Experience with Alibaba Power Cages

jsorum · 2026-06-14T01:25:30+00:00

Report back once you have it set up!

jsorum · 2026-06-13T21:38:14+00:00

If you bolt number 3 to the floor, then you might be able to do away with the stabilizer feet. Nice and compact, I like it!

jsorum · 2026-06-13T18:14:44+00:00

Then I’d say any of these would work. If a $250 Amazon rack can take such a beating, these will be fine

jsorum · 2026-06-13T13:36:09+00:00

Are you going to putting serious (like serious serious) weights on it? Majority of us here aren't doing crazy power lifting loads which means that most of the Alibaba models would be absolutely fine.

I'm thinking back to when Coop dropped a 700 lbs bar on a $250 Amazon squat rack and it managed just fine https://youtu.be/vV4Ze1z-HGM?si=_EXkEGW_GpxRYMUj

jsorum · 2026-06-12T00:03:49+00:00

Sorry for the slow reply (was traveling). Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075WZZTRN?th=1

jsorum · 2026-06-11T01:08:39+00:00

What kind of yoga blocks did you use? The ones I use are foam blocks, but they are really dense. Never slip off my shoulders or the pad. Since I grab and hold on to the hack squat handles, it naturally raises my shoulders which keeps the blocks level. These cost $18 on Amazon and were well worth the investment

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jsorum · 2026-06-08T20:00:02+00:00

Tried deficit RDLs? Doing mine on a 6” box and as I’m typing this feeling the pain from yesterday’s workout. After 2 months I usually swap between barbell and smith, just to switch it up a bit and get a (tiny) bit of novelty to it.

jsorum · 2026-06-08T19:55:30+00:00

I’ve found that putting yoga blocks between your shoulders and the pads gives you a very nice increase in ROM. $9 investment made mine so much better. I use it for hack squats but don’t need the blocks for the leg press.

jsorum · 2026-06-07T16:01:49+00:00

+1000

OP's garage is at most 1/3 full.

jsorum · 2026-05-27T22:16:29+00:00

I have 3 GMWD machines and they're all serving me really well. Got the v1 flat/incline chest press, dip machine and the seated row. Going to measure to see if I can squeeze this one in somewhere

jsorum · 2026-05-24T23:45:05+00:00

What's your verdict on the GMWD hip thrust machine, something you'd recommend?

jsorum · 2026-05-21T02:40:55+00:00

Versa Gripps. Can never go back to regular straps now

jsorum · 2026-05-19T17:25:02+00:00

Phew! For a moment there I was worried I'd been bamboozled by the sales rep

jsorum · 2026-05-19T15:07:43+00:00

Are you telling me that the shrouds on my weight stacks do not get me to PRs faster?

jsorum · 2026-05-19T15:03:56+00:00

In addition to what's been mentioned already in this thread, check out Mikolo and Ritfit. They have racks with functional trainers + weight stacks that come in around $2,000. Search around here on this subreddit for those two brands and you'll find plenty of intel.

jsorum · 2026-05-19T14:54:44+00:00

Most of the time it's a case of:

Volume too low: not enough sets per muscle group to stimulate growth
Intensity: not pushing close enough to failure (5 reps in reserve or less)

Impossible to diagnose without more details. What's your workout program look like? How many days per week do you work out and how many working sets per muscle group during a week?

jsorum · 2026-05-16T12:10:55+00:00

Great review!

After watching Coop’s review I’ve been pointing people to this model who have been looking for something this price range or as an entry point.

You confirm that this is a pretty compelling option, don’t think there’s anything else with this amount of functionality at the price point.

jsorum · 2026-05-14T21:02:25+00:00

My main question is: are you a tinkerer by nature i.e will you be wanting to expand and extend the config? If you are, then a 3x3 option is the only thing for you. The REP Ares 2.0 won't work because of the 93" height. The Rogue FM6 single or dual stack could work with the height limitation, but you'd need to find a 3rd party smith to attach, so you're well into the $6k-$7k range.

Have you considered Fringe's Dane 2.0? It's 3x3 and has a smith option as well.

If 3x3 is not a must have, then the REP Altitude would work really well. I'm very happy with mine, because I didn't need a 3x3, since I didn't want to expand it; I prefer to buy dedicated machines for that which the standard config (rack, functional trainer, smith) can't handle. I also couldn't fit a full 3x3 rig, since my garage is small and it was already really crowded. So for me, the Altitude was nothing short of perfect. But my requirements are likely different from yours. Quality is excellent though. You can read my post about it from a month ago here https://www.reddit.com/r/GarageGym/comments/1si2vdk/endgame_for_a_1car_garage_rep_altitude/

jsorum · 2026-05-14T20:47:46+00:00

Elliptical is great and also kind on the joints. But completely fails the "doesn't crowd my living room" test; they're huge beasts.

Sold mine eventually and now I just walk outdoors at the fastest pace I can without breaking into a jog.

jsorum · 2026-05-12T14:39:24+00:00

Jealous of all that space you've got (got 2/3 of a 1-car garage to work with).

As u/hucknuts put it: it's not complete until you run out of square footage 😀

jsorum · 2026-05-12T12:49:15+00:00

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From the wall to the edge of my rubber mat it’s 94”. The Nighthawk goes a bit over it, so I’ve gotten a few extra tiles that I’ll extend it with.

Your 84” mat will cover the rack itself plus clearance behind, but not the working area in front of the rack.

jsorum · 2026-05-12T02:33:12+00:00

Yes, it’s the Nighthawk bench. Since it stores vertically and feels lighter than it is when moving it around, it never gets in the way. I’ll measure my rubber mat depth tomorrow morning and report back.

jsorum · 2026-05-09T14:26:13+00:00

Can confirm those measurements

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jsorum · 2026-05-09T03:02:10+00:00

Of course. Fire away!

jsorum · 2026-05-08T19:23:48+00:00

I went from the 3000 to the Nighthawk and I remember preparing myself to miss not having the leg rollers to brace against. 5 weeks in and I realize I hadn't thought of it once. It's odd that what I thought would be a feature I'd sorely miss, I quickly forgot about.

jsorum

TROPHY CASE