Home Gym Advice

[konkoba98]

I use a squat rack with safety bars in my garage. Some of my family are beginning to lift and I end up being in the garage 7 days a week helping them. I'd like to be able to have them lift WITH me so I'm not spending 10+hrs a week in the gym but 2 people of different sizes and strength levels can't really train together on the same squat rack with the same bar.

What are my best options?

Another bar + another squat rack with safety bars.

A power rack in addition to the squat rack + another bar.

Get rid of the squat rack and get 1 power rack + another bar.

CAN 2 PEOPLE WITH 2 BARS USE A POWER RACK WITHOUT PROBLEMS?

Thanks in advance.

[melody]

Unless there is a huge height difference it's pretty easy to work with the same bar.

[Charlie Davies]

It helps to buy an extra pair of J-hooks for the rack.

[konkoba98]

I'm 5'10 she's 4'9.

If I'm squatting 335 and she's doing 205 and we alternate sets we'd have to load/unload the bar, move it to the 2nd set of J hooks, reset the safety bars. That's if we are doing the same exercise. If one is benching the other pressing or deadlifting, it would be worse. We'd either have to program for convenience rather than optimal gains.

Am I being dumb and should just make it work with 1 squat rack, 1 bar? Don't want to waste money but it seemed like the workouts would be mostly setting up, unsetting up, setting up, unsetting up, etc.

[Kyle Schuant]

Squat stand or power rack
Bench press
Barbells x2
Bumper plates 2 sets of pairs of 25kg, 20kg, 15kg, 10kg, 5kg and one set of fractionals, plus the toaster racks to put them in

That can accommodate 2-6 lifters without trouble. Each person, pair or threesome squats from the stands while the others bench press from the bench, then they swap. Next up they press from the stands while the others deadlift from the floor, or clean or similar. Obviously if there are more than two of you, you group them according to height. You might still have to swap plates around but you won't have to adjust the stands.

[Les Hahn]

This option isn't cheap, but you would be set for life. Get a monolift! You can have someone that is 4'9 or 6'9 squatting on the same bar. And for bigger people, you can pull the hooks in.

[Calvo]

I'm 5'10 she's 4'9.

If I'm squatting 335 and she's doing 205 and we alternate sets we'd have to load/unload the bar, move it to the 2nd set of J hooks, reset the safety bars. That's if we are doing the same exercise. If one is benching the other pressing or deadlifting, it would be worse. We'd either have to program for convenience rather than optimal gains.

Am I being dumb and should just make it work with 1 squat rack, 1 bar? Don't want to waste money but it seemed like the workouts would be mostly setting up, unsetting up, setting up, unsetting up, etc.

2 sets of j-hooks and 2 bars? You could each squat outside the rack facing in. If you're both there you can spot. Bench: same deal, but you switch the bench from side to side. Or you can have one bar set up inside the rack and one outside.

[Calvo]

This option isn't cheap, but you would be set for life. Get a monolift! You can have someone that is 4'9 or 6'9 squatting on the same bar. And for bigger people, you can pull the hooks in.

This, of course, is the best suggestion. BRB calling EliteFTS

[konkoba98]

Mono might be out of my price range. My bench is just a bench, it requires a rack of sorts to rack/unrack and provide safety bars. Most practical options could be, considering I have 1 squat rack w/ safety bars, 1 bar, 1 bench (bench needs rack):

- make due with 1 squat rack, 1 bar, 1 bench, just be busy setting up/unsetting up between all sets
- sell squat rack, get 1 power rack useable by 2 people same time, one bench, 2 bars
- get 2nd squat rack, 2nd bar

HAS ANYONE USED ONE POWER RACK WITH 2 PEOPLE... SAY SQUATTING ON BOTH SIDES? ANY ISSUES?

[konkoba98]

2 sets of j-hooks and 2 bars? You could each squat outside the rack facing in. If you're both there you can spot. Bench: same deal, but you switch the bench from side to side. Or you can have one bar set up inside the rack and one outside.

This would work if you're talking about a power rack, right? Not a squat rack? This might be the best option, assuming the power rack I get is useable from both sides and I can sell my squat rack.