Weight Bench vs Power Rack

Last Updated on November 15, 2022 by Patrick

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“They’ve got a power and a force that you’ve never seen before.
They’ve got the ability to morph and to even up the score.
No one can ever take them down
The power lies on their siiiide.
Go Go Power Rangers
Go Go Power Rangers
Go Go Power Rangers
You, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.”

Do those lyrics bring back any memories? They certainly do for me!

Here’s a little secret that the show never showed on-screen: Power Rangers trained hard. Very hard. And they didn’t rely on nature alone – they had a fitness regime. And any hardcore fitness programs inevitably relies on a few machines – like the weight bench and power rack.

Oh, wait – did you think that power rangers simply focused on twirling and spinning? They probably lifted weights to strengthen those punches and kicks!

Now, if you’re looking to become a power ranger (or simply wish to attain their level of fitness) then you need to understand the difference between two common home-gym equipment: the weight bench and the power rack.

First, let’s talk about the machine that you probably know a bit about – the weight bench.

Weight Bench vs Power Rack – Weight bench

The weight bench is responsible for the creation of bigger biceps, chests and of course, adding that aesthetic look to your body.

It’s typically a flat surface piece of equipment that you lay down on and lift weights in an upward-and-downward motion.

Weight bench vs power rack - Weight Bench — Weight Bench vs Power Rack – Weight Bench

There is a notable variation of the weight bench that you should know though – the adjustable weight bench. It enables you to tilt the surface so that you can target specific muscles that aren’t possible to workout on a flat surface.

But the most important feature of the weight bench is the variety of exercises that you can perform on it. You aren’t limited to a set of exercises, in fact you aren’t limited to an entire body region either.

Need to workout your biceps? Got ya covered. How about buffing up that chest? Oh yeah. Maybe you need to tone those legs a bit but can’t find a treadmill nearby (or if it starts raining and you can’t run outside)? No problemo!

Here’s a question that you won’t have to answer before looking at the type of exercises though – Do you have enough space?

Weight benches aren’t gigantic contraptions that take up a huge volume of space. You can put one safely in your garage, in your living room, or even out in your yard. Plus, they’re not that heavy either!

Lastly, weight benches are cheap. Think about it – a weight bench is really just two pieces of steel welded together and some rubber glued on top (okay, sort of – but you get the point!). There’s very little engineering involved in its construction and those savings are passed on to you.

Weight Bench vs Power Rack – Power Rack

This is a piece of gym equipment that you might have not heard about – but you’ve probably seen it in those classic training montages.

A power rack is like an open cage with a few horizontal bars sprinkled on top. If you’re looking to do some strength training and gain some mass then boy oh boy, do I have some good news for you!

Weight Bench vs Power Rack - Power Rack — Weight Bench vs Power Rack – Power Rack

There is a lot of benefit to be gained from this piece of gear, especially if you’re not afraid of squatting with weights. But don’t think that you’re limited to squatting exercises – far from it!

With some proper positioning of the handle bars, you can perform pull ups, chin ups, and hanging leg raises as well. Plus, you can easily integrate other gym equipment as well – like cable pulleys and resistant bands. Multi-functionality is a great boon, don’t you think?

But what really differentiates a power rack from a weight bench is the level of safety that it brings to the table. You can position the safety catches just above your head so that in the event you burn out and can’t lift up the weights then you aren’t worried about them crushing your windpipe and other vital organs.

There is one disadvantage of the power rack though – you need a good amount of space to store it somewhere. Plus, you have to ensure that once you place it at a certain location, it is not going to move around. Why? Well power racks are used in conjunction with weights heavily and moving around just one piece of the puzzle doesn’t make much sense!

Also, power racks tend to be a bit pricier than weight benches with most starting around $300 and the higher end ones easily going across $1000.

Weight Bench vs Power Rack – For Beginners

If you’re someone who has just started working out then you’ll find it best to stick with a weight bench. There are two factors at play here.

When you’re weighing the decision of weight bench vs power rack:

First, a weight bench is going to provide you versatility in the type of exercises that you can do. You can mix a little bit of cardio with weights if you want to with a weight bench but not so much with a power rack unless you’re like Goku from DBZ (in which case, we regret to inform you that we don’t advise intergalactic champions here!).

Second, money matters. Making an investment in a power rack can be a significant amount of money.

It’s better to build up the discipline of regularly working out before making such a decision – and who’s stopping you from getting a 3-month gym membership to try it out first? It’s better to pay $10/month and realize that a power rack isn’t the right machine for you.

Lastly, if you can’t fit a power rack in your home then what’s the point?!

Weight Bench vs Power Rack – Why Not Both?

Okay, I know that we’ve compared the weight bench and the power rack against each other but you can actually use them together as well.

Instead of squatting down with weights, you can put a weight bench halfway into the power rack and use it to lift heavier weights that you normally wouldn’t.

As always though, make sure you have a spotter that can help you out in case things go wrong.

Final Words

Well, would you look at that? You now have enough information to help drive you towards a decision – the classic weight bench or the multi-functional power rack. Which will it be?