If you train in an unfinished basement or garage and want to add a power rack and a chinning apparatus to your home gym, perhaps the conceptual design depicted below will interest you. This rack is relatively inexpensive to build, and its construction requires only basic carpentry skills and tools. It is made primarily from two-by-four lumber.

It is not necessary to secure this device to your basement floor. Just make sure that the rack rests firmly on the ground before securing the top portion of it to the ceiling joists. It can be secured to the joists with wood screws, bolts, or c-clamps. I prefer to use c-clamps because they allow you to secure and move the rack easily with no damage to the joists.

Note that the “Basement Muscle Builder” takes up relatively little floor space, and its safety boards and chinning bar both can easily be adjusted to desired height. The chinning bar is secured in a V-notch, and this design allows a bar of any desired diameter (within reason) to be used. It also allows for the bar to be quickly removed or attached, a rather convenient feature.

This muscle-building apparatus may be simple in form, but it is complex in capability. It can be used to safely perform all sorts of power-building exercises, such as barbell squats and bench presses. And, with a little bit of imagination and effort, many attachments can be built for this apparatus to make it even more functional. Think calf machine, lat machine, incline-bench board, incline sit-up board, etc.

Yours in strength and health,
Rob Drucker