Jeremy Maddox Member

Profile: Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Marine IL Posts: 157

Re: Evolution of My Basement Pain Cave



I found the Powertec rack on sale on amazon so I researched it and found out it was made of heavy gauge 2.5 box tube and seemed solid. I wanted to be able to have the ability for at least 2 people to do barbell exercises at the same time so I removed the lower cross brace and bolted it to the floor with ¾ anchor bolts in all four corners. This allows someone to work out on the back side of the rack. I bought an extra set of hooks and the plate holders from New York Barbell and they fit perfectly. I had originally planned to weld along all of the connections to stiffen the rack up, but it wasnt needed. This thing is really solid, I am very happy with the rack.



I put ¾ birch plywood attached to the concrete floor with tapcons between the uprights to create (2) lifting platforms that extend 8 from the face of the upright on each side. I painted on the Murrays cross using these dimensions



I installed 4 x 6 x ¾ horse stall mats all the way around the rack and platform. Almost every piece had to be cut to fit. I dont care what you read about cutting these, its not that hard with two people. You need a long straight edge, a 6 length of 2x4, a tape measure, a white china pencil, a utility knife, and lots of blades. Rubber dulls blades quickly. Mark the mat where you need to cut it. Using the straight edge as a guide, score the mat the entire length of the cut as deep as you can in one pass. Put the 2x4 under the mat, on the side of the matt you will be using, about ¼ away from the cut. Have someone stand on the piece of mat you are cutting off. This opens it up along the score line and pulls the rubber back so the knife doesnt bind. Continue to make long cutting passes along the line until you have cut all the way through. Change blades after every 2-3 cuts at most.

I went back and forth for quite a while on what to do for a rack. My initial thought was to use squat stands, but Im not entirely comfortable with my 14 year old spotting me (for movements you cant just bail on) and I work out alone sometimes so I wanted a full power rack that I could use safety bars with.I found the Powertec rack on sale on amazon so I researched it and found out it was made of heavy gauge 2.5 box tube and seemed solid. I wanted to be able to have the ability for at least 2 people to do barbell exercises at the same time so I removed the lower cross brace and bolted it to the floor with ¾ anchor bolts in all four corners. This allows someone to work out on the back side of the rack. I bought an extra set of hooks and the plate holders from New York Barbell and they fit perfectly. I had originally planned to weld along all of the connections to stiffen the rack up, but it wasnt needed. This thing is really solid, I am very happy with the rack.I put ¾ birch plywood attached to the concrete floor with tapcons between the uprights to create (2) lifting platforms that extend 8 from the face of the upright on each side. I painted on the Murrays cross using these dimensions http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=13994 and then put 3 coats of floor poly over the whole thing and scuffed it up with sandpaper when dry so its not slick.I installed 4 x 6 x ¾ horse stall mats all the way around the rack and platform. Almost every piece had to be cut to fit. I dont care what you read about cutting these, its not that hard with two people. You need a long straight edge, a 6 length of 2x4, a tape measure, a white china pencil, a utility knife, and lots of blades. Rubber dulls blades quickly. Mark the mat where you need to cut it. Using the straight edge as a guide, score the mat the entire length of the cut as deep as you can in one pass. Put the 2x4 under the mat, on the side of the matt you will be using, about ¼ away from the cut. Have someone stand on the piece of mat you are cutting off. This opens it up along the score line and pulls the rubber back so the knife doesnt bind. Continue to make long cutting passes along the line until you have cut all the way through. Change blades after every 2-3 cuts at most. Attached Thumbnails