The Emergence of Power Racks & Rigs in Gym Equipment

Power racks and rigs are part of the growing trend of functional fitness — a type of workout that is popular for extreme sports, Crossfit and athletic training. It’s not enough to be tone and lean, your body has to work like a machine with strong muscle groups able to move together to complete a task.

Traditional weight lifting approaches fitness in an isolated way by focusing on individual muscle groups. Functional fitness utilizes exercises that combine the groups for more efficient movement. The emergence of power racks and rigs in gym equipment plays a role in this evolution.

What is a Rig?

Rigs are versatile tools that you can tailor-fit to your training style and use to create different stations. That flexibility is what makes them a standard in most weight lifting rooms. Rigs can be any shape, so they create whatever station you need and they come in different sizes, too. Take the Atlantis Rig System RS-4. Gyms can customize it to fit in and empty corner space and provide more workout options. The Atlantis Rig Rig System RS-10 is bigger to accommodate more uses.

When not using the rig for lifts, it can work as a station for:

• Dips
• Glute/ham
• Pull-ups
• TRX
• Ball targets
• Ballet ropes

It becomes as many stations as you need. It can serve as a spacer between activities going on at one time, too.

What are Power Racks?

A power rack, sometimes called a power cage, is safety equipment that serves as a spotter for free weight barbells. It also works as a station for different exercises such as:

• Rack pulls
• Deadlifts
• Rack lockouts.

Power racks are not new to the market. They have been around since the 1960s, but brands like Matrix Fitness are improving on them all the time. The Matrix Magnum Series Mega Power Rack is fully enclosed with a design that changes quickly and uses retractable bands. The Matrix Magnum Series Power Rack MG-A47 has integrated foldaway spotter stands.

Power racks are must-have equipment for weight rooms, especially for athletes. They allow for:

• Solo training
• Safety for missed lifts
• Allows the user to lift heavier then they could without the rack
• Can work as squat racks
• Good for functional isometrics

Both rigs and power racks are practical choices for CrossFit gyms and athletic training centers. They take you further and get you there faster than other forms of commercial weight lifting equipment.

Contact Opti-Fit for more information on power racks and customizing rigs for your fitness facility.