With this post, we wanted to check what is the best power rack with lat pulldown attachment.
But what are the benefits of having a power rack in the first place?
What should you consider before getting one?
And why would you even want it to have a lat attachment?
We're gonna go through these questions, but first here's the final list of our research.
What Are The Benefits Of A Power Rack?
1. It Reduces the Risk of Injury and Allows You to Workout Safely Alone
The first and probably the most important benefit of the power rack is that it allows you to workout alone safely.
It does so with the help of the safety bars whose sole purpose is to act as your spotter.
In case you don't truly understand the importance of having a spotter, this research found that 42% of in-gym injuries involve the use of free weights.
Another 3 and 2.5% caused by doing squats, deadlifts, and bench press respectively.
Now I know that doesn't sound as much, but an injury caused from doing squats is not something easy.
On the other hand, when you bench press or squat inside of a power rack, you have the safety bars to rely on.
You feel you can't complete the rep? Let go of the weight bar and let the safety bars do their thing, which is saving your ass.
Knowing so will allow you to focus more on the exercise you're doing, rather than worrying whether or not you're going to hurt yourself.
And here's a GOOD example of a BAD power rack not doing its job.
2. It Makes the Workout Easier
A good power rack can make your life a whole lot easier.
How so?
Let's say you're getting ready for squats.
If you don't have a power rack, you'll have to lift the weighted bar from the ground, press it over your head and lay it on the back of your neck.
Besides being a complete waste of good energy, it's not very safe.
When you have a power rack, all you have to do is to unrack the bar and you're good to go.
Easier and safer, and you don't waste energy trying to get in position, which means more energy goes to the exercise you're doing.
3. One More Rep
the safe environment the power rack provides will allow you to push yourself to the limit.
In simple words, it will allow you to get your muscles to their failure point, which is essential to muscle building.
Think about it this way, with a power rack you can actually try and squeeze an extra rep, knowing you can bail if you fail.
Furthermore, you could add more weight to the bar, and test yourself from workout to workout.
In the long run, this will allow you to gain more weight and muscle, even if you're "just" working out at home.
4. It's (Almost) Like Having A Full Home Gym Setup
The fact is, a power rack can add a lot of versatility to your workouts.
Throw a weight bench in the middle, add a dip attachment, add a second weight bar, get one with pull-up bar.
And, guess where I'm going with this, you can eve add a lat pulldown attachment.
You're basically getting a home gym equipment that will allow you to do full body workouts.
Which brings me to the next point.
5. It Saves You Money And Space
Serving as a multi purpose/function fitness equipment might also mean you can skip on buying other expensive machines.
Obviously it depends on your goals and needs.
But, if you're an average weight lifter, casual exerciser, or someone who just wants to keep in shape, a power rack can most certainly do.
You don't need a cable machine, or a standalone lat pulldown machine, since you already have one multi purpose equipment.
It also means you don't need a lot of room for all types of fitness machines and equipment.
What Are The Benefits Of A Lat Pulldown Attachment?
1. You Get the Benefits of Pull-Ups Without Actually Doing Pull-Ups
The movement of your body when you're doing lat pulldown resembles that's of a pull-up.
The difference, of course, is that when you do a lat pulldown, you're stationary and it's the weight plates that move.
In short, it means you get to profit off the benefits of the more advanced and harder to do pull-ups, without actually doing them.
2. It Adds Versatility to Your Workouts
I probably shouldn't tell you that doing the same thing over and over again can get you bored over time.
And that as a result, your motivation level might decrease, hurting your progress, and results.
A lat pulldown attachment can add versatility aspect to your workout sessions.
How?
First of all, there are plenty of "add-ons" you can add to it.
Different handles (D/V Handles), bars, straps, etc.
These will enable you to spice things up, pretty much in every workout you have.
They will also increase the amount of exercises you can do with the lat attachment.
Furthermore, you can change your grip, or even do a different version of an exercise. (Think rear pulldown)
Finally, you can get more done in less time.
The fact is that lat pulldown is a multi-joint exercise.
When you do it you move your elbows, shoulders, and scapula.
With just one exercise, you're able to work several muscles in your body.
Which brings us to....
3. There Are More than Enough Muscles Involved
Lat pulldown is a compound exercise, and as such it will work several muscles in your body.
The main one would be the latissimus dorsi.
This one large muscle extends from the back of your torso, to under your arms and across the ribs.
Which makes it the one that's in charge of spine and shoulder mobility.
To put it in context, you use your lats in your everyday life.
When you throw a ball when you bend, flex, twist, lift, you're using the lats.
It's also the muscle that will give your body that V-shape you probably want so much.
But In addition to the latissimus dorsi, a lat pulldown will also work your:
- Triceps
- Biceps
- Trapezius
- Forearms
- Shoulders
(For the full list of muscles worked in lat pulldown click here)
But the great thing about having a lat attachment is that you can do a ton of other exercises with it.
Triceps push-down, extensions, upright cable rows and cable rope face pull are just a few examples of exercises you can do with a lat attachment.
If we talk about adding a versatility aspect to your workouts, a lat attachment might worth pointing out.
Since they can really give you a boost in the number of exercises and muscles you can target.
What to Look for in a Power Rack
We already covered this in our best power rack for home gym guide, so let's do a quick recap.
1. Max Weight Load
Let's be honest for a sec.
We're talking about a home power rack, not on a commercial grade one.
However, despite being fitness equipment for home use, it's noteworthy that even cheap power racks can offer you a max weight capacity of 1,000 lbs.
So, whether you're an average Joe or a serious bodybuilder, it shouldn't be a problem to find one that will suit your needs.
But, in addition to the max weight the rack can handle, I would also advise you to check the weight capacity of its attachments.
Since you'll find that the pull-up bar, J-hooks, safety bars, dips attachment, have different weight capacity.
So make sure everything checks with you, and your needs.
2. Available Height Positions
The next thing we would want to consider is the number of height positions the power rack offers.
The height positions holes are what you'll use to set the height of the J-Hooks, safety bars, and sometimes, even the attachments.
We've talked about the safety aspect that the power rack adds to your workout, and the number of the height positions is a big factor in the equation.
Not enough positions to choose from, and you'll have trouble setting the bar for an easy and safe unracking, and you might have trouble finding the sweet spot for the safety bars.
3. Increment (Space) Between Each Height Position
Another important factor that correlates with the number of height positions is the space between each position.
Our power rack should have no more than 2" space between height positions.
Though the ideal space is between ½” to 1”.
Why is that?
Well, let's say for example that you have a rack with 2" increment between the height positions.
And now you're setting the rack for a bench press.
If, as a result from high increment between the height positions holes, the J-hooks are too high for you to reach, it means that the unracking of the bar is not that safe, if at all.
Furthermore, if the safety bars also set too high, (because of the 2 or 3" space) it might mean you'll bang the bar on the safety holes when you bring it down.
If the position of the safety bars is too low, you might not get any help from them in case you get stuck.
Unfortunately, most power racks for home offer the standard 2" space.
But, they also offer a sufficient amount of height positions that increase the chance for you getting an accurate height adjustment.
Otherwise, they would be out of the "racks for home business".
4. Footprint
As it is, power racks already take up quite a space.
But, power racks with lat pulldown attachment take up even more.
That's due to the extra space the lat attachment takes in the back, which increases the depth (length) of the rack.
For safety purposes I would say that when you measure the available space in your place, try to allocate an extra 10 to 15" from all sides.
This will not only make it easier for you to load/unload weight, but will also provide you with a safe workout space around the power rack.
5. Does It Have A Stabilizer Or Do You Need To Bolt It Down?
Some power racks you just have to bolt down to the floor to prevent wobbling, or worse, you taking it down when you rack/unrack the bar, or when you do pull-ups.
However, if the rack has a stabilizer, in most cases it will mean you don't have to bolt it down, and the stabilizer alone will make sure the rack doesn't wobble.
This isn't a must to have feature, unless of-course you don't want to start drilling holes in your floor.
6. Attachments
Having a lat attachment sure is nice, especially right from the start.
But, you want your power rack to have enough attachments you can choose from and add to it as you progress.
- Cable Crossover
- Dips Station
- Chin-Up Bar
- Resistance Bands
- weight Plate pegs
- landmines
Why?
Simply because more attachments mean more exercises you can do with your rack.
More exercises = Extra versatility = More muscles worked = More fun & motivation in the long run = More gain & muscles.
Obviously its a question of personal goals and needs, but, it's good to have the option.
5 Best Power Racks With Lat Pulldown Attachment
Interestingly enough, despite the fact that power racks are pretty popular, you don't see that many that come with lat attachment from the box.
But, knowing the benefits of both we just had to do our own research to help our readers find the best power rack with lat pulldown attachment.
It wasn't easy, especially because we're limited to a specific type of racks.
In this case, ones that have a lat attachment.
As usual, we follow our own guidelines when it comes to how we actually analyze the different options on the market.
To sum them up:
- It Has To Have Decent Weight Capacity
- Plenty Of Height Positions
- Increment Between Height Positions
- Extra Attachments We Can Add
- Features We Would Like To Have (Like Stabilizer, Low Row Station, Pull-Up Bar, Weight Plate Pegs, Etc)
So, let's start.
1. Valor Fitness BD-7 Power Rack W/LAT Pull Attachment
The Valor Fitness BD-7 is definitely one of our favorites.
First of all, it's got a decent max weight capacity of 800 lbs.
But more importantly, it's got 27 height positions with 1" increment between them.
This is great because it will allow you to set the safety bars and bar holders at an accurate height that will match your size and needs.
What's not so great, is that the lowest height position starts at 17", and the highest position end at 68".
It would've been better to have full height positions throughout the upright bars.
The lat attachment supports up to 250 lbs of weight, which is pretty much the standard out there.
Furthermore, the low row station will add a few more exercises you can do with this rack.
Another noteworthy feature is the plate pegs that will help you add or remove weight from the bar quickly, so you won't lose any momentum.
The BD-7 has 4 of them, so storing plates will also won't be a problem.
And in the future, in case you'll want to boost your setup, you can add the Valor cable crossover attachment to take your workouts one step further.
Finally, the BD-7 has a great price to value ratio, which is why it's our best on the budget choice.
Pros
Cons
2. Rep Power Rack – PR-1000
The PR-1000 from Rep Fitness is a step up from the BD-7.
First of all, it supports up to 1,000 lbs of rackable weight, 400 lbs for the pull-up bar, and 400 lbs for the dip attachment.
Speaking of, the dip attachment is one of its benefits.
Having something like the dip attachment is great, not only because it targets your chest, triceps, and shoulders, but also because it will help you mix your upper-body workouts.
And despite having 2" increment between the height position holes, the PR-1000 has plenty of them, 28 to be precise.
The good thing is that they run from bottom to top, so you can even do floor presses.
The lat pulldown attachment supports up to 250 lbs, nothing special, but should be enough for home users.
The real surprise is the 26" depth it's got, which is more than 24" the Rouge R-3 offers.
So, it's safe to say that you won't have any trouble with inside exercises, like bench press or squats.
Another cool thing about it is that it has two pull-up bars, one skinny and one fat.
The "fat" one is really helpful if you have large hands because sooner than later you would've found out that the skinny one hurts your hands.
Overall, the PR-1000 is a highly versatile power rack that can take pretty much everything you throw its way.
Pros
Cons
3. Merax Athletics Fitness - LAT PullDown power rack
This power rack from Merax Athletics is also a good option you might want to consider if you're on a budget.
Like the rest on this list, it's a got a lat attachment and a low-row station you can use to work your back, biceps, triceps and more.
This one might look like the BD-7 from valor, but the are some differences between the two.
For starters, this rack has 21 height positions with 2" increment between each one.
Next, it's a bit smaller than the BD-7, not by much but, if you don't have much room, it might just do the difference.
But, like the BD-7, the lat attachment on the Merax can support up to 250 lbs of weight.
The safety bars can take up to 800 lbs, which again, might be more than enough for you if you're a casual lifter.
You'll also find the same 4 weight plate pegs that will allow you to store plates near you, and will help you change the plates quickly and easily.
Bottom line is, you'll want to consider this rack if the BD-7 won't fit in your place.
Pros
Cons
4. Fitness Reality - X-Class Light Commercial Power rack
The X-Class from fitness is at the light commercial level that might be too much for you if you're an average lifter.
Nevertheless, its price and overall quality are just too much for us to ignore.
First of all, this rack supports up to 1,500 lbs of weight, and that's also the weight the safety bars can handle, which is quite impressive.
Speaking of, this one has two sets of safety bars, one long and one short.
But, that might not even be the coolest part about it.
Since the lat attachment (and the low-row) of the X-Class can hold up to 360 lbs of weight, almost more than any other rack.
And, it also means there's more room for you to progress as you build your lats with this rack.
It also comes with dips attachment that can support up to 600 lbs, but unlike the one on the PR-1000, this one has an adjustable width.
Which will allow you to do close/wide dips.
And, since 600 lbs are a high limit, nothing's stopping you from adding weights to your dips.
Another thing we liked about it is that it has two pull-up bars, and, that they are height adjustable.
Its inside depth is 35", which means this rack offers the safest and most "open" inside exercises space.
But, it also means that it's too damn large, which is its biggest downside.
I said it's a light commercial grade, right?
Pros
Cons
5. HulkFit - Multi-Function Adjustable Power rack
The HulkFit 1000 is yet another affordable rack that comes with a lat attachment.
Though it has some drawbacks, it's still a force to be reckoned with.
First of all, and probably most impressively, its lat attachment can hold up to 500 lbs.
This is by far the heaviest weight capacity a lat attachment can handle from all of the models we've checked.
Needless to say that there's plenty of room to progress with this rack and its lat pulldown attachment.
And like the X-Class and the PR-1000, this one also comes with dips attachment, which will help you mix your upper body workout a bit.
Another cool thing we liked about it is its reasonable footprint size.
In fact, it's the smallest power rack on our list.
Which might be great for you, if extra free space is not something you can spare.
The HulkFit has only one pull-bar, but, the good thing about it is that it's a multi-grip one.
Basically, it will allow you to mix your pull-ups by changing grips.
Our major issues with it are the fact that it only has 17 height positions and 3" increment between them.
And despite having a promising name, the max weight capacity of this rack is 600 lbs.
These three cons are what's holding the HulkFit back from turning into a real professional power rack.
Nevertheless, it's still a great power rack, especially when considering its price.
Pros
Cons
Our Pick For The Best Power Rack With Lat Pulldown Attachment
Our pick for the best power rack with lat attachment would have to be the X-Class from Fitness Reality.
Being light commercial grade equipment might make it too much for you.
And of course, the main downside of being light commercial equipment is its size.
However, if you have the space for it, I would say you should seriously consider it.
For a couple of reasons, but above all, home or commercial grade, we want our power rack to add safety and versatility aspects to our workouts.
The X-Class checks both of these boxes.
First of all, It probably handles more weight than you need, which will be useful in the long run in case you really get into business.
And the fact that it comes with two safety bars sets that also support up to 1,500 lbs is impressive and will help you switch exercises quickly and easily.
In addition, the lat attachment can take up to 360 lbs, which is more than what most power racks with lat attachment offer.
The width adjustable dips attachment is useful and will help you diversify your upper-body workouts.
Furthermore, it has a decent number of height positions with 2" increment between them.
To close this one up, we have to say that we had a hard time choosing between the X-Class and the PR-1000.
We eventually went with the X-Class simply because it's stronger, and has far more perks than the PR-1000.
Check the X-Class here.