xHumanChessx
New member
Hi folks,
First post here on the forums. I'm a 30 yr old guy, been training martial arts for years and supplemented training at home with a bit of kettlebells, body weight stuff, and in the past year some basic barbell workouts with a friend's barbell and bench. Have decided to take the plunge and embark on an actual barbell strength program, specifically Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. I am already fairly committed to the home gym idea (heavy bag, mats, kettlebells etc), so looking at investing in my own setup. (Please excuse any technical term missteps and/or stupid questions, some flicking through the Rippetoe book is the extent of my experience in serious barbell training thus far).
The 5 major barbell lifts according to Rippetoe (and everything else i've read) are the squat, press, deadlift, bench press and power clean. To perform these I need either a squat or power rack, as well as bench, barbell etc (I do have a bar and some plates already, but the bar was cheap from a garage sale and the plates only add up to approx 80kg, so thus looking at packages). Here are a couple of examples of packages from GymDirect, whom seem reputable and competitive (and who I think have some affiliation with AusBB?):
Body Solid Safety Squat Rack + Body Solid Adjustable Bench + Olympic Bar + 105kg Weight Plates
3 Package Deal _ Power Rack + FIBEV flat incline bench + Olympic bar + 80kg Olympic weights $1095
So I guess my main question is what is the real difference between a power rack and squat rack? If I already have a pull up bar can I save myself what looks like some space and set-up hassles with a squat rack and do the 5 lifts just as well? There also seems to be some variety in benches I don't really understand, isnt all I need a flat bench?
Any general advice also really appreciated. Cheers.
First post here on the forums. I'm a 30 yr old guy, been training martial arts for years and supplemented training at home with a bit of kettlebells, body weight stuff, and in the past year some basic barbell workouts with a friend's barbell and bench. Have decided to take the plunge and embark on an actual barbell strength program, specifically Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. I am already fairly committed to the home gym idea (heavy bag, mats, kettlebells etc), so looking at investing in my own setup. (Please excuse any technical term missteps and/or stupid questions, some flicking through the Rippetoe book is the extent of my experience in serious barbell training thus far).
The 5 major barbell lifts according to Rippetoe (and everything else i've read) are the squat, press, deadlift, bench press and power clean. To perform these I need either a squat or power rack, as well as bench, barbell etc (I do have a bar and some plates already, but the bar was cheap from a garage sale and the plates only add up to approx 80kg, so thus looking at packages). Here are a couple of examples of packages from GymDirect, whom seem reputable and competitive (and who I think have some affiliation with AusBB?):
Body Solid Safety Squat Rack + Body Solid Adjustable Bench + Olympic Bar + 105kg Weight Plates
3 Package Deal _ Power Rack + FIBEV flat incline bench + Olympic bar + 80kg Olympic weights $1095
So I guess my main question is what is the real difference between a power rack and squat rack? If I already have a pull up bar can I save myself what looks like some space and set-up hassles with a squat rack and do the 5 lifts just as well? There also seems to be some variety in benches I don't really understand, isnt all I need a flat bench?
Any general advice also really appreciated. Cheers.