Reddit reviews Valor Fitness BD-9 Independent Power Squat Stands with Adjustable Uprights, J-Hooks, Bar Catches, and Safety Catches

you're gonna be hard pressed to find a full cage under that price point.

i used valor fitnessbd-9 power squat stands up until my squat started breaking 300 lbs for reps. after that point, not having full safety bars was getting dicey.

if you're willing to go up to $250, i've been using the fitness reality 810XLT for well over a year, and it's held up beautifully.

• I have the Euro bar and I like it a lot. I do wish it had a little more whip, but then again, I'm not lifting a ton of weight (100/120ish).
  
  
• Stall mats: See if there's a tractor supply store near you. Horse stall mats are like $40 for a 4' x 6' x 0.75" piece.
  
  
• Squat stand: I got this one from Amazon. It's kinda shaky but I've never had a problem and it's rated for 500lbs. It also comes with arms that attach to the stands for benching.
  
  
• Most important item: A chair to sit on between sets

Valor Fitness BD-9


Here they are in use.

I have this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006CW02ZS/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I only use it to do squats, I don't do bench press. I think it could work well. I am only 5'1" and the smallest setting works perfect for me. I don't go anywhere close to failure either so I don't worry to much about the safeties

This machine will not mimic free weights. But depending on your goals you might not need or want free weights - a machine could definitely get and keep you pretty well toned.

If your concern is space, there are lots of options, though. For example, I have a system that totally slides/rolls/folds away out of sight when I am done: dumbbells, a standalone bench, etc. There's even for example these things.

Squat stands also: http://www.amazon.com/Valor-Fitness-BD-9-Power-Squat/dp/B006CW02ZS/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1394058999&sr=1-1&keywords=squat+stand

is there any way you can spend 180 to get squat stands? If so there are some great squat stands on sale for 180 that can hold a lot of weight. and it takes up no room. the one i have has a safety catch too.

mysquatstand

now if youre squatting heavier than 550 or benching more than 300 or close to those numbers, this isn't for you, otherwise its really great.

I have these squat stands: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006CW02ZS/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I paid $150 for them, apparently they went up in price since then.

These stands have some pros and cons.

Pros:

• Relatively inexpensive (at least when I got them)
  
• They are easy to move, in case you decide to rearrange or relocate your home gym.
  
  Cons:
  
  
• You need to have at least 25 lbs of weight on each storage peg at the bottom to provide stability
  
• The safety catch is kind of small, not much of a problem for bench press but for squats it may be an issue.
  
  I also have a bench that I bought years ago (I used to work out with dumbbells until I got the barbell and stands 6 months ago).

I have the Valor Fitness BD-9 since I’m very tight on space and constantly need to move it around. While I recommend it, I am looking forward to upgrading to a full cage when I have the space

I bought these Valor squat racks:

http://www.amazon.com/Valor-Fitness-BD-9-Power-Squat/dp/B006CW02ZS/

But I'm also use it for benching. The room I have it in is way too small for a 7' bar. I think 5' is the longest that could fit in there without putting holes in the walls.

I bought these squat stands and I love them.

Yep, T2. I was going to get the T3, but right before I clicked the buy button, I decided to measure. Glad I did, the height clearance wouldn't have worked where I wanted to put it.

I rocked a pair of Valor BD-9 Squat stands for a bit (I still have them), but man was it dicey upwards of 295. There were a couple of occasions where I thought I was going to be toast when re-racking.

Good point on the safety bars. I'd prefer straps, but this seems much more cost friendly. Thanks for the tip.

That weight bench: "It has a 250-pound maximum user weight and a maximum combined user weight and lift load of 430 pounds." I don't know what you weigh, but I'd be pushing up against that limit really fast. Heaven forbid you want to do some very heavy partial reps.

But right now, you're limited to 300lbs by the bar, which is just to low. I would buy less, but buy better (to keep money the same)

Buy the bar new, and get something that can take up to 1000lbs. You won't need it, probably ever, but it will last and last, and you can sell it when you're done.

Buy the weights off of Craigslist. You can usually find them for $0.5/lb. YOu can also optimize, buying more 5s and 45s, fewer 35s.

If money is really tight, consider getting squat stands (like the BD-9). You can bench just fine, as long as you are sensible. Also they are stowable, unlike the powercage.

Head on over to /r/homegym for some more ideas.

A plain squat rack will work for you. You could use something as simple as this: http://amzn.com/B006CW02ZS

As for the floor, There's 400 pound people, if two of them hugging doesn't break a floor I don't think a squat rack will. For overhead press you can take it outside most of the year, otherwise seated is the next best option.

This works out well for me for squats at home:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006CW02ZS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Might work well for you since you mentioned compact. g/l!

Couple of things.

• I often don't eat enough. Used to be fat, don't want to be again. Heck, I'm not exactly skinny now, no showing abs and still some lovehandles. But I kind of need those calories. Without them my lifts stall or I injure myself.
  
  
• T2 Diabetes. Recovery sucks for me, I heal slowly, and it's a lot easier for me to strain something and be out of commission for days, if not weeks. This has improved though since I started supplementing with celery seed for potassium, and creatine.
  
  
• I probably don't sleep enough. Maybe 6.5 - 7 hours a night. That's just normal for me though. I often wake up naturally after about 7 hours of sleep. Plus, let's face it, life can be busy, and something's gotta give.
  
  
• Laziness with calorie counting/macro management. As a diabetic, I have enough work on my plate managing my blood sugar and energy levels. I should be counting calories and ensuring I reach my macros, but I honestly have no clue. I just eat a high protein/low carb diet and kind of wing it.
  
  
• Not owning a squat rack, and not willing to pay for a gym membership. Limits how much I can back squat right now, and I'm just doing variations, like last night it was hack squat, and clean to front squats. Will hopefully change that in the near future by buying one of these. Main issue I haven't gotten a rack is because my apartment is small, but that should fit in a corner when not in use.
  
  With all the above, I'm practically the poster child of what not to do. All this said though, I'm still getting it done. Not just sitting on my ass doing nothing, so I got that going for me. I'm in good health, pretty fit now, and happy with myself, which is way more than I could say two years ago. So I guess I've met my goals, and now I need new ones. :)

You can stack up squat stands when not in use, mine seem pretty stable with 300# on them and 95# sitting on each post.

http://www.amazon.com/Valor-Fitness-BD-9-Power-Squat/dp/B006CW02ZS

People are assuming you want to squat from bench press height. Definitely squat from the proper height... I assumed you're looking at something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Valor-Fitness-BD-9-Power-Squat/dp/B006CW02ZS

They're also correct that you'll probably get complaints though.

I use a version of these by Valor and they are quite sturdy as long as you have at least a 25lb plate on the peg, preferably more. I don't have any stability issues with bench, and the price is great.

https://www.amazon.com/Valor-Fitness-BD-9-Power-Squat/dp/B006CW02ZS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1543423508&sr=8-3&keywords=valor+squat+stand

I have a mental block from squatting heavy, but no such problem for deadlift. It comes from the weight being on my back. With a heavy deadlift, I can just drop the weight and fail the rep. With a squat that's too heavy, I'm pretty much fucked cause I have these baby squat stands.

Two questions:

1. Is it normal to have that mental block for heavy squats?
   
2. With this particular stand, which way should I face when squatting? (for optimal safety)

Dumbell squats

Dumbell squats 2.

Plenty of ways to do squats without a power rack.

There's also these handy things if you want barbell squats and save space.

I have a studio apartment and use a half rack (something kind of like this but not exactly). Then I have an adjustable bench that goes under it. It's great for squats and benching. Then I have a custom-built narrow deadlift platform made of plywood topped with foam. You don't really need a huge platform unless you want to do Oly lifts, which probably isn't happening in your apartment.

If I were to do it again, I'd probably go even smaller (and cheaper) by getting squat stands like these. A rack is probably a little sturdier, but the stands are more versatile. You could probably rig them up to do dips off of, which is something I don't currently have equipment for.