The 8 Best Squat Rack Exercises for Beginners + Full-Body Workout

Squat Rack Exercises – Introduction

The 8 Best Squat Rack Exercises for Beginners + Full-Body Workout

Whether you’ve just bought your first squat rack or want to use the one at your local gym, you’ll probably want to know what exercises you can do with what is arguably one of the best pieces of training equipment ever invented.

The answer to this question is actually pretty simple – every barbell exercise!

However, that doesn’t really help if you are a strength training beginner.

So, in this article, we’re going to reveal eight of the best squat rack exercises for beginners and give you a full-body squat rack workout to try.

The 8 Best Squat Rack Exercises for Beginners

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of exercises you can do with a squat rack.

However, some of those exercises are not really suitable for beginners.

Moves like dead-stop bench presses and Anderson squats are awesome, but until you’ve mastered some basics, they’re best left to more experienced lifters.

So, with that in mind, here are the eight best squat rack exercises for beginners:

Assisted Squat Rack Exercises List

1. Barbell back squats
2. Bench Presses
3. Romanian deadlifts aka stiff-legged deadlifts
4. Chin-ups or Pull-ups
5. Barbell overhead presses
6. Bent-over barbell rows
7. Barbell Curls
8. Close grip bench presses

Squat Rack Exercise Descriptions

#1. Barbell back squat

Target muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, core.

The barbell back squat is the king of leg exercises.

Squats will help you reach any fitness goal faster, including building muscle and strength, getting lean, or improving your athleticism.

Using a squat rack means you can work out in complete safety, even if you train to failure.

How to do it:

1. Adjust the J-hooks to just below shoulder height and the side safety bars to around hip height.
2. Place your barbell on the J-hooks.
3. Duck under the bar and rest it across your upper back.
4. Grip it with a slightly wider-than-shoulder-width grip.
5. Brace your abs.
6. Unrack the bar and take 1-2 steps back.
7. Stand with your feet between shoulder and hip-width apart, toes facing the same way as your knees.
8. Bend your legs and squat down until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor.
9. Keep your heels flat on the floor, and do not round your lower back.
10. Stand back up and repeat.
11. On completion, walk forward and rerack the barbell on the J-hooks.

See How to Do Squats Properly With Or Without Weights for more squat tips.

#2. Bench press

Target muscles: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps.

If squats are the king of lower body exercises, then bench presses hold the same title for your upper body.

The bench press is one of the best upper body pressing movements around, and doing it in a squat rack means you can push your chest, shoulders, and triceps to their limit safely and in comfort.

How to do it:

1. Place a flat bench in your squat rack so that, when you lie on it, your eyes are directly beneath the bar.
2. Adjust the height of the J-hooks so you can reach the barbell with a slight bend in your elbows.
3. Lie on the bench with your feet flat on the floor.
4. Reach up and grab the bar using an overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip.
5. Brace your abs, push your upper back into the bench, and lift your chest up toward the bar.
6. Unrack the barbell and hold it over your chest.
7. Bend your elbows and lower the barbell down to lightly touch your sternum.
8. Pull your elbows into your sides as you descend.
9. Drive the bar back up, letting your elbows flare outward as it ascends.

Use The 10 Best Exercises to Improve Your Bench Press Strength for more information on how to get stronger.

#3. Stiff-legged deadlift

Target muscles: Hamstrings, gluteus maximus, erector spinae.

In truth, there aren’t many hamstring exercises you can do with a squat rack.

That said, stiff-legged deadlifts, AKA Romanian deadlifts, are pretty awesome, so that’s not really a problem.

Doing stiff-legged deadlifts in a squat rack will save you from having to start each set with the weight resting on the floor.

How to do it:

1. Set the J-hooks on your squat rack to about mid-thigh height and place your barbell on them.
2. Stand close to the barbell and hold it with an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
3. Lift the bar and take a step back.
4. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, arms straight, and core braced.
5. Without bending your knees further, hinge forward from your hips and lower the weight down the front of your legs.
6. Descend as far as you can without rounding your lower back.
7. Drive your hips forward and stand back up.

Rack pull deadlifts are another excellent deadlift assistance exercise you can do with a squat rack.

See Rack Pull vs Deadlift: The Differences, Benefits + How-To for more details.

#4. Pull-up/chin-up

Target muscles: Latissimus dorsi, biceps, trapezius.

If your squat rack has a top frame, you have everything you need to do two of the best lat and biceps exercises in existence – pull-ups and chin-ups.

No top bar?

No problem!

You may be able to do pull-ups and chin-ups by setting your J-hooks at the top of your squat rack and putting a barbell across them.

Either way, if you can do pull-ups or chin-ups, they deserve a place in your workouts.

How to do it:

1. Grip your overhead bar with a slightly wider-than-shoulder-width overhand grip (pull-ups) or a little narrower-than-shoulder-width underhand grip (chin-ups).
2. Hang with your arms straight and your feet clear of the floor.
3. Pull your shoulders down and back, and brace your abs.
4. Bend your arms and pull your chin up and over the bar.
5. Smoothly extend your arms and repeat.
6. Make this exercise easier by using a resistance band for assistance.
7. Hang your band over the middle of your pull-up bar and then thread it through itself to create a loop.
8. Kneel or stand in the bottom of the loop so the band offsets some of your weight.

#5. Barbell shoulder press

Target muscles: Deltoids, triceps.

If you don’t have a squat rack, doing barbell overhead presses means each set starts with a move called a power clean.

While this can work, it’s a tricky maneuver to master, and could even reduce the amount of weight you can use for the presses.

Doing shoulder presses from a squat rack makes this exercise far more straightforward.

How to do it:

1. Adjust the J-hooks in your squat rack to about shoulder height.
2. Grab the bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
3. Stand close to the bar so your forearms are vertical and your elbows are below your hands.
4. Brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back.
5. Unrack the bar and take 1-2 steps back.
6. Stand with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent but rigid for balance.
7. Without using your legs for assistance, push the bar up and overhead.
8. Lower the bar back down to your shoulders and repeat.
9. Walk forward, rerack the bar, and rest.

#6. Bent-over barbell row

Target muscles: latissimus dorsi, biceps, erector spinae, deltoids.

Like stiff-legged deadlifts, bent-over barbell rows are much easier when you start your set from a squat rack.

This saves you from having to lift the barbell from the floor, which is not just a waste of energy but also potentially the riskiest part of the exercise.

Oh, and by the way, bent-over rows are a superb total back exercise!

How to do it:

1. Set the J-hooks on your squat rack to about mid-thigh height and place your barbell on them.
2. Stand close to the barbell and hold it with an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
3. Lift the bar and take a step back.
4. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, arms straight, and core braced.
5. Next, hinge forward from the hips until your body is inclined to about 45 degrees.
6. Let your arms hang straight down from your shoulders.
7. Without using your legs or lower back for help, bend your arms and row the barbell up and into your abs.
8. Extend your arms and repeat.
9. On completion, stand up straight, walk forward, and rerack the barbell.

#7. Barbell curl

Target muscles: Biceps, forearms.

The biceps are probably the most famous muscle in the human body.

Even non-exercisers can identify this arm muscle.

Barbell curls are one of the best biceps builders around, and they’re much more convenient when you do them in a squat rack.

How to do it:

1. Set the J-hooks on your squat rack to about mid-thigh height and place your barbell on them.
2. Stand close to the barbell and hold it with an underhand, shoulder-width grip.
3. Lift the bar and take a step back.
4. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, arms straight, and core braced.
5. Without using your legs or back to raise the weight, bend your elbows and curl the bar up to your shoulders.
6. Lower the weight back down and repeat.
7. On completion, walk forward, and rerack the barbell.

#8. Close grip bench press

Target muscles: Triceps, pectoralis major, deltoids.

All pressing exercises work your triceps, albeit directly.

Doing bench presses with a narrow grip puts even more pressure on your triceps and less on your chest, making it an effective arm builder.

How to do it:

1. Place a flat bench in your squat rack so that, when you lie on it, your eyes are directly beneath the bar.
2. Adjust the height of the J-hooks so you can reach the barbell with a slight bend in your elbows.
3. Lie on the bench with your feet flat on the floor.
4. Reach up and grab the bar using an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
5. Brace your abs, push your upper back into the bench, and lift your chest up toward the bar.
6. Unrack the barbell and hold it over your chest.
7. Bend your elbows and lower the barbell down to lightly touch your sternum.
8. Keep your elbows close to your sides throughout.
9. Drive the barbell back up and repeat.

Beginner Full-Body Squat Rack Workout

Do you have a squat rack but aren’t sure what to use it for?

No problem!

Do this full-body workout 2-3 times per week to build both strength and muscle size.

But before you begin, take a moment to prepare your muscles and joints for what you are about to do.

Warm up with 5-10 minutes of easy cardio, followed by dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for your knees, hips, lower back, shoulders, and elbows.

Ready?

Then let’s get to work!

Fit Apprentice® Squat Rack Full-Body Workout

*Do band-assisted pull-ups/chin-ups if necessary.

The 8 Best Squat Rack Exercises for Beginners

Squat racks, and their close relative power racks, are very versatile pieces of strength training equipment.

In fact, combined with a barbell, weight plates, and an adjustable bench, they’re everything you need for a full-body workout at home or in the gym.

That said, you can also use a squat rack with a suspension trainer, gymnastic rings, or resistance bands for an even more complete workout.

Some squat racks are also compatible with add-on extras, like landmine attachments, cable pulleys, and dip stations.

So, if you are serious about barbell training, you NEED to train in a squat or power rack.

Not only will your workouts be more convenient and comfortable, but they’ll also be much safer.

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