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As a home gym owner and a competitive weightlifter, I believe the main appeal of a squat rack is versatility. They come in all shapes and sizes, but none of them are limited to purely squatting purposes. The rapid innovation of power rack attachments has left us with endless possibilities, which is amazing but can almost feel overwhelming. Brands that produce racks have made their own attachments, but sometimes, those attachments can also fit racks from other manufacturers. 

To help you cut through all the numbers, our team spent a significant amount of time creating this guide to determine which attachments fit your rack, regardless of the manufacturer.

What are Power Rack Attachments?

Power rack attachments are smaller components meant to be affixed to a squat rack to maximize the exercises you can do with your rack. Attachments can provide a variety of uses to expand the possibilities of using the rack. A rack attachment can be simple, like adding a dip bar to an upright, or complex, like the cable pulley system of the REP Ares 2.0.

RELATED: Jammer Arms Attachment Reviews

Although the type of attachments can vary a lot in functionality, the two main reasons to use power rack attachments are for added storage or added versatility.

  • Added storage: Buying the right rack attachments can help save space by giving a home to other equipment. This includes bar holders, weight horns, or even pegboards for holding bands, chains, and other accessories.
  • Added versatility: Adding a rack attachment to your squat rack adds to the variety of exercises you can perform. Bodyweight exercises can be done with a dip or pull-up bar, or you can add a cable machine with a lat-pulldown attachment.

Whatever the rack attachments you choose, it helps add functionality to your rack while keeping your power rack’s footprint to a minimum.

What Rack Attachments Do I Need?

To answer this question, first ask yourself: What do I want to do that I can’t already? That’s going to help you narrow down your search. If you’re just looking to do dips, most rack manufacturers carry some sort of dip bar station that easily hitch pins into the upright, such as the Rogue Matador. For more versatility, you can even try putting utility pins into a cross member or safety spotter arms.

Your selection of rack attachments is a product of your own interests, the resources you can spend, and the resources you need to save. Need to save space? There are countless home gym storage options. Need to save time? Most rack attachments are easily adjusted to move in and out of the way.

Here are some of the more popular rack attachments and their uses:

  • J-cups: J-cups or J-hooks are an essential for your rack, and are often included in the purchase. These hooks give you a place to set your barbell while in use.
  • Spotter arms and safeties: This can come in a variety of ways, from plastic-coating steel tubing, to pin-pipe safeties or heavy-duty straps. The purpose is the same though: they catch the barbell if you fail a rep during squats, bench, or pulls.
  • Weight horns: These posts simply add weight storage to your power rack, allowing for Olympic-size weight plates to be slid onto them.
  • Lat pulldown attachment: This high-pulley cable machine is often paired with a low row attachment to allow for upper back exercises like lat pulldowns and seated rows. However, plenty of upper body exercises can be used on this attachment, like tricep extensions and cable curls.
  • Jammer arms: With many companies innovating the design and functionality of jammer arms attachments, these arms can be locked in a variety of angle to give the feel of a commercial gym machine during presses and rows.
  • Landmine attachment: You can place a barbell into this swiveling post and use it for rows or unilateral training.
  • Band pegs: You can attach one end of a resistance band to a band peg for progressive resistance during back squats or rack pulls.
  • Dip bar: These shoulder-width handles allow you to perform dips from your power rack.
  • Leg curl/leg extension: This attachment adds the functionality of the popular leg machine combination to your power rack.
  • Chest support pad: This is often an angled pad that protrudes from your rack. It can be used to keep your chest fixed during exercises like seal rows.
  • Step/platform attachment: Having trouble reaching the pull-up bar? This attachment gives you an extra boost; it can also be used for step-ups or box jumps.

How Can I Tell if an Attachment Is Compatible?

The main components that determine compatibility are tube dimensions – meaning the width and depth of the uprights on the rack – and hole sizing. If the attachment is designed to put pegs through multiple holes, hole spacing becomes a concern as well. 

Generally, any attachment made by the manufacturer of the rack itself will fit. If you are trying to cross brands and can’t figure out hole spacing, look for the specs of the racks themselves and you’ll likely find your answer.

RELATED: Best Power Racks With Lat Pulldowns

The Rogue Monolith power rack attachment

Is It Ever Okay to Use the Wrong Sized Attachment?

This can be a safety issue and also may void warranties. Personally I’ve used a Rogue Monster Lite (3-by-3-inch, ⅝-inch holes) dip attachment on a Rogue Monster Rack that has just 1-inch holes, and while it was a little more shaky coming on and off, it felt okay in use. That being said, in the future I’d definitely buy the correct sized attachment.

The Most Comprehensive Power Rack Attachment Guide

Here is a list of power rack attachments, sorted by the size they are intended for. They are grouped by brand/rack within each size in case you aren’t quite sure of the dimensions of your rack.

Universal

Custom

These attachments will work exclusively with their corresponding rack from the same manufacturer. This is often a result of unique hole spacing/sizing, upright size, and even different shaping.

Woman performing dips using a dip bar attachment on the Bells of Steel Manticore Power Rack review

2×2 TUBING, 5/8″ PEGS

Powerline

2×2 TUBING, 1″ PEGS

Man using the lat pulldown machine attachment on the Giant Garage Gym Rack 2.0

60X60MM (2.36″) TUBING, 5/8″ PEGS

Man placing a j-cup rack attachment on the REP PR-5000 power rack

60X60MM (2.36”) TUBING, 3/4” PEGS

Iron Master

60X60MM (2.36″) TUBING, 1″ PEGS

Powertec

2.5×2.5 TUBING, 1″ PEGS

Man using the landmine attachment of the Major Fitness Power Rack

2×3 TUBING, 5/8″ PEGS

Titan Fitness

3×3 TUBING, 5/8″ PEGS

Titan Fitness

Man placing a j-cup rack attachment on the REP PR-5000 power rack

3×3 TUBING, 3/4″ PEGS

American Barbell

3×3 TUBING, 1″ PEGS

Oak Club

PRIME Prodigy Series

Note that these are only available by getting a quote HERE.

  • Centering Device for Bench
  • Dip Bar
  • Dumbbell Cradles
  • Spotter Arm Pair
  • Roller Pad
  • Step-up Platform
  • J-Hook 2.0
  • Band Pegs (6 Pack)
  • Barbell Holder
  • Landmine
  • Ball Target
  • Speed Bag
  • Flying Pull-up Station
  • Weight Peg Storage
  • Adjustable ROT8 Pull-up Station
  • Back Storage Bar
  • Spotter Bar Pair

Rogue

Benefits of Power Rack Attachments

The main benefits of rack attachments are to save us resources:

  • Space: Rack attachments keep us from purchasing a standalone piece of equipment to serve a singular purpose. 
    • Ex. Purchasing a full hamstring curl machine will take up much more space than a rack-mounted attachment.
  • Money: Rack attachments are intended to be the more cost-effective solution to purchasing a standalone machine. Cross-compatibility between brands helps us identify the best deal too.
  • Time: Attachments make transitions between movements and exercises easier. These products are constantly updated and re-released to make it a seamless process.
Man using the lat pulldown of the Body Solid Functional Trainer and Power Rack

Best Deals and Discounts on Power Rack Attachments

As you build your home gym ecosystem, the cost of power rack attachments can start to add up. Fortunately, top brands often have sales, discounts, and coupons available throughout the year. Be sure to look through our coupon pages from power rack and attachment companies to save the most on your next power rack attachment purchase.

Final Thoughts 

At the end of the day, how your power rack looks will be defined by how you like to train. If you hardly do pull-ups, you’re probably not going to be the person with five different styles of pull-up bar on your rack. On the other hand, you might have every little storage attachment to keep all of your equipment within the footprint of the rack.

What matters is that the rack is yours and you hand-selected each piece of it, saving resources while you build your dream home gym. This, to be frank, is one of the best parts of having a home gym. You can build how you please based upon your training style and budget. So, go build the biggest, baddest rack you can imagine…GGR supports you in this mission.

Power Rack Attachments: FAQs

Are power rack attachments universal?

Any attachments that use pre-drilled holes are going to be limited to racks with the same hole size, and, in most cases, the size of the upright as well. Truly universal rack attachments are few and far between, and often use a strap system to fix to the rack.

How do you stabilize a power rack without bolting?

The simplest way to stabilize your power rack is to weigh it down. Adding weight horn attachments to the back or base of the power rack will help weight it down, which will make it less likely to wobble while in use—whether for squats, bench, or pull-ups. You can also check out our expert tips on squat rack safety for more information.

RELATED: Should You Bolt Down Your Squat Rack?

How do you attach a band to a power rack?

Bands can be attached to a power rack in multiple ways. If you’re looking to attach it for banded squats or rack pulls, the best way is to loop one end of the band around a band peg towards the base of the rack, and the other around the barbell. For other warm-up stretches or rehab work, you can simply loop the band around the upright and pull one end through the other end, securing the band to the upright.

What is the weight limit for a power rack?

The maximum weight capacity varies from power rack to power rack, but it’ll largely depend on the materials used. Stronger steel—usually 11-gauge steel—will be rated at 1,000 pounds or more, while thinner steel—12- or 14-gauge steel—may have a capacity closer to around 700 pounds. Check the power rack’s product page to ensure its weight rating.

Is it OK to bench in a power rack?

Yes, it’s OK to bench in a power rack. In fact, home gym users may find this the safest practice, as safety pins can catch a barbell after a failed repetition. Many power racks also have Westside hole spacing, which allows from more precise placement of safeties and J-cups during your bench workout.

Further reading

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