The Versatile Rack
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"The Power Rack or the so called 'Cage'
is definitely my favorite piece of equipment in the gym. It gives you the
security and enables you to truly test your strength to the max using free
weights. It's adjustable and a great variety of exercises can be done with
the safety benefits of the rack. I recommend to always use the safety pins.
Even on the warm-up sets. This advice should excpecially be considered
if training alone..."
Igor N. Jolevich
- For anyone who's honestly
trying to get stronger. a power rack is an essential piece of equipment.
I'm not talking about advanced strength athletes, either, because the power
rack is extremely useful for rank beginners as well. The beauty of the
power rack is that it takes up so little space and is so versatile -
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(The article below is written by Bill
Starr, one of IRONMAN'S most popular authors
and a strength and conditioning coach at Johns Hopkins University and author
one of the all-time-great books on strength training "The Strongest Shall
Survive". Bill was also a nationally ranked olympic lifter, world record
holder in the
dead lift and the Editor of Strength and Health Magazine).
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If you have an Olympic set and an adjustable
bench, you can do a tremendous range of exercises inside and outside the
rack - and the fact that it's compact makes it ideal for a home gym. You
can, conceivably, work out in a 10-by-10 foot space. I know this is true
because I've trained in such confined areas. It's tight, but you can accomplish
the same amount of work as you can do in a commercial gym. All it takes
is desire.
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Perhaps the most outstanding feature of
the power rack is the safety feature. This, again, makes it the ideal equipment
for those who train alone. Racks come in many shapes and sizes. Some call
a small fortune, but you can find excellent racks for less than $300. For
home use or if it's going to be used by only a small group of trainees,
the rack hasn't have to be heavy-duty construction. Many racks use four-to-five
inch metal, and that's sort of overkill. Even in my gym at Hopkins we only
have racks that are made of moderately heavy metal, and they've held up
perfectly for nine years. The heavy gauge metal is for show more than for
function.
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There are some important things to look
for when you buy a rack. Is it tall enough to let you do some overhead
work? Are the uprights set wide enough apart to let you do movements without
being restricted and are the holes set close enough to give you a
wide variety of positions to choose from? Another point is that the rack
must have 4 pins, and I'll explain the reason for that below.
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.The feeling
of security is probably the main reason that people like to work inside
a rack. They know that if they get stuck, say, in a squat, they can simply
sit down and place the bar back on the pins. That eliminated damage to
the equipment, floor and, even more important, themselves. The sense of
security enables them to put a greater effort into the exercise, a factor
that's doubly true for the bench press, which in my opinion is the riskiest
exercise of all. You can always dump a squat. Sure, you may lose some skin,
but people are rarely injured while dumping a squat. What's more, there's
no risk in pulling movements because you can just drop the bar.
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The bench press, on the other hand, is
a horse of a different color; if you miss a bench press while you're training
alone, you're in a deep doggy do-do! At best you're going to get a lot
of bruises. At worst it could actually be tragic. With the pins properly
situated inside the power rack, however, you can always squeeze out from
under a missed attempt. And, as I mentioned above, knowing that you're
safe lets you apply greater effort to the lift. I believe I have more balls
than most people who train, but I have to admit that I'm reluctant to go
for a max attempt or even that extra rep on my back-off set when I'm alone
and don't have the benefit of a power rack.
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One of the greatest uses of the power
rack is for injury rehab. By setting the pins at specific positions, I
can direct athletes to do many exercises that wouldn't be possible outside
the rack. For instance, when athletes are recovering from any sort of shoulder
injury, they usually cannot do full-range bench presses because the bar
aggravates the injury when it's lowered past a certain point. By placing
the pins just above the range that hurts, which is usually just above the
chest, they can perform bench presses. That not only enables them to maintain
some degree of shoulder girdle strength, but it helps the healing process,
since it flushes blood into the damaged area.
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The same holds true for pulling and squatting
movements. When athletes are comming back from a knee injury, it's imperative
that they don't go low in the squat right away. That doesn't mean they
can't do squats at all. By setting the pins in the rack above the point
where it hurts, they do partial squats quite safely. This is a much sounder
idea than doing partials outside the rack. For one thing, it's often difficult
to tell how low you're going on each rep, and there's also the fear of
going to low and reinjuring the knee.
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Inside the rack, however, lifters are
secure. They know exactly when they're going as low as they want to, and
they also know that if they experience any discomfort, they can simply
dump the bar. In some cases I've even had athletes ride the bar up and
down the railings of the rack so they don't have to concern themselves
with the factor of balance. It's much like doing squats in a Smith machine,
which is another point for the rack's versatility.
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In that case, even though the athletes
are unable to do full squats, they're still way ahead of people who neglect
doing any form of squatting. The partials help strengthen their hips, back
& quads, as well as flushing blood and healing nutrients into the injured
area puts athletes a step ahead mentally, for they have some degree of
control.
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Obviously, some muscle groups are neglected
when athletes do partials, primarily the adductors and leg biceps. Knowing
this, I have them do extra work for those groups in order to maintain some
degree of proportionate strength. Stiffed-leged deads or good mornings,
I have them do lots of work on the leg curl machine.
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People can also work around a back injury
inside the rack, since it affords a variety of positions. Breaking the
bar off the floor may be out of the question, but by setting the pins in
a higher level, you can still get in plenty of back
work...
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Except for those gym mullets who believe
racks were designed to hold the bar between sets of curls, most people
only use a power rack for squatting. Nevertheless, you can perform a wide
range of exercises, and if you have an adjustable bench, you can do inclines
and seated presses as well as regular flat-bench presses.
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Some people prefer to work outside the
power rack and use it much like a staircase squat rack, performing their
benches, inclines, overhead presses, push presses, shrugs, stiff-legged
deadlifts and good mornings in that manner. Most racks also have a built-in
chinning bar. Olympic-style lifters use racks to do heavy supporting exercises,
drop snatches and jerks.
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While the power rack is extremely useful
for anyone who trains alone, it's an absolute necessity for those who desire
greater strength. The reason is that it allows motivated individuals to
isolate and indentify their weaker areas and bring them up to par - and
sometimes way beyond par.
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For example, a great many bench pressers
have developed the habbit of rebounding the bar off their chests. They
don't pause with the bar on their chests at all but kick-start it in order
to move heavier poundages. There are several good reasons not to do this,
but I don't want to get of track. My point is that rebounding the bar vaults
it through the middle portion of the lift - that is, until they attempt
a max single. The reason is simple but often overlooked: The muscles that
are responsible for driving the bar through the sticking point, in this
case the middle range, have been neglected because of the rebounding, so
they haven't been strengthened at the same rate as the others used in the
lift.
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The first step is to identify the
weak area in any lift. Until they admit to it, they'll do nothing to correct
it. I once trained with an exceptional bencher who couldn't move past 440.
He had the problem described above, so I suggested him to use the power
rack to overcome his weak area, which was obviously the middle. When he
was unable to budge 350 off the pins from the middle position, however,
he was so embarrassed in front of his buddies that he never did rack work
again. And he never moved past 440...
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You can improve a weak area in a variety
of ways inside the rack. For the bench press one method is to set the pins
slightly below the weak area and press the bar to arm's length. For the
first few weeks you may do lots of reps just to increase the workload for
that range. Then you start lowering the reps and moving the poundage up.
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Another technique is to isolate the weak
area by positioning two or more pins directly over the bar and start doing
isotonic-isometric movements, which are the ultimate strength builders.
That's the reason it's essential to have four pins for your rack. You'll
eventually need them to do isotonic-isometric. The power rack became a
part of strength training because of isotonic-isometrics. Doc Zeigler may
not have had the very first power rack in the country, since a number of
old-time strongmen like Bob Peoples used some form of rack training but
Doc was the first to marry a program with the rack. Bob Hoffman of
York Barbell took all the credit for developing isometric training and
all the money from the sales of the racks, but in truth the concepts all
came from Doc Zeigler.
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He proposed that if lifters could fully
contract their muscles and corresponding attachments for a certain period
of time, they'd get stronger. Of course, Doc understood that it's impossible
to contract any muscle 100 percent, for that only occurs in flight-or-fight
situations. He meant that lifters should try to apply 100 percent effort.
Doc's rule of thumb was 8 to 12 seconds, and it was pure isometrics, pushing
or pulling against a stationary object.
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It's been my observation that very few
people can actually know if and when they're applying their full effort
against a stationary object, so I suggest using a short isotonic movement
prior to locking the bar against the pins for the isometric phase. You
do that by moving the load bar a short distance, only a few inches at most
- and even less is desirable if the rack lets you set the pins closer.
When there's weight on the bar, you know for sure if you're pushing or
pulling hard enough, since the bar will either be touching the pins or
it won't. There's no guessing.
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The time factor is more important than
the amount of weight you load on the bar. If you can hold easily for 12
seconds, you should add the weight next time you do the movement. If you
can't hold for 8, you need to take some weight off the bar. Admittedly,
I often have my athletes hold beyond a 12-count, but that's for my own
amusement more than their development.
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How many sets & reps? Three total
sets at a given position are enough once you find where your limits are.
By that I mean the first few times you try doing this form of exercise,
you really don't know how much weight you can handle. So it takes a bit
of experimenting - which means the first few times you do isotonic-isometrics
you may end up doing five or six sets. Eventually, however, three sets
is plenty, for the two warm-up sets are only preparing you for the one
work set.
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Always so at least one warm-up set using
full range of motion before going to the rack. That will ensure you're
warmed up sufficiently, which is very necessary, since you'll be going
all out on the isometric movement.
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Keeping the idea of improving the middle
portion of your bench press, let's say your currently benching 315. Do
a set of 10 with 135 on a regular bench as a warm-up. Your first
set in the rack will be with 185 for three reps. On the first two reps
touch the pins but don't hold there. On the third rep hold the bar against
the top pins for short count of three. That helps you get the feel of what's
to come. For your second set use 225 and do the same drill, touching the
top pins twice, then holding the third rep for a short count of three.
The third set is the money set, and there's really no way to know how much
weight you can handle until you try it...
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Nevertheless, assuming that you're weak
in the middle, use 255. It's better to use a bit less initially, for, again,
the time factor is more important than the amount of weight on the bar.
With 255 you once again touch the top pin twice, but on the third rep you
lock it in and hold it for the maximum eight and maximum 12 count. If you
manage to barely hold it for eight, stay with that poundage the next time
around. If you hold for 12, you can increase the weight next time.
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One work set is enough. This is very concentrated
work, and more is not better. It's detrimental. I've seen lifters add two
or three more work sets, stating they didn't feel as if you set did anything.
That's a mistake. Zeigler preached that once you've fully contracted any
set of muscles for the required length of time, that's all the strength
you're going to develop that day.
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How often should you do isotonic-isometrics?
I believe once a week is enough for most people because the work is so
demanding and requires recovery time. Typically, I put them in the program
on Friday to allow two day's rest before the Monday session. I've also
used this idea by having lifters do just one set after this regular routine
for the exercise. I substitute it for the back-off set, for I don't advise
using both. So, after completing a bench press routine, you go inside the
rack and do one work set at your weak position. The technique works with
a squat or pulling routine as well.
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You can also build strength in those hard-to-reach
areas, like the deep bottom of a squat or the very top of a pull. Not everyone
is interested in doing that, but you can work them in a power rack. Set
the pins very low for the squat and high for the pulls. This is one of
the very best ways to increase strength on the top of the pull, both for
cleaning and snatching. When you do either of those dynamic exercises,
the bar only stays in the top position for a very short time - not enough
time to make them much stronger - but you can really lean into those groups
with an isotonic-isometric movement. It's positively one of the best methods
for increasing rear-deltoid strength.
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Another way you can use the rack to build
strength by overloading is to remove the top pins and lift the bar from
whatever position you chose to lockout. If you're especially weak in the
middle, start from there. If you're weakest at the top, work that position.
The lockout position on any lift is typically the strongest, and I use
it to let lifters handle extremely heavy weights. That not only enhances
structural strength, but it does wonders for the mind. After 400-pound
squatters lock out 800 or 900 pounds, which they can usually do the very
first time, the next time they try 400-plus, it feels ridiculously light
when they back out of the rack.
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If you don't have a rack at your disposal,
consider getting one! You can even build one if you're so inclined. During
the 1960's I built and worked out on quite a few home-made racks and got
exactly the same results. It's a most versatile piece of equipment, and
every gym should have one!