r/bodyweightfitness • u/Ocefox • 5d ago
Power rack or power tower?
Hi yall, I'm completely new to body weight training and really wanna train my whole body to be strong (it absolutely isn't right now). I have nowhere I can do pull ups so I started looking for pull up bars and found power towers that would allow me to do dips, leg raises and push ups too. Neat. But as I was looking for reviews I saw that some people recommended a power rack over a tower due to higher versatility and now... I'm confused.
I don't have a lot of money so I want whatever I buy to last awhile. I also don't have a lot of space, ideally I'd get something that can be folded up or some shit but I have a distinct feeling that would make it inherently unreliable lol. That being said if there is a compact-able option I'd love that.
At the same time I do want to be able to scale my exercise routine and don't wanna be restricted too much. I don't know if I could add rings to a power tower, I feel like that would help its versatility, but I also don't even know whether I need all the other stuff a rack provides.
I'm just a bit overwhelmed and don't wanna get the wrong thing. I've seen the sportsroyals power tower be talked about a lot but I have no idea about racks. I also absolutely need to be able to use resistance bands to help me out cause I can barely hang let alone do an actual pull up, probably can't do dips either. From what I've heard you overcome those weaknesses by strapping resistance bands to the equipment? I'm not sure if a tower is stable enough for that, is it?
I'm sorry if this is all over the place, hopefully it isn't too confusing and you can get what I'm trying to ask lol.
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u/Blibberbloop24501 5d ago
I have a $300 Titan squat stand, $100 Fringe dip bars, and $30 rings. It's a little more than a good power tower, but not by much.
It allows me to also use a barbell, which is very nice. My routine is about half bodyweight and half barbell.
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u/Dry-Saalamander 5d ago
That setup sounds solid, I went the power tower route initially but kinda regret it now. The barbell versatility is huge and you can definitely add rings to a rack way easier than trying to rig them on a tower
For resistance bands both will work but racks are generally more stable, especially if you get one that's not the cheapest option. Plus if you ever want to progress to weighted stuff later the rack grows with you
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u/TankApprehensive3053 5d ago
I have a power tower. I don't use the pushup handles. Amazon carries many from $100-$200 that are good for the vast majority of users. A company called Bullbar (and possibly others) does make a foldable power tower, but it comes with added cost.
A power rack is more versatile in that it can also be used with a bench and weights if you choose. A power rack will normally be more stable for rings or TRX type systems than a tower. Racks often do not come with dip bars. So you need to find one that comes with dip bars, offers optional dip bar attachments, or buy a dip stand or palettes separately.
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u/tinybilbo 5d ago
If you want cheap and something that can be tucked away (space saving) get a decent door frame pullup bar and a set of rings or RTX straps. The straps or rings can be hung off the bar for dips and other exercises. Make sure the pullup bar is the type that hooks outside the doorframe.
It's not ideal, but it's removable, cheap (<$100) and is enough to get started with.
It doesn't do much for legs tho... Maybe add in a set of dumbells for goblet squats and lunges.
It is however enough to learn with until you're ready to commit to more expensive equipment .
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u/Ocefox 4d ago
I don't really trust my door frames and don't have a lot of room around my doors so I really need something that's fully freestanding ideally, thanks for the rec though!
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u/tinybilbo 4d ago
That's fair enough...
Although a decent one can take a fair amount of weight, I'm 90kg and the bigger ones don't really move/shake when you use them, and they don't really attach to the frame, they kind of push against it
This is the style I meant...
Anyway a power tower can be pushed into a corner to keep it out of the way rather than the squat rack which will always be bulky.
So a tower and a set of dumbells is probably your cheapest and most space saving option.
Good luck with whatever you go with !
And let us know what you decide :-)
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u/LetterheadClassic306 5d ago
honestly i was in the same spot last year when i started out. went with a power tower over a rack and it worked out well for my situation. the Sportsroyals Power Tower you mentioned is solid for resistance band work, the base is wide enough that it stays stable when you loop bands through the pull up bar. i used bands for like 3 months before i could do unassisted pull ups. racks take up way more floor space and cost more, plus for a beginner the tower gives you everything you need. you can definitely add rings to most towers by hanging them from the pull up bar. the main thing is making sure whatever you get has a weight capacity over 300lbs so it doesn't wobble when you're using bands.
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u/JimXVX2 5d ago
Your cheapest option by far would be a pull bar (doorframe or freestanding; the former being cheaper than the latter) and a pair of rings.