anyone on this thread who says how uncool it is to do X,Y or Z in a squat rack would ever say it to someone's face.

Cages/racks are a piece of safety equipment, not bonzngunz2005's personal plaything. You pay just as much as the next guy to use your gym and you can use the equipment to do whatever you please. All anyone ever has to do is ask you politely to move. If you don't, they always have the Annoying Gym behaviour thread to vent their spleen in.

Honestly- the cult of the curl in the power rack, wtf? I'll curl where I want.

itsallaboutheL

BigBraveBear wrote: »

I like to do bodyweigh squats or maybe dumbell squats in the power rack

I like to troll sometimes too, it's fun isn't it?

Nate--IRL--

For me it's a squat and anything over 100kg rack. If both racks are free, I'll maybe use one for the OH press, but otherwise I'll work elsewhere.

Nate

Parsley

briankeating wrote: »

I might grudgingly concede on the shrugs, except that the lads i see doing shrugs in a rack usually use a massive weight and a 1 inch ROM.

sounds pretty bang on for "how to do a shrug", to be honest with ya.

Killme00

I do everything in the racks in IP. Squat, press, dip, Irow, pullup etc

Sangre

Barry.Oglesby wrote: »

I would be very surprised if anyone on this thread who says how uncool it is to do X,Y or Z in a squat rack would ever say it to someone's face.

Cages/racks are a piece of safety equipment, not bonzngunz2005's personal plaything. You pay just as much as the next guy to use your gym and you can use the equipment to do whatever you please. All anyone ever has to do is ask you politely to move. If you don't, they always have the Annoying Gym behaviour thread to vent their spleen in.

Honestly- the cult of the curl in the power rack, wtf? I'll curl where I want.

You'd be very surprised? Really?

I haven't had to say it more than two or three times as normally there is another rack/cage free, but I have no problem asking someone to DB curl outside the squat rack.

If someone was sitting on the only free treadmill I'd ask them to move too. Hardly shocking stuff.

Brian?

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

There's not a whole lot more ROM in a shrug tbf.

Trust me, this is more of twitch than a shrug.

itsallaboutheL

briankeating wrote: »

Trust me, this is more of twitch than a shrug.

You sir owe me one new pair of pants.

Being the unscientific git i am i measure the ROM by holding a permanent marker in my hand pointed at my leg and shrugging upwards.

The resulting line was 4cms, or 1.57 inches if you're old or british or something.

:pac:

Hanley

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

You sir owe me one new pair of pants.

Being the unscientific git i am i measure the ROM by holding a permanent marker in my hand pointed at my leg and shrugging upwards.

The resulting line was 4cms, or 1.57 inches if you're old or british or something.

:pac:

Rounded up, that'd be 2 inches so? 100% more than what you said? Pretty big variance...

itsallaboutheL

Hanley wrote: »

Rounded up, that'd be 2 inches so? 100% more than what you said? Pretty big variance...

you miss my point.

Hanley

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

you miss my point.

Something about new pants?? :pac::pac:


I kid, I kid. I know what yo're getting at. I'm just being like a sh!t that comes out sideways - awkward.

itsallaboutheL

Hanley wrote: »

Something about new pants?? :pac::pac:

That was my point exactly, way to ruin the punchline skinny.

Canis Lupus

I mentally allow standing press simply because it's (imo) a tough enough exercise as it is and having to pick up the weight and set it on your chest before pressing is a killer.

Brian?

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

You sir owe me one new pair of pants.

I take no responsibility for what you do to your underpants.

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

Being the unscientific git i am i measure the ROM by holding a permanent marker in my hand pointed at my leg and shrugging upwards.

The resulting line was 4cms, or 1.57 inches if you're old or british or something.

:pac:

I repeated this nonsense with a piece of chalk, 2.5 inches*. One of us is doing something wrong. Seeing as this is the internet and I don't actually have to prove anything I don't want to, I'm going to say you're doing something wrong.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/TrapeziusUpper/BBShrug.html



*I'm 6'2 so this may skew the nonsense.

Sacred_git

i have no problem with people working in the rack whatever they may do within reason, which includes curling too, some people have injuries sometimes it may be necessary to use the rack for say curling just as long as they don't take 5/10 min talk breaks too!!!

King of Kings

i got to the rack first now **** off and wait your turn

Esse85

I curl in the squat rack, Im in and out of there within 5 mins, there's no issue here.

Mellor

Esse85 wrote: »

I curl in the squat rack, Im in and out of there within 5 mins, there's no issue here.

the guys in your gym may sthink differently