How to Build a Power Rack With Scaffolding

It's crucial to stay safe when weightlifting. Incorrect lifting technique or the inability to shed the weight if your strength fails can cause terrible injuries. A power rack is one way to avoid this, as it allows you to shed the weight of the bar at any time. While there are many models of power rack available on the market, an economical alternative is to build your own from scaffolding pole. It's important to build this frame to dimensions suitable for your height and build to ensure maximum safety and comfort.

Things You'll Need

  • 4 construction scaffold poles, your height plus 1 foot
  • 4 scaffold poles, shoulder width plus 6 inches
  • 3 scaffold poles, three-quarters head height
  • 1 scaffold pole head height
  • 20 fixed scaffold couplers
  • 2 swivel scaffold couplers
  • 2 scaffold double couplers
  • 2 J-hooks
  • Rubber bands
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Instructions

    • 1

      Lay the longest poles down in two pairs, parallel and 6 inches less than shoulder width apart. Lay the shoulder-width poles across one end of each pair with 6 inches of pole sticking out past the longer poles on each side. Fix in place the fixed couplers.

    • 2

      Lay the other shoulder-width poles between the poles roughly 2 feet from the other end of the parallel poles, again with six inches of pole protruding past the longer pole at each side. Fix in place with couplers. You should now have two shapes roughly like square 8s with no bottoms.

    • 3

      Stand up the shapes you have made, facing each other. Place a three-quarter-height pole between the top left-hand corner of one shape and the top left-hand-hand corner of the other. Place another three-quarter-height pole between the top right-hand corners of the two shapes. The frame, when looked at straight on, should resemble a Π shape.

    • 4

      Leave one of the broad sides of the cage open and add no further poles to it so that you can step in and out. Add all the poles from now on to just one side of the cage, which will be the supporting side. On the supporting side put another three-quarter height pole between the tallest poles 8 inches from the ground and fix in place with couplers.

    • 5

      Finish the main body of the cage by placing the head-height pole on the supporting side at a diagonal. Position one end against the end of the top horizontal pole and the other end against the vertical pole on the other side of the frame. Fix this end 2 feet from the top of the vertical pole.

    • 6

      Join J-hooks to the double couplers and fit them to vertical poles on the supporting side with J-hooks pointing into the cage. Tie rubber bands around the poles and loop them around the bolts in the top of the double couplers. The rubber bands will keep the couplers and J-hooks held in place against the bar under friction. When you squeeze the bolt in you will be able to slide the couplers up and down for the particular exercise you are doing. However, once loaded with weight the couplers will not move and will support the barbell.