REP FITNESS PR-1100 Power Rack - 700 lbs Rated Lifting Cage for Weight Training

Why it's worth it

The Rep PR-1100 is a freestanding 14-gauge cage rated to 700 pounds that doesn't need to be anchored to the floor. It's a straightforward first rack for a beginner who isn't ready to commit to heavy steel.

The thing that makes this rack useful is that it stands on its own. There are no floor anchor points, and Rep rates it as stable freestanding — so if you're in a rental, on a garage floor you can't drill, or on a platform, you can set it up and lift the same day. That's a real constraint for a lot of people, and most heavier racks don't solve it.

At 84 inches tall it clears an 8-foot ceiling, which is the height most basements and garages actually have. You get an integrated multi-grip pull-up bar, two J-cups and two full-length safety bars in the box. The pull-up arch is rated to 400 pounds and the optional lat pulldown handles 250 pounds of stack. For a beginner learning to squat and bench alone, that's the complete set.

From our review of 6 squat racks and power cages for home gyms, by Eleanor Vance, Health & Beauty Editor

What we like

• +The thing that makes this rack useful is that it stands on its own
• +At 84 inches tall it clears an 8-foot ceiling, which is the height most basements and garages actually have
• +The 14-gauge steel is where the compromises live

What to know

• –It's the rack the survey data warns about
• –No floor anchor points is a feature for renters and a limitation for everyone else