Power rack and functional trainer combos are an excellent choice for home and garage gyms. This single piece of equipment saves space while allowing you to train your entire body, mimicking workouts effectively that you would perform in commercial gyms.
In this post, we will guide you on how to choose an all-in-one rack and functional trainer combo, and present three popular options: Vulcan Forge, Fringe Sport Dane, and REP Fitness Athena. By the time you finish reading this piece, you will have all the necessary information that will help you choose the best rack functional trainer combo for your home gym, which will become the foundation stone of your training for years to come.
Overview of Functional Trainers and Racks Combos
A rack and a functional trainer are a space-saving merger of two fundamental gym equipment pieces:
- Rack: Anyone who is into barbell training knows that it is next to impossible to perform barbell movements safely without a rack. That’s because racks not only allow you to position a loaded barbell in a comfortable position, but also ensure you are safe even if you fail a lift, thanks to safety catches. As such, power racks are a core piece of equipment if you are into barbell strength training.
- Cable machine: A cable and pulley system, also known as a functional trainer, allows you to isolate smaller muscle groups and perform functional movements. You will be able to perform exercises such as cable crossovers, tricep extensions, seated rows, cable flys, bicep curls, and cable rows at various resistance levels. Because of that, functional trainers are an ideal complement to barbell strength training, enabling you to build a strong and well-balanced physique.
Racks allow you to strength train safely and comfortably. At the same time, functional trainers accompany this with muscle isolations and functional moves. A power rack and functional trainer combo allows you to train your entire body from various angles, providing a multitude of training options for comprehensive muscle engagement and achieving diverse fitness goals.
When you take space-saving into consideration, it’s no surprise that this type of gym equipment is very popular in garage gyms with limited spaces, as you get total body training from a single unit.
How to Choose a Power Rack and Functional Trainer Combo for Your Home Gym
Before we dig into specific training features of power racks with functional trainers, let’s cover the essentials first:
Space and footprint
The most important thing to check when choosing power racks with functional trainers is the space requirements. In general, with fitness equipment, tight fits aren’t recommended. But here, ensuring enough space in front and to the sides of the rack is paramount. Space in front of the rack will allow you to comfortably use cables, while the space to the side will enable you to use weight plate holders and maneuver around the machine more easily. Also, ensure you have enough space above the rack if you plan to use the pull-up bar or buy pull-up bar attachments in the future.
Loading type
You will choose from the weight plate-loaded and selectorized machines. The weight plates are compatible with your barbells and other machines, but they are less convenient. Selectorized options are much easier to load, as you only need to change the pin position, but are more expensive.
Weigh capacity and pulley ratio
Think about your current and future strength levels when choosing. Also, consider pulley ratios—1:1 will mean you will feel the weight indicated as is, while a 2:1 ratio means you will feel 100 lbs as 50 lbs. However, 2:1 pulleys usually operate much smoothly and increase cable travel, making it a better choice for a wider variety of exercises.
Upgradeability
You should look to buy a power rack and functional trainer combo that will allow future upgrades. That way, even if you don’t get everything at once, you will be able to add different kinds of pull-up bars, dip bars, weight plate holders, a lat pulldown, jammers, pins, or other power rack accessories, depending on your future budget.
However, the same applies to the cable system itself, as you want to select a model that will allow you to grow in strength. If you get a selectorized model, going for 170 lbs standard weight stacks at first is a good option, as long as you’ll be able to upgrade later.
Build & warranty
When it comes to the build quality, steel thickness (gauge) is one of the most important determining factors. The lower the gauge number, the thicker the steel is (11-gauge steel is thicker than 13-gauge steel). Also, finish quality matters, as does bolting and cable quality, as it will all determine the longevity of your machine. But, since the power rack and functional trainer machines are something you don’t buy every day, a lengthy warranty will ensure you are covered for years to come, even if something unpredictable does happen.
Vulcan Forge Review – Best Rack-Mounted Functional Trainer
Vulcan Forge Functional Trainer Power Rack combines superb quality with a practically indestructible power rack and a cable machine system for functional training.
Due to its build quality, selection options, and a multitude of upgrades and attachments, Vulcan Forge is simply the best buy that will allow you to perform quality workouts from the comfort of your home gym, knowing that you have commercial-grade equipment that will last a lifetime.
Why it stands out
Vulcan Forge is built from commercial-grade, 3 “×3” 11-gauge steel, making the power rack practically indestructible and able to withstand the heaviest weights. This is crucial, as your power rack needs to support max effort attempts, without the risk of breaking if you drop the barbell.
To back up their quality claims, Vulcan Strength offers a lifetime guarantee on the steel parts of their power racks and squat racks. In other words, you won’t have to worry about your power rack and functional trainer combination bending or breaking due to heavy use.
Additionally, Forge is available in several options, allowing you to choose from weight-plate-loaded, selectorized, single, and dual pulley systems. You can even purchase the power rack and the Forge cable system separately, allowing you to upgrade your rack when you have the funds available.
If you opt for the selectorized weight stack, it starts with 170 lbs, which is sufficient for most lifters. But an upgrade is available, and you can upgrade to 210 lbs for each stack, which is more than enough, no matter how strong you get. Also, you can get a single or dual stack option, which gives you more flexibility to buy equipment in stages.
Vulcan also lets you customize the upgrades, and there are plenty of upgrades you can get for your power rack, such as:
- Multi-grip pull-up bar
- Dip bar
- More safety rods, spotter straps, and safety bars
- Weight plate holders
- Jammer arms
- Weight and equipment storage
Pros:
- Superb quality build with a lifetime guarantee
- Multiple selection options allowing you to build your own power rack and functional trainer
- Plenty of potential upgrades
Cons:
- It can be pricey if you decide to buy everything at once, but the superb quality is definitely there
Fringe Sport The Dane Review — Half Rack + Functional Trainer Combo
Fringe Sport The Dane is an interesting combination of a half rack and a functional trainer. Due to its 2-in-1 half rack and functional trainer design, it saves space, making it ideal for gyms with limited space. In fact, the small footprint is the key advantage The Dane has over both Forge and Athena.
The Dane rack is made of 11-gauge commercial steel and can withstand a 1200 lbs capacity, making it suitable for any strength level.
It comes with dual weight stacks, each being 160 lbs. The 1:1 ratio means the weights will feel true.
While it does come with a landmine, spotter arms, and sandwich J cups, the weight stack upgrades are limited. That means the stronger lifters will find the weight amount constricting, even with a 1:1 ratio.
Additionally, although a half-rack saves space, stronger and larger lifters will appreciate a full power rack. Having the safety bars anchored on both sides will not only mean safer use but also improved durability, which is another advantage of full power racks that the Dane doesn’t have.
Pros:
- Small footprint, making it a good option for constricted spaces
- 11-gauge steel, 1200 lbs rack capacity
- Landmine attachment included
Cons:
- Only a half rack, not a full power rack
- Limited weight stack upgrades
REP Fitness Athena Review – Selectorized Side-Mount Functional Trainer
REP Fitness Athena is a cable system attachment that integrates with their PR-4000 and PR-5000 power racks. Similar to Vulcan Forge, it offers plenty of options, as you can choose either plate-loaded or selectorized cable towers, single or dual.
The rack is good quality, made from 3×3″ 11-gauge steel with a capacity up to 1000 lbs. But, because this is a side-mounted build, you can’t expect the same level of durability and ruggedness of a system integrated deeply into a full rack, like Forge.
REP Fitness also did a good job in terms of configuration, as you will be able to choose from different rack heights, three rack depths, and even 4-post and 6-post designs, which will suit various spaces. There are weight storage upgrades, pull-up bars, and a multitude of other attachments. However, most of those options aren’t included, which will quickly add up to the total price.
The weight stacks are 170 lbs and can be upgraded to 210 lbs each. There’s a plate attachment on the weight stack, which is nice for adding extra weight. The pulley ratio is 2:1.
Pros:
- Excellent customization options
- A good number of accessories
- Integrates seamlessly with other REP Fitness equipment
Cons:
- Not that many built-in accessories and attachments, adding to the total price
- Side-mount design is not suitable for everyone
Vulcan Forge vs Dane vs Athena – Why Vulcan Forge is the Best Functional Trainer for Power Racks
As you can see, Forge, Dane, and Athena are all great products and quality all in one power rack and functional trainer combos. But, here’s why we think that Vulcan Forge is the best buy:
- Superb build quality: Even though both Dane and Athena are made of thick steel, Forge uses more commercial-grade parts overall, indicating better durability. Considering the importance of all-in-one trainers as the fulcrum of home workouts, ensuring maximal durability is exceptionally important.
- Full rack with deeply integrated stacks: Vulcan Forge is a comprehensive power rack that ensures safety and enables it to withstand greater forces in the event of barbell drops or failed lifts.
- Excellent customizations: Vulcan Forge comes with plenty of upgrades you can purchase at a later stage, allowing you to plan your budget with other equipment.
Additionally, Vulcan offers a lifetime guarantee and manufactures and sells all of the accessories, allowing you one-vendor simplicity and peace of mind. They are known for their commercial-grade, heavy-duty equipment. Vulcan is loved by professional weightlifting and powerlifting athletes, making Vulcan Strength Forge a well-worth addition to your home gym.
Conclusion
While we do love Vulcan Forge for its premium quality and numerous options, which all-in-one trainer you choose will eventually depend on your needs, budget, and personal preferences.
The Dane, Athena, and Forge are all popular for good reasons, and getting either of them won’t be a mistake.
However, because power racks and functional trainer combos are often once-in-a-lifetime purchases and are far from cheap, it’s always best to stretch your budget and get the highest quality product available, as it will be the foundation of your home gym training for decades.
Additionally, high-quality fitness equipment retains its value, meaning you can expect to recoup a significant portion of your investment if you ever decide to sell it in the future.
So, whenever possible, pick quality over price, and upgrade your combo trainer later, which is precisely what Vulcan Forge allows you to do.
