Exodus Strength

It usually comes up every once in a while, but I think it's worth discussing here.

The modern power rack is a robust, safe, and multifunctional design. Old racks (e.g. York {"Rip Rack"}) are not as robust (1), not as safe (2), and aren't as adaptable (3).

1.
-Go to any video involving one of these racks and watch it sway
-There is limited cross-bracing, no angle brackets at the floor, single upper between the upright pairs

2.
-A little shallow for a taller lifter to walk out a squat
-Pin safety design can work it's way out:


3.
-Only one flush surface with holes prevents basically any attachment
-Can't put in swing out safeties
-Monolift attachments would be difficult to engineer

@Cody has pointed these things out numerous times before on CL. They're worth about $150-$200 on the used market. To get one new, shipped to your house, is going to cost well north of $1000. For reference, when I bought a rack and was pricing things out, the Brown Brothers version of the York ("Rip Rack") was more money than getting a Legend Power Station shipped to my house. That included integrated plate storage, upgraded safeties, two pull-up bars, and superior functional capacity. I can get better J-hooks (lol @ bolts), and Edge Fitness can easily build a monolift rig to fit 3x3 square tubing.

This all reminds me of the story from several years ago where a Honda Odyssey was loaded up with reporters and driven on a track where it went on to outrun several muscle/sports cars from the 1960s. Sure owning one of those muscle cars is nice from a point of nostalgia, but the minivan was superior in every way. Technology and progress are good things. This applies to power racks as well.

Tried to squat in one of these before. Definitely too shallow. There were two racks and I couldn't get the "j-hook" (bolt) moved to a different position, so I had to use the other rack.

but durable!

Yeah, its not that great. When I first started lifting, being a StSt devotee, I looked into getting one of these racks made locally. The cost of the steel alone was more than the cheap $300 rack I ended up getting. So, yeah, no thanks.

omaniphil wrote: ↑Tue Dec 05, 2017 5:25 am but durable!

Understood this is tongue-in-cheek...

Undoubtedly, c-channel steel is durable. However, so is 2x2, 2x3, and 3x3 square tubing (11ga.). Just because York pioneered building a lot of racks a long time ago doesn't mean that modern racks wont last just as long. All would have nearly identical life expectation under the same usage. If we start throwing modern 7 gauge racks into the comparison, it's no longer a contest.

the shallowness you guy's are crying about . . .
. . .that allows you to do dips with two bars you foolz.
How else am I going to my silly bullshit accessory exercise that I'm not supposed to be doing.

And convenient for doing isos, ya know.
Because almost every time I turn around, I see a SSC and/or Rip is Rx'ing isotonic pulls and isometric presses.
Quite popular.

Sometimes the older stuff is just better Gil, its hard to explain.
It's like my wore out lifting shoes from the early 80's.
Which are basically bowling shoes with a wooden heel.
Nothing compares.

mgil wrote: ↑Tue Dec 05, 2017 5:32 amUnderstood this is tongue-in-cheek...

Undoubtedly, c-channel steel is durable. However, so is 2x2, 2x3, and 3x3 square tubing (11ga.). Just because York pioneered building a lot of racks a long time ago doesn't mean that modern racks wont last just as long. All would have nearly identical life expectation under the same usage. If we start throwing modern 7 gauge racks into the comparison, it's no longer a contest.

They will all last forever. Have you seen the shitty rack that Dennis Cornelius lifts on? It is similar to the York c-channel design.

Dan Green uses a 2x2 EliteFTS rack.

mbasic wrote: ↑Tue Dec 05, 2017 5:36 am the shallowness you guy's are crying about . . .
. . .that allows you to do dips with two bars you foolz.
How else am I going to my silly bullshit accessory exercise that I'm not supposed to be doing.

And convenient for doing isos, ya know.
Because almost every time I turn around, I see a SSC and/or Rip is Rx'ing isotonic pulls and isometric presses.
Quite popular.

Lolz. Yeah. Also, Mike T actually does isometrics, and has a Crepinsek rack. How is this possible?? Also I've seen Rori Alter doing them on a Rogue rack, I think.

I could buy this rack and bench for roughly 600 dollars.

inb4 asics 727 + Rip rack = gainzszszszszszsççszsçzçszs

Was considering responding at the other site, glad this thread is here. I've been considering how to fabricate a rack for a future garage gym for a while now. so this comment has to do with (1) guy building (1) rack.

Have priced the steel for C-channel and 11-ga tubing (2x3 & 3x3). The C-Channel and 2x3 are comparable in price. So that's not really a concern. Note that rogue is going through an assload of tubing, and may be laser cutting the tubing in house. Laser cutting the tubing would add significant cost to the parts for a single rack - like triple or more. Not worth it. Likewise for using a large VMC or radial drill.

So next issue is how to drill holes through both walls of the tube and have them concentric. Not going to get a long enough drill bit for use with a mag drill and drill two holes in one shot. So you're left with making a complicated fixture to register on holes on the opposite side of the tube. Not something that is going to be expedient in anyway for the hobbyist/low-rent weld shop. this is obviously not a problem for the C-channel rack since the holes only go through one wall - mag drill & annular cutter is an easy solution there. That would be the only benefit I can recognize.

I'm sure the York racks work fine, but to say they are "more durable" demonstrates a clear misunderstanding of - well everything. Racks aren't loaded anywhere near their limits even by the strongest lifters.

@PuddingFace you make a great point about the DIY aspect of the plans Rip gives out for free. If someone is limited in equipment, making a c-channel rack would be simpler.

...or...

You could contact a manufacturer of square perforated sign post tubing (e.g. http://www.tssco.com/docs/Perforated%20 ... 20Tube.pdf). That would get you uprights that are manufactured with uniform hole spacing. 2x2 can be had in 12ga and 2.5x2.5 can be had in 10ga, so it would be robust enough for most users. It was rumored for a while that TSS was doing exactly this. You'd be left figuring out safeties and bracing, but a lot of work would be done already.

@mgil thanks for the tip didn't think of that. very simple solution.

@PuddingFace Or, you could just take your marking blue and your scribe and your punch and mark the whole damn thing out and then chuck it in a drill press. Might not turn out 100% perfectly pretty, but it'd be damn close. Consider also that most racks use a smaller hole size, something like 25mm or even 20mm which would make drilling easier.

With the general thrust of this thread: I agree. Having built a "Rip rack" long ago, they're shyte. Too wobbly, hole spacing is too big, bolts make shitty unsafe hooks. I don't understand the fascination people have with them, let alone anyone who's actually used one!

EDIT: I have also no idea what the fascination with rack pulls is, considering pulling off of blocks is not only nicer for the lifter (bar rolls less) but also far kinder to the bar.

People like the old-school stuff, for it's authenticity and retro style.

Just because a newer design is better in every objective way, is not enough.

Another example: Harley Davidson motorcycles.

I made my own rack back in the 90's, before Rogue was even around. I guessed at the dimensions not having anything to copy.

I spent $400 on steel which consisted of 1/4" wall 3x3 tubing for the uprights, and 2x4 tubing for the top and bottom. I drilled all the holes on a radial drill and used 1" bolts for the hooks and 1" 4140 for the safeties.

There's nothing wrong with bolts by the way except they flatten the knurling where I never touch the bar anyways. The bolt head is just the right size for a lip to prevent the bar from rolling off but not too high to lift off, and they are secure! I welded a washer on the bolt head side where the threads end, and use a nut on the other side of the upright only hand tight.

The rack is indestructible and weighs upwards of 500 pounds and doesn't sway or move despite not being bolted down. I've added a few home built accessories over the years like twin cable machines for flies/etc.

However if I was just starting out today I would just buy a name brand rack and be done with it...

I should also mention that I had 4 racks built as a donation to our local high school along with weights. I used the "Rip" design as at the time I thought it would be relatively inexpensive to build, and more importantly a design that had seen commercial use so it should be relatively safe for high school kids to use.

The welder I had building them was unimpressed with the design (being wobbly, unstable and tippy), and modified them significantly so they would work much better and be safer to use. Definitely do not follow the original design (in 10's of an inch FFS).

I want a stupid antique York rack just to sit in my gym, because they look cool and I have a goodly collection of old York stuff. It's hard to justify using that much floor space if I won't actually use it, so I doubt I'll ever get one unless it's gifted to me.

murphyreedus wrote: ↑Tue Dec 05, 2017 10:39 am I want a stupid antique York rack just to sit in my gym, because they look cool and I have a goodly collection of old York stuff. It's hard to justify using that much floor space if I won't actually use it, so I doubt I'll ever get one unless it's gifted to me.

You already have two kick-ass racks anyhow!

I do get the idea of having one as a "conversation piece" of sorts, like an antique car or motorcycle that you ride on the weekends. But as a tool that needs to be used often, no way.

Ken Leistner wrote a great article (posted on StSt?) about how he and a friend traveled to York in a blizzard and bought a rack.

mgil wrote: ↑Tue Dec 05, 2017 10:51 am
You already have two kick-ass racks anyhow!

I do get the idea of having one as a "conversation piece" of sorts, like an antique car or motorcycle that you ride on the weekends. But as a tool that needs to be used often, no way.

Only one kick-ass rack; I recently sold my half rack and have been slumming it with just my York 3/4 rack. I put the half rack on Craigslist at what I thought was a high-ish asking price, and it sold that day. The horse trader in me hates selling stuff that fast. With the other rack gone and a lot of stuff moved around, I think I can set up for some short (20 paces) farmer walks in the basement this winter.

Recently I had a guy trying to trade me for his old York Isometric rack. If you think Rip's racks are shallow, this thing had a 6" inner depth. Cool to look at, but I couldn't think of any good use for it except as an awkward barbell holder.

OCG wrote: ↑Tue Dec 05, 2017 8:43 amHaving built a "Rip rack" long ago, they're shyte. Too wobbly, hole spacing is too big, bolts make shitty unsafe hooks.

Only ever used them at his gym. And yes, they were all wobbly. And many of the barbells were worn smooth towards the sleeve, bent, rusty and with the sleeves jammed up; when they were wrecked, they just marked them "for rack pulls" and kept them.

I do like the old school stuff's style. If I could have a walnut-panelled office with brass fittings and a desk with green leather on top I would. But I also recognise what works well, and I prefer to take care of my barbells. I had to restrain myself the other day when it was crowded and a lifter took a bar outside and just dropped it, with no plates, straight onto the concrete.

I'm sorry to hear about you losing a client.