Best Squat Rack for Home Gym (Updated 2023)
The squat rack is the centerpiece for a home gym. It’s the biggest piece of equipment making it the main focal point and it’s the piece of equipment that will serve as the foundation for over half of your lifts.
Buying a squat rack is also one of the first big decisions that any home gym owner makes when they begin to build their workout mecca.
To make this process easier, I’ve put together a list of the 10 best squat racks for a home gym in 2022.
Now, I’ve worked in five college weight rooms and an elite sports performance facility along with have my own garage gym for a few years now. And while I’ve personally used many of the squat racks on this list, I can’t honestly say I’ve used every one.
So, what makes this list so special? Why should you trust me and this list?
That’s a great question that deserves a great answer.
I’ve been spending quite a bit of time in the r/HomeGym subreddit since getting serious about my garage gym and they very recently did a poll on the community’s favorite squat rack for a home gym.
I’m going to be using the results of that poll that had almost 400 responses (395 to be exact), for the creation of this guide.
So, you’re not just getting my opinion on the best squat rack (and because I have used several of these racks you most certainly will on many of them), but you’re getting the opinion of almost 400 home gym enthusiasts.
10 Best Home Gym Squat Racks
I’m going to be going in order, 10 to 1, with 1 being the squat rack that r/HomeGym community voted as their favorite home gym squat rack (by a pretty good margin too).
As I go through the list, I’m going to highlight the rack’s specs, some of the pros and cons of each rack and try to help you decide if that particular rack is a good fit for your home gym, your lifting style and your budget.
If you love the anticipation of a good countdown, then quickly skip past this table – it’s a spec comparison table for all the best home gym squat racks on the list.
| Squat Rack Spec Quick Comparison | ||||||
| Rack | Type | Tubing | Gauge | Hardware | Hole Spacing | Price* |
| PR 5000 | Power Rack | 3 x 3 | 11 | 1″ | 2″ | $945 – 3055 |
| PR 4000 | Power Rack | 3 x 3 | 11 | 5/8″ | Westside | $785 – 2461 |
| Titan X3 | Power Rack | 3 x 3 | 11 | 5/8″ | Westside | $593 – $749 |
| Rogue RM-6 | Power Rack | 3 x 3 | 11 | 1″ | 2″ | 2250 – 2965 |
| Titan T2 | Power Rack | 2 x 2 | 12 | 2″ | $359 – $379 | |
| Fitness Reality 810 | Power Rack | 2 x 2 | 14 | 10 mm | 3″ | $289 – $518 |
| Rogue RML-390 | Power Rack | 3 x 3** | 11 | 5/8″ | Westside | $895 – 1140 |
| Rogue RM-3 | Power Rack | 3 x 3 | 11 | 1″ | 2″ | 1245 – 1855 |
| Titan T3 | Power Rack | 2 x 3 | 11 | 5/8″ | Westside | $439 – $649 |
| Rogue HR-2 | Half Rack | 3 x 3** | 11 | 5/8″ | Westside | $795 – $965 |
*Because of the number of possible customizations (different heights and depths) and optional add-ons (pull up bars, safety pins, weight plate storage, etc), prices of many of the racks have a significant range.
**These racks have 3 x 3 tubing for the uprights, but 2 x 3 tubing for the base.
For info on what some of these specs mean (steel gauge, hole spacing, etc), visit the Squat Rack Features Glossary located at end of this article.
10 – Rogue HR-2 (18 votes)
Best Half Rack for a Home Gym
The Rogue HR-2 is the first of four Rogue Fitness racks that made the top 10. (The top 10 was completely dominated by 4 companies).
The HR-2 is one of Rogue’s Half Racks which is where the name “HR” comes from. It’s not a completely traditional half rack, but really more of a hybrid between a full power rack and a half rack.
This is due to the HR-2 having an extra set of vertical beams on the backside of the rack. This gives the rack extra stability, especially if the backside vertical beams are used for plate storage. This all works perfectly together with the tall pull up bar for doing pull ups on the front half of the rack.
You could also use the foot and a half space between the two sets of vertical beams like a mini power rack. A foot and half is plenty of room to bench press, shrug and a whole host of exercises.
The rack itself is made of 2″ x 3″ beams and 11 gauge steel. 2×3 is plenty strong enough for 99.9% of lifters, but 2×3 can be a little harder to find rack attachments as the majority of attachments are made for 3×3 racks. Not a deal breaker by any means, but something to be aware of.
So, for around $800 you get a really nice looking squat rack, with space to convert into plate storage and a 92″ pull up bar. It’s easy to see why this half rack got enough votes to make it the only half rack on the list.
9 – Titan T3 (19 votes)
I was fired up to see my current squat rack make the list. We made it!
I bought myself a Titan T3 for my own garage gym almost a year ago. It’s been an absolute rock star for me and I couldn’t be happier with it.
To be honest, what drew me into the T3 was the price. It was the best squat rack I could find for under $500 (with a little bit of help from a Titan sale).
Like the HR-2, it’s a 2×3 rack with 11 gauge steel. While it’s recommended that you bolt down the T3, I have not and as long as I leave some weight on the back side of the rack I’ve not had any issues the rack shifting around even for kipping pull ups.
Speaking of pull ups, the rack comes standard with a regular 1.25″ pull up bar and a 2″ fat grip pull up bar. The T3 also comes in two heights, 82″ and 91″. If you’re taller (I’m 6’4″), I would highly recommend getting the taller of the two.
Unlike the HR-2 though, the Titan T3 is a full power rack. There is plenty of space inside the cage to squat, bench pressing, you name it. You can also opt for safety straps for your rack if you choose too.
Going back to the price, I really do think this is the best power rack that you can buy for the money. (Did I mention it ships free?) That’s why I bought it and I’m glad I did.
8 – Rogue RM3 Monster Rack 2.0 (20 votes)
The Rogue RM3 Monster Rack is the first behemoth of a squat rack on the list. It’s a full power rack with 3 x 3 tubing, 11 gauge steel and 1″ hardware.
In other words, this rack could probably withstand being hit by a meteor.
It looks amazing and you can customize this rack with your choice of 12 different colors ranging from bright blue and burnt orange to the more standard gun metal grey and satin black.
Speaking of customizations you can get the RM3 in three different heights – 90″, 100″ and 108″. The 3 x 3 tubing means you have a ton of compatible rack attachments at your disposal including all of Rogue’s Monster attachments.
The customizations don’t stop there. Choose from a number of different top crossmembers, from regular and fat grip pull up bars to a pretty sick Rogue nameplate.
The price, starting at 1,245, is a little more on the expensive side, but you won’t have any trouble finding where all your money went. If you want a squat rack that looks great and will stand up to anything you throw at it, the RM3 from Rogue is a great option.
7 – Rogue RML-390 (23 votes)
Best Power Rack for Small Spaces
The third Rogue Rack in the top 10 (Rogue racks also took up spots 11 through 15 on Reddit’s favorite vote as well) is the RML-390.
The RML (Rogue Monster Lite) is another great looking squat rack.
Calling this squat rack a “lite” anything seems like an insult because the RLM-390 is anything but “lite”.
It’s 3 x 3, 11 gauge steel uprights (2 x 3 11 gauge steel bases) with 5/8″ hardware along with Westside hole spacing.
It’s on the narrower side in terms of depth, but at 30″, you still have plenty of room to squat or anything else you want to do inside the rack. This actually makes it the best squat rack for small spaces on the list.
The price (starting at $895, but going well up over $1000 if you want a fat/skinny pull up bar and safety straps) is also not exactly “lite”.
Let’s call this rack what it is. It’s a full power rack for small spaces. So, if you don’t want to compromise on getting a heavy duty steel rack just because you don’t have a lot of room to put one in your home gym – the RML-390 can be a great option.
6 – Fitness Reality 810 XLT (24 votes)
The 810 XLT from Fitness Reality is the first of two very budget-friendly squat racks on the list.
You can purchase the power cage itself for less than $300, making it easily the most affordable power rack on this list! With that being said, you are making a few trade-offs for that low of a price.
This rack is made of 2 x 2 tubing and while Fitness Reality doesn’t actually list the gauge of the steel, owners of the rack have measured it to be 14 gauge.
Personally, this size of steel would make me a little nervous (being too small and too thin) but according to Fitness Reality the rack has a weight capacity of 800 pounds and it has almost 10,000 overwhelmingly positive reviews on Amazon.
Rack holes are 3″ apart which is much wider than what you’ll find on most squat racks. Combine that with the 2 x 2 tubing and you might have a hard time finding rack attachments (like dip bars for example) if that is something you’re interested in adding to your home gym arsenal.
The 3″ hole spacing can become a real thorn in the side if you find that where you would actually like to rack the bar for bench press, rack pulls or whatever is somewhere in the middle of two holes. Having to move up or down over an inch to rack and unrack your bench can be more annoying than you might think.
However, you can buy a lat pulldown attachment designed to fit the backside of the rack and you can also combo the rack with a weight bench for an extra $160.
If you’re a beginner and you’re just getting started with lifting weights (and maybe you don’t want to drop a ton of money to get started) this power rack could be a great starter rack for you.
5 – Titan T2 Power Rack (24 votes)
Best Budget Power Rack
The Titan T2 Power Rack is another budget power rack that consists of 2 x 2 steel tubing like the Fitness Reality 810 in the spot above which makes it really hard not to directly compare the two.
A big difference between the two racks though is that the T2 is made of thicker 12 gauge steel compared to the 14 gauge of the 810.
The thicker steel gives the T2 a slightly higher weight capacity than the 810, Titan lists the weight capacity of the rack at 850 pounds.
The main attraction of the T2 has to be the price tag. Getting a quality full power rack for under $400 (359 or 379 depending on the chosen height) is something that is pretty hard to find.
On the downside, like the 810, you may have issues finding many rack attachments to fit the 2 x 2 tubing of the T2. Having said that, it also has a lat pulldown attachment designed specifically for it that attaches to the backside of the rack.
I see the T2 as an upgraded version of the Fitness Reality 810 at a slightly upgraded price. For a beginner starting out, it’s another great option for a first squat rack.
4 – Rogue RM-6 (31 votes)
The final Rogue power rack comes in at number 4 and is an absolute beast of a rack.
The RM-6 is the first of 3 6-beam squat racks that take up 3 of the top 4 spots. Obviously, home gym owners really love their mega power racks and I don’t blame them one bit.
This is the type of rack that I’m used to seeing in college weight rooms. I believe this squat rack could go toe to toe with any of the high end commercial power racks that I’ve used throughout my career from companies like Hammer Strength and Sorinex. It’s that impressive.
It’s essentially a RM-3 with an extra set of vertical beams that can be used for weight plate storage without getting in the way of any moving barbells inside the cage itself.
This means you can bench press comfortably without worrying about the plates on your bar hitting the plates you have stored on the back of the rack.
Like the RM-3, the RM-6 is made with 3 x 3, 11 gauge steel with 1″ hardware. Also like the RM-3, you can order your squat rack with customizations like 3 different heights (90″, 100″, 108″), 12 different colors and a wide selection of cross members for the top of the rack.
This beast does have it’s downsides though. If you’re looking for a rack for small spaces, this is definitely not the rack for you. It’s 80″ x 53″ footprint is one of the biggest of any of the 10 racks listed here.
All this beautiful steel is going to cost you too. This squat rack starts at $2,250, but depending on what customizations you may want, like the front pull up bar, rear crossmember, J-cups and safety bars – the R6 can get really close to $3,000.
If you have the money and want to buy a “lifetime rack”, the RM-6 may be just what you’ve been looking for.
3 – Titan X3 (33 votes)
The Titan X3 is the third Titan rack in the top 10 and sits at number 3 on the list. The X3 is the most heavy duty of the three Titan power racks.
It’s made with 3 x 3, 11 gauge heavy duty steel with Westside hole spacing.
It has two pull up bars, both a 1.25″ standard pull up bar and 2″ fat bar. In addition to those two bars it has a steel crossmember connecting the back side of the rack at the top.
Combine those with the flat footed design and what you end up with is a very stable squat rack that doesn’t need to be bolted to the floor.
Optional weight plate holders allow the rack to be used for plate storage which would also significantly add to the overall stability of the rack.
Considering it’s the most beefed-up version of the Titan fitness squat racks, it’s natural that it’s also the most expensive. Still, at a base price of $593 (if you go with the shorter 82″ version and no plate holders) it’s an amazing price for a 3 x 3, 11 gauge steel rack.
Throw in Titan’s free shipping feature and you can get a heck of a power rack delivered to your house for under $600. There’s a reason this rack landed in the top 3.
2 – Rep Fitness PR-4000 (41 votes)
The Rep Fitness PR-4000 is (spoiler alert!) the first of two Rep Fitness racks on the top ten, both of which took the top two spots. It’s also easy to see why people love these top two squat racks so much.
Rep Fitness basically gives you the keys to the castle and allows you to custom build your power rack however you like.
What you start with is 3 x 3, 11 gauge steel tubing with four vertical beams, 5/8″ hardware and Westside hole spacing.
From there you pick your height, 80″ or 93″.
Then choose your rack depth, 24″, 30″ or 41″
Would you like an extra set of weight plate storage uprights (making the rack a 6 beam rack)? Choose from 8 different color schemes if you want to add those.
Next, how would you like to do your pull ups? You have four different pull up bar options – 1.25″, 2″, multi-grip or globe grip.
Three different J-Cup Options is your next choice – Standard, Flat J Cups and Round Sandwich J Cups.
Finally, you can choose from a host of rack attachments and accessories like an extra rear base stabilizer, spotter arms, front foot extension, dip attachment, band pegs and a leg roller attachment.
As you might expect, this power rack comes in an incredible range of prices. In it’s most base version, the PR 4000 will cost you around $732. Fully loaded, so to speak, the rack can cost all the way up to almost $2500.
Either way, the cool part comes in the ability to completely customize your power rack exactly the way you want it. What you end up with (or at least should end up with) is a squat rack that perfectly fits your space and comes with all the features that you’re really wanting without anything extra that you don’t need.
It’s easy to see why people love their PR 4000s so much. Because it’s easy to feel like your rack is uniquely your rack.
1 – Rep Fitness PR 5000 (52 votes)
Best Power Rack
Taking the top spot, the squat rack that was voted as the favorite by 52 of the almost 400 home gym owners, is the Rep Fitness PR 5000.
It’s crazy to think that between the PR 4000 and PR 5000, these two squat racks from Rep Fitness garnered 93 of the 395 votes – that’s almost 25%!
The PR 5000 also features a ‘build your own rack’ style just like the 4000.
The differences between the two involve the hardware – the PR 5000 comes with heavy-duty 1″ hardware compared to 5/8″ for the 4000. Because of the 1″ hardware, the rack has 2″ spacing throughout (different than the Westside spacing for the 4000), but you don’t lose versatility if using the lowered j-cups.
All the customization features of the 4000 are available here on the 5000 as well, just with beefier hardware, so I’m not going to repeat all of them here.
Like the 4000, the price range of the 5000 also has a huge range depending on how much you add on to your rack. The base rack starts at $945 and ends up at just over $3000 ‘fully loaded’.
Like the Rogue RM-6, this is the type of rack that rivals even the high end commercial level racks that you would find in a Division I college weight room. If you want a power rack that will last you, literally, forever – the PR 5000 is a great choice.
Squat Rack Features Glossary
Admittedly, there is a lot of terminology that is very specific for squat racks when talking about the squat rack themselves, their features and their attachments. So much so that it can be a little overwhelming for someone shopping for their first home gym squat rack.
This is not even to mention that what we tend to call squat racks – power racks, squat racks, full racks, half racks, squat stands, cages – is confusing enough on it’s own.
So, I’m going to do my best to help cut through the noise and explain to you the features that you actually need to be aware of, what they mean and how to decide what’s the best fit for you.
Types of Squat Rack
Let’s start with how we refer to squat racks themselves. We have way too many names for squat racks and it’s unnecessarily confusing.
There are 4 different types of squat rack, two types of which are included in the top ten for best squat rack above, two types were not.
There were no squat stands or wall mounted racks that made the top ten, one half rack and the rest were all power racks.
Let’s take a look at what each type rack actually is and how they’re named.
Squat Stand
Squat stands are the simplest form of a squat rack. They’re basically two uprights with a built in j hooks at the top. They’re made to rack and unrack a barbell – that’s it. No frills. No fuss.
Squat stands are popular in weightlifting gyms where all that is needed from a squat rack is this most basic functionality and for home gym owners that are either really tight on space or really tight on budget (a squat stand can be very budget-friendly because it’s much less raw material).
Squat stands do have their drawbacks though. Because they are so minimalistic, using spotter arms are not an option. Neither are pull ups for the most part.
If all you need is a super basic squat rack without any of the extras, you may want to take a look at a squat stand.
Wall Mounted Rack
Wall mounted racks are exactly what they sound like. A rack that is made to be mounted onto the wall. These are the best squat racks for space saving efficiency.
Some wall mounted racks go one step further and are made as a foldable rack. This means that when not being used, a folding rack can be folded back against the wall and take up almost no space at all.
This is an amazing feature if you have a smaller garage gym and/or you’d still like to park your car in your garage along with getting in your squats.
My first DIY Squat Rack was basically a combination of a squat stand and a wall mounted rack. I mounted my rack to the wall to give it extra stability and it worked great for me.
Many people though, shy away from a wall mounted rack because they don’t feel comfortable bolting a squat rack into their wall. For anyone that is renting (or even if you own), I can’t say I blame you for not wanting to do that.
However, if you are really tight on a space a wall mounted rack can be a great solution.
While there are no squat stands or wall mounted racks on the list, all three of the companies that dominated the top ten – Rogue, Titan and Rep Fitness – all make squat stands and wall mounted racks and I would suggest checking out the racks that all three of those companies offer.
Half Rack
Only one half rack, the Rogue HR-2, made the top ten.
A half rack is basically what it sounds like, a half of a rack. Instead of 4 vertical beams creating a cage where you’re able to do most of your lifts ‘inside’, a half rack generally only has 2 vertical beams and you perform all of your lifts ‘in front of’ your rack.
Some half racks, like the HR-2 will have two additional vertical uprights, but they are only for plate storage (and to add stability to the rack.)
What separates half racks from squat stands is they have a much larger base and crossmembers, both of which gives the half rack much more stability than a squat stand. This usually allows the half rack to include a pull up bar and if bolted to the ground, safety bars can be used while squatting.
Full Racks
Full Racks is where we, as a lifting community, get a little out of control with our naming. Full racks are also often referred to as power racks. Some people refer to them as squat cages or just cages for short.
And most people are referring specifically to a full rack when using the general term squat rack.
All of these terms are essentially pointing to the exact same thing – a squat rack with 4 or more vertical beams that allow a lifter to squat or bench press inside the rack itself.
9 of the 10 favorite squat racks after 395 votes were full squat racks. That should tell you something about what type of rack most home gym owners prefer.
Squat Rack Specifications
Now let’s talk about squat rack specifications. These specs are what make the actual differences between one squat rack and another.
Here’s what each one means, why they matter and what you should be looking for when trying to find the best squat rack for you.
Tubing Size
The uprights on a squat rack are referred to as uprights, vertical beams or sometimes just tubes. The three common tubing sizes for squat racks are 2 x 2, 2 x 3 and 3 x 3.
These numbers signify the width and depth of each upright, in inches. So, 3 x 3 tubing means that each upright is 3″ wide and 3″ deep.
This matters for two reasons. The bigger the upright, the stronger. Pretty simple really. More steel equals a stronger rack.
The second reason is much easier to overlook though. The size of your tubing plays a big factor into what rack attachments, like dip bars and j hooks, will fit your rack. The size that will give you the biggest availability of compatible attachments? 3 x 3.
Steel Gauge Size
Steel gauge is the thickness of the steel of the uprights. The lower the number, the thicker the steel. The thicker the steel, the more weight capacity the rack will have.
11 gauge steel racks are pretty universally considered the gold standard when it comes steel gauge. 12 is acceptable in my opinion, but anything thinner than that starts to become a red flag for me.
Pro Tip: If you’re ever looking at a squat rack and they don’t list the steel gauge anywhere on their product page, it’s probably not good.
Hardware Size
This is the size of the hardware, the nuts and bolts that hold the rack together. This will also tell you the hole size which you’ll need to know (along with the tubing size) when buying attachments.
The two most common hardware sizes is 5/8″ and 1″. I think 5/8″ is really more than enough for almost any home gym.
1″ hold spacing is more common on commercial racks as opposed to a home gym power rack.
But, if you do get a squat rack with 1″ hardware (like some of the racks listed above have), you have a rack that’s going to hold up to pretty much anything and everything.
Hole Spacing
This is the amount of space between the holes of a rack. The most common hole spacing on squat racks is 1″, 2″ and Westside hole spacing.
Westside hole spacing is 2″ at the bottom and top of the squat rack, but 1″ apart through the bench pressing and rack pulls zone. This allows you to get very precise when working those movements.
When you’re racking and unracking weight for exercises like bench press or you’re trying to be precise with your starting point for rack pulls, even small differences is height can make a huge difference.
In my opinion, it’s not only more convenient, but it’s also safer as well.
Rack Attachments
I’ve mentioned attachments multiple times in this article and for good reason. Rack attachments play a huge role in the overall versatility of your rack.
Weight plate storage, dip bars, pull up bars, safety pins – all of these attachments (and those are just a few) are designed to fit a particular size rack. Whether it’s a 3 x 3 vs a 2 x 3 or a 5/8″ hole size or 1″ hole size – it’s something you definitely want to be mindful of when selecting your rack.
Final Thoughts
Selecting a squat rack for your home gym can be an overwhelming process, even for an experienced gym rat.
There are just so many choices out there and so many specs to be aware of, that it can be really hard to cut through all the noise and figure out what squat rack is going to work best for you and your home gym.
I hope this list of the best squat racks for a home gym has helped you at least get started on finding your squat rack if not helped you make a final decision.
Stay Strong!
