Champion Barbell Step Squat Rack Gym Equipment

This rack is perfect for home use. You can do squats confidently w/o a spotter. Great for military presses also. The rack is fairly large. Make sure you have enough room, it sticks out into the room a bit. More than the picture looks. It will stick out even more if you put plates on the holders near the wall. The top position is for people probably taller than 5''10 or so. If shorter you can easily use a lower pin to start your squats, with not problem all all, it appears designed for multi height users. It does take up a fair amount of room but you can store things like roman chairs, and exercise balls inside it when not in use. I highly recommend this rack. An extremely safe way to do squats.

Assembly note: This rack is easy to assemble. You can do it in about 20 minutes. It''s MUCH easier though if you have a second person hold the upright pieces while you attach the cross beams. These are tall, top-heavy, unwieldy pieces to try to hold and bolt at the same time.

Shipping note: I''s sure it was a fluke, but my package ARRIVED WITHOUT ANY BOLTS, NUTS OR WASHERS. The diagram clearly shows metric bolts, and lists the size. I''m sure it was an oversight. The rack comes in a large, thin rectangular box. Inside is another sealed box. I thought it contained the bolts but did not. (Only had the plate holder attachments). I did not want to wait to use it so I went to the hardware store and picked up the bolts, nuts and washers for under $10.00 I realize this would infuriate most people (rightfully so). But the product itself is so excellent I still give it 5 stars. And thankfully all the bolts on the entire rack are the same size. It assembles very quickly (about 20 minutes).

This is a gym-caliber, heavy-duty unit that''s a quicker alternative to a power rack if you''re primarily interested in squats. It''ll allow you to lift weights that would otherwise staple you to the floor if your squat form faltered. It doesn''t have a power rack''s adjustability or attachments, however, so that remains the more versatile piece of equipment.

The main structure is comprised of four pieces: each side, and two crossbars connecting them in the rear. All tubing is welded and 2" square. Attached components, including the crossbars and the four weight pegs, are each held in place with two 3/8" bolts 2.5" in length. The setup is: bolt / washer / [through piece A] / [through piece B] / washer / steel nut with nylon insert. I bought my unit secondhand, so I can''t speak to whether this was all included. These parts would cost about about $10 at a hardware store. Once assembled, nothing moves and the rack feels like a single unit.

Assembly was straightforward and took about ten minutes. I had no trouble doing it myself because, on a flat surface, the sides will hold themselves up. Toss a weight plate on the bottom if they seem unstable. Then it''s just a matter of getting one bolt on one crossbar hand-tightened to a side, holding the crossbar while shimmying the other side nearer, and putting a bolt on that side. You can then do the remaining bolts and the second crossbar at your leisure. (Disclaimer: This thing is heavy. You are undoubtedly very buff, but if in doubt, find help.)

The basic dimensions of the completed rack are 5'' high x 5''5" deep'' x 4'' wide. The lowest horizontal section is 30" high, or a few inches lower than the bar would reach with a short person doing full squats. It''s too high to be any help bench-pressing; on a standard bench, you''d have to lower the bar further than the rack. Incline and military pressing will work, though. The highest section in the back is 4''10", with pegs making up the remaining 2". On my rack, the left and right sides are not perfectly parallel. The left side skews slightly outward. This has no effect on anything and isn''t a surprise given the minimal flat area for the crossbars afforded by 2" tubing. A small shim at the attachment points could correct the skew.

I don''t expect any sort of unusual wear. The paint is an abrasive-finish matte black that remains nearly perfect despite my having scraped a few pieces on concrete. All considered, however, this rack is a tough sell over a power rack for most people. There''s simply more you can do when the minimum safety height is adjustable. What you gain here is tremendous weight capacity: something like 800 lbs, as opposed to 500 or so for a power rack at this price. I was fortunate enough to find mine for less locally on Craigslist. If you happen to live near an area with gym turnover, you may be able to pick one up for a song.

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Aside from one defect, which was annoying but not worth the hassle of returning it, it was pretty much as described. The high rating I gave isn''t because it is of great quality, but because it was great quality for the price ($300). They would only deliver it M-F 9-5 (no evening or weekend delivery), which was very inconvenient, since those are the hours I work. Also, they wouldn''t give me an appointment either, so I had to be home all day. The rack isn''t packed well, and is both heavy and awkward, but the delivery guy helped me get it inside and waited for me to open it. It''s easy to assemble, although having an extra pair of hands to hold it in place helps. No parts were missing.

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My husband uses this a lot and is very happy with it. Had it for over a year with no problems!

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Just what I expected from a professional gym squat rack. Overall very pleased with the quality of materials, workmanship and highly recommend it.