I feel I’m too short for my gym’s power rack

[magnusnr]

Hey everyone,

I’m doing back squats at my gym’s rogue fitness power rack station. I’m 5’2”, and am doing deep squats. When I go down, the bar hits the top of the spotter arms, even when lowered to it’s lowest setting.

Has any other short ladies had this problem? How can I resolve it without the need of an actual spotter?

 

[dxblorna]

@magnusnr If you decide to squat outside the rack, practice failing with an empty bar. There are videos that teach the technique and your practice sessions will encourage your gym to invest in more accommodating setups since this is a noisy activity.

 

[dawn16]

@magnusnr Its definitely possible. The ones at my gym are like this and the guards are way to tall for me.

 

[sophie22]

@magnusnr I'm not sure which Rogue rack your gym has, but if the spotter arms are too high, does the rack come with pin safeties? The pins can be set lower than the arms.

If your gym does not have suitable equipment for you to squat safely, talk to the manager about obtaining the necessary equipment. Show them your issues with the current equipment and stress that adding a decent squat setup for shorter people promotes a more inclusive atmosphere for women. It's worth a shot.

Good Luck!

 

[magnusnr]

@sophie22 Here is the photo of the power rack. Sorry it’s not the greatest, I pulled it from my squat video. It’s Hammer Strength, not Rogue. Sorry for that misinformation.

 

[sophie22]

@magnusnr My gym has the same half rack, but included is a solid wood lifting platform which gives another 3 inches in height. Ask the gym manager if he can purchase and install the platform so you can squat safely. This is not an unreasonable ask. Good Luck!

 

[y2pjwk]

@sophie22 Yes, this. Maybe OP could share a picture of the rack, but all the images of Rogue racks I can find online have the pin safeties. I use those 100% of the time for squats and didn't even know the racks came with arms.

 

[algernon22]

@magnusnr I squat in this rack too and I'm your height. First I'd make sure your form is all good and that's not the reason for hitting the safeties. If not, I agree with looking up how to bail the bar safely and going without. For big squat days I'll ask a friend to come with me or ask a friendly person.

 

[jynxiboo]

@magnusnr Does your gym have floor mats? You can stack up some and stand on those mats to squat.

 

[bezmar]

@jynxiboo Do NOT do this. You want a stable flat surface, not a soft squishy surface. This is not safe to squat on!!

 

[jynxiboo]

@bezmar The gym flooring type of mats? Not the exercise mats of course.

 

[bezmar]

@jynxiboo shrug. never been in a gym that has spare floor mats, personally, that weren't already a part of the floor itself.

 

[magnusnr]

@jynxiboo They don’t have the rubber mats. They have yoga type foam mats but I’m not about to use them all to give me an inch

 

[jynxiboo]

@magnusnr Oh yeah, definitely do not use the yoga mats. You need something sturdy to stand on when you squat.

Seems a bit far fetched, Any chance you have big planks in your gym?

If not, you'll need a spotter, or be mindful of the weight you're squatting. Like try not to attempt weights that are going to make you curve forwards. Or practice the fails where you throw the bar backwards as you walk forwards.

 

[magnusnr]

@jynxiboo I don’t think so, or at least not as I’ve seen.

There are two other racks without spotter arms that have j hooks. I could use that (they were what I used before). Is it poor etiquette to keep using the power rack without arms since it’s the only one available to other members? I’d feel bad using it unless it was the only one available.

 

[zb1995]

@magnusnr Someone’s going to use it, why not you?

 

[magnusnr]

@zb1995 Because...merp. I’m too nice. Lol
I figure if I can use the other racks that don’t have the arms since I’m not using them anyway, I will just use those.
I’m new to the gym, still getting used to some etiquette and use.

 

[dawn16]

@magnusnr I'm 5'0 and can't use my gym's powerracks either. They do have removeable safety arms at another section that I have to manually set up in between steel poles. Look around or ask the staff if maybe there's another way?

Look up how to fail squats safely. There are a ton of videos on youtube.

You can also ask for a spot. Ask random dudebro. Their egos purr like a kitten and you get to squat heavy. Win-win.

 

[auna]

@magnusnr My solution is just to not use spotter arms. Risky maybe, but I've only failed 2 squats in nearly 3 years, for one I was sleep deprived and the other was my like, 20-somethingth rep of an AMRAP. If somethings too heavy for you, just bail out before you hit depth.

 

[dreis]

@magnusnr Can you stand on a plate to give yourself a couple of inches