Power racks are bulky and hefty pieces of gym gear. And they should be since they’ll provide you the stability you need to defend yourself if you have to drop weight when lifting alone.
But if you have a low-ceiling room, then choosing a short power rack that’s sturdy and high-quality is a tricky thing. Because most power racks are 7 feet tall, and if you don’t have enough clearance in your apartment or basement, you might hit your head while doing pull-ups or chin-ups.
Finding a small power rack for low ceilings might be difficult since you need one of good quality and designed to be considerably shorter than most regular cages.
We looked for the shortest power rack we could locate for this post. We limited our list to racks to include only the best short power racks on the market in terms of price, reputation, design, and other factors. We’ll go through the best power racks for rooms with low ceilings in the sections below.
In a hurry?
The Rogue SML-1 power racks are both deserving of the prize for the best short power rack. This Rogue power cage has a reputation that is second to none. There’s no way all of those customers are wrong. So I gave the Rogue SML-1 cage the upper hand.
List of the best power racks for low ceilings rooms.
- ROGUE 70″ Monster Lite SML-1 Low Profile Rack (72 inches) — My best choice
- Ollieroo Barbell Rack (adjustable from 40.6 inches to 64.2 inches)
- TITAN FITNESS Short Power Rack T-2 (71.5 inches)
- REP FITNESS Short Power Rack (72 inches)
- Topeakmart Adjustable Squat Rack (45-70.5 inches) — Best Budget
Whether you are looking out for a power rack under 90 inches, under 7 feet, or 80 inches, this list helps.
Table of Contents
How to Determine If a Low-Profile Power Rack Fit Your Low Ceiling’s Room?
A standard-sized power rack may be easily accommodated in most rooms in modern homes. However, you could be putting up a gym in an older home, a basement, or another area with a low ceiling. If you’re thinking about buying a power rack but aren’t sure if it’ll fit in your gym, you’ve come to the correct spot.
First and foremost, before proceeding to choose from a list of short power racks, it is mandatory to determine the maximum power rack height that could be accommodated in your room. This is a simple three-step process:
1. Determine the total vertical height of the room
You might have your room’s floor plan, which gives the readymade measurement. But you must also remember that the flooring (sub-floor) can be covered with tiles, wood, carpet, or a combination of any of these.
You might know that the room is 8 ft high, but now it becomes necessary to measure the height manually.
Standard heights are measured from the bottom (sub-floor) of the floor that’s covered with your favorite choice of tiles/carpet to the ceiling with the help of measuring tape.
2. Protect your flooring
Power racks are rock-solid equipment, and we should protect the flooring where we place the equipment. So, any protection that goes underneath the low-profile power rack occupies additional space.
The protective flooring’s height must be deducted from the room’s total available vertical space to come up with the perfect height available for installing a power rack in your low ceiling room.
3. Add some generous amount of space for doing pull-ups
You are quite happy with the final available vertical height measurements as there are several short power racks that fulfill your height restrictions.
But you need to remember that there comes the need for an additional 1-1.5 feet above the power rack if you plan on performing pull-ups.
Read also: How Much Space Do You Need for a Power Rack?
4. Calculate the final rack height for the room
After you have done a few calculations adding the height from the flooring to the ceiling to come up with the total vertical space height, subtracting the protective flooring height from the total available height, and giving an extra one foot for pull-ups, you have the final figures which should be of aid while purchasing a shorty power rack. Putting it in the form of a mathematical formula:
Ideal Power Rack Height=
Room Height – Gym Flooring Thickness – ( 1 ft to 1.5 ft for a pull-up bar )[optional]
Using this formula, if your room has an 8 ft floor-to-ceiling height, 0.5 in sub-flooring, and another 0.5 goes in protective flooring, we are left exactly with 7.11 ft.
Subtract another foot for pull-ups, and all that we are left with is 6.11 ft to accommodate a power rack.
Other Factors
Once you’ve figured out the exact height available for your power rack, it is essential to consider few other critical factors before purchasing a low-profile power rack for no matter placing at apartment, basement, or garage.
These include the frame quality, adjustability options, rack type (full cage, compact racks, squat stands, and collapsible racks), and price.
Top 5 Short and Low Profile Power Racks for Low Ceilings
Based on the factors above, I have come up with the best short power racks that can do great in low-ceiling rooms offering ultimate exercising options and versatility.
1. ROGUE 70″ MONSTER LITE SML-1 (72 inches)
You can call the ROGUE SML-1 power rack a hybrid unit—somewhat of a crossover between a power rack and a squat stand. This Rogue power rack is best suited for your home gym and low ceiling apartment, and with its 1000+ lbs weight capacity, you have no worry about damage yourself.
The primary feature that makes this durable Rogue power rack stand out from the rest of the low-profile power racks is its smaller footprint and lower height.
The complete unit is only 6 ft tall (72 inches) with a footprint of 48” x 49”, making it ideal for most low ceilings home gyms, basements, and garage workouts.
This budget-friendly home rack also has an excellent frame and construction made from heavy-duty 11 gauge steel, precise laser-cut holes that snugly fit your barbells, and comes with a smooth black powder-coat finish that makes the unit dashing and powerful.
The Rogue SML-1 power rack comes with the entire set of accessories and hardware needed for setting the squat stand, right from bolts and fasteners to J-cups that come with protective inserts by the entire set.
This short power rack does not include provisional holes for a pull-up bar, which means that you don’t require additional clearance space from the power rack to the ceiling to do pull-ups.
Read more here if you want a power rack with pull-up bars.
Pros
- Weight capacity up to 1000 lbs
- Small footprint and ideal for low-ceiling rooms
- Heavy-duty steel and powder coating
- The shorty power rack can be combined with additional ROGUE accessories
Cons
- No pull up bar holes provided
2. Ollieroo Adjustable Barbell Rack (range 40.6 inches to 64.2 inches)
You might be a novice to fitness, an intermediate, or an expert fitness trainer looking for a shorty power rack that comes with adjustable height options. Then Ollieroo Adjustable Barbell Rack is a great choice. It is one of the rare squat racks that have the smallest heights with its double-height adjustability option.
The barbell stand, squat stand, and entire power rack are made of high-quality steel. The adjustable height options provided by this power rack make it suitable for all rooms with different ceilings height.
The bracket height ranges between 41 and 65 inches, while the base range is between 31 and 49 inches to accommodate bench press exercises, making it one of the best short power racks for 6′ ceilings.
This versatile power rack helps you perform a full-body workout, helping you tone different muscle groups, achieve core strengthening, and fulfill your strength training goals.
Pros
- Offers various workout options
- Non-slip & abrasion-resistant rubber caps
- Simple to assemble and ideal for home use
- Suitable for any trainer level
Cons
- Maximum weight capacity only up to 480 lbs
- Average-quality product
3. TITAN FITNESS Short Power Rack T-2 (71.5 inches)
Having a total height of just 71.5 inches (not even a full 6-ft height), this short Titan Fitness power rack is the optimal choice for individuals having low-height rooms and basements.
It also occupies a smaller footprint measuring just 48 inchesx58 inches of the floor. The power rack comes with a pull-up bar that’s placed 68.5 inches above ground level.
So, this pull-up bar’s presence makes it necessary for users to make sure that the ground-to-ceiling height is at least 83.5 inches to accommodate different pull-ups exercises done. Else, you will hit your head in your low-ceiling room.
It must be mentioned here that this short Titan rack is lightweight, close to 123 lbs. However, it is strong and durable enough to support up to 700 lbs of weight.
The frame is made from heavy-duty steel that promises durability and longevity.
Though short in height, unlike most power racks that boast of greater heights, this low-profile rack guarantees versatility.
You can perform numerous exercises, including chin-ups, curls, deadlifts, dips, and squats, comfortably using this short power rack.
If you aim to do bench presses, don’t worry. All you need to do is to place a bench underneath the rack.
Pros
- The Titan T-2 power rack comes with J-hooks, which means you need to spend the minimum time possible assembling it.
- Low power rack height
- 100% of the steel body guarantees lifetime durability
Cons
- The customer service could be better
4. REP FITNESS Short Power Rack (72 inches)
Wouldn’t it be nice to choose a low-profile power rack that fits your short ceiling height and your budget too? The Rep Fitness short power rack is one of the best choices to buy for your low ceiling apartment or put in your spare bedroom.
The entire unit is only 6 ft (72 inches) in height, 48 inches wide, and 48 inches deep, providing plenty of space for doing your exercises.
The equipment has a weight capacity of up to 700 lbs, and the pull-up bar and dip bar have a maximum weight capacity of up to 400 lbs each.
This makes it clear that apart from the 72 inches height, users need another 12 inches of clearance space up to the ceiling to perform pull-ups using the pull-up bar; otherwise, you will end up with a concussion in your head.
The back of the power rack is provided with weight storage pegs that increase the unit’s overall stability and utility.
The Rep Fitness short power rack is sturdy and durable as it comes with black powder coating and J-cups with a plastic covering that gives a perfect look to this budget power rack and protects bar knurling.
The laser-cup holes present at a 2-inch spacing throughout the rack’s length are numbered at every 5th hole, and the unit comes with an extra bar holder in the front for safety.
Pros
- The power rack comes with two pull up bars: 1.25 inch and 2-inch grips
- 6 ft high, making it suitable for low-ceiling rooms
- Durable and stable with a high-quality finish
- Weight storage pegs improve the utility and safety of the rack
- Comes mostly assembled
Cons
- It does not come with a dip attachment or bench
- Not compatible with REP lat/row attachment due to its short height
5. Topeakmart 45-70.5in Adjustable Squat Rack
This 440 lbs capacity power rack comes with a rock-solid steel body and 14 adjustable height (45-70.5 inches / 114-179 cm), making it one of the best low power racks to purchase for your low-ceiling homes.
The frame and construction have been well done as the rack is built with a heavy-duty and premium-quality steel frame that assures durability and sturdiness. Also, the feet pads of this extremely affordable squat rack are equipped with anti-skid to avoid damage to the floor and increase security.
This power rack is compatible with all levels of trainers who use both standard and Olympic-sized bars, no matter if you are a beginner trainer, an athlete, or a weight lifter.
Engage yourself in performing various exercises and workouts with the help of the Topeakmart adjustable power rack, which doesn’t disappoint you in terms of muscle building and toning.
This is also an ideal power rack for doing various workout options, right from weight lifting and strength training to CrossFit training and core strengthening.
Pros
- Extremely simple to assemble
- The rack height is adjustable, right from 45-70.5 inches (5 cm gap)
- Sturdy and durable
- Extremely affordable
Cons
- No sturdy and stable as other power racks mentioned above
The Drawbacks of Choosing Short Power Racks
If you decide to go ahead and acquire a short rack, there are a few drawbacks to be aware of.
- When pull-ups, if you don’t account for clearance, you’ll smash your head on the ceiling. This isn’t something you want to figure out when slamming your head against the ceiling.
- Depending on your height, performing pull-ups on a short rack may need hanging from the rack first. It’s a little uncomfortable, but it’s hardly the end of the world.
- When entering or exiting the cage, several customers have reported banging their heads on short rack crossbars. So you might have to cope with ducking into and out of the cage.
Finally, you’ll have to evaluate whether the drawbacks of a short power rack outweigh the benefits in terms of safety and results. While looking at the racks below, read the customer reviews to discover what consumers (both short and tall) have to say about them.
How Tall Is the Ceiling in an Average American Home?
Most American homes/garages have a ceiling height of 8 feet, and we are talking about traditional homes here.
Newly constructed homes have taken care of the ceiling height aspect, ensuring that they have higher ceilings.
But when it comes to basements, new or old don’t matter as most of them have lower ceilings that are only 7 feet high, which means that your power rack should measure not more than 6 feet in height if you are going to set your home gym in your basement.
How Much Clearance to the Ceilings Do I Need to Do a Pull-up?
The extra height needed for performing pull-ups depends on both your height and the ceiling height.
Ensure leaving some extra headspace, at least 12 inches above the power rack, if you plan to fully utilize the pull-up bar, not compromising the range of motion.
It will also help if your power rack holds the pull-up bar a little below the maximum height of the equipment, just like in the TITAN T-2 short power rack.
Is It Possible to Cut Down a Power Rack?
You may be shifting to a low-ceiling house that cannot accommodate your older power rack. If so, you might even think about cutting it to match your ceiling height.
It is, in fact, possible to cut your rack to suit your height requirements. After cutting, though, you might be required to drill a few extra holes.
Final Thoughts
When home gyms are becoming popular, especially when most people set up home gyms in their garages or basements, choosing a low-ceiling power rack (a must for most home gym users) is necessary unless you want to put your power rack outside.
Power racks are mostly tall, and choosing a short rack needs much probing. The Rogue SML-1 power rack is a killer choice for people with low ceilings room.
It’s affordable, the specifications are unmatchable, and the pull-up bar is even placed below the top of the power rack, giving users extra clearance space to do pull-ups.
Whatever might be your final choice to ensure that the power rack you choose fits your maximum height, is durable and sturdy, and above all, fits your bill.
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