The power rack is the centerpiece of many home gyms. In a compact home gym it’s a piece of equipment that takes up a lot of space. So which power cage is the best option for a small home gym?
The smallest power racks are the Titan T-2 and T-3. With the Rogue R-3 close behind. Titan Fitness power racks are a good choice for a home gym since they’re compact, sturdy and affordable. They’re also available in different sizes to suit your needs.
Keep reading below to find out what the best option for your situation is.
Contents
Smallest Full Power Racks
Here are the smallest power racks. All of these are very compact but they’re also all very solid choices. There are some differences between the three but you can’t really go wrong with any of them. These are full power racks. If you need something smaller, consider squat stands or a squat rack.
- Titan T-2
- Titan T-3
- Rogue R-3
| Image | Brand | Model | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
  | Titan Fitness | T-2 | Buy on Amazon |
  | Titan Fitness | T-3 | Buy on Amazon |
1. Titan T-2
The Titan T-2 is a very common go-to rack for home gyms. It ticks a lot of the right boxes. They’re compact in the smallest form but they’re also available in deeper and taller versions so everyone can find a version that fits.
They are compact in smallest form and also quite low which means they can fit in basements with low ceilings. It can handle barbells loaded with 850lbs. of weight which should be plenty for 99.9% of people on earth.
They can be placed on a floor with or without being bolted down although if you’re lifting heavy, bolting down is definitely recommended. And finally, they’re relatively cheap which obviously makes them very attractive.
Suggested: How big is a power rack?
2. Titan T-3
The floor dimensions of the T-3 are very similar to the T-2 and so are the features, except two. The main difference is the size of the steel profiles. They’re 2″ x 3″ instead of 2″ x 2″. That means extra strength and sturdiness. This ups the load limit to 1,100 lbs. That means it’s just more solid than the T-2.
The T-3 also has more height adjustment options which means you can really fine tune the height of the J-cups and spotter pegs to your needs. The T-3 is taller than the T-2 so if you’ve got a low ceiling, the T-2 is a better bet.
You might not ever use the full load capacity of the rack but if you come close to the load capacity of the T-2, this is a good upgrade. It’s very similar in strength and material sizing to the R-3 while being a good chunk cheaper.
3. Rogue R-3
There used to be a Rogue RE-3 which was slightly smaller than the Titan racks but it seems to be discontinued. The R-3 is slightly larger than the Titan ones. The R-3 is barely larger than those however, so it really doesn’t matter much.
It’s very, very similar to the Titan T-3 since both of those were modeled after the same original. Rogues fit and finish is on another level though. These are very well built racks that look and feel great. It is a bit shorter than the T-3 as well.
However, those benefits come at a cost. Rogue is a premium brand with a premium price tag that’s a good 25% higher than Titan. On paper the two are very similarly, in practice the Rogue feels better but if that’s worth the price difference is up to you.
Power rack Size List
Just throwing around brands and models of squat cages isn’t very useful without numbers To make it easy for everyone, I’ve compiled a list of the most popular power racks for home gyms and their dimensions. This way everyone can see what we’re talking about.
| Brand | Model | Type | Opening Width (in.) | Total width (in.) | Height (in.) | Depth (in.) | Floor Space (sq. in.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titan Fitness | T-2 Short 36" | Bolt down | 44 | 54 | 71.5 | 44.75 | 2416.5 |
| Titan Fitness | T-2 24" | Bolt down | 44.00 | 54 | 83.00 | 32.75 | 1768.5 |
| Titan Fitness | T-3 Short 24" | Bolt down | 42.12 | %s | 82.25 | 32.75 | 1768.5 |
| Titan Fitness | T-3 36" | Bolt down | 42.12 | %s | 91.12 | 44.75 | 2416.5 |
| Titan Fitness | X3 Short Flat Foot | Free | 42.00 | 50 | 82.00 | 50.00 | 2500 |
| Titan Fitness | X3 Flat Foot | Free | 42.00 | 50 | 92.00 | 50.00 | 2500 |
| Rogue | RML-390C 3.0 | Bolt down | 43.00 | 53 | 90.375 | 40 | 2120 |
| Rogue | RML-490C 3.0 | Bolt down | 43.00 | 53 | 90.375 | 53 | 2809 |
| Rogue | R-3 Shorty | Bolt down | 45.00 | 53 | 84 | 34 | 1802 |
| Rogue | R-3 Standard | Bolt down | 45.00 | 53 | 90 | 34 | 1802 |
| Rogue | RE-3 | Bolt down | 47.00 | 53 | %s | 32 | 1696 |
| Rogue | RML390FL | Free | 54.00 | 50 | %s | 54 | 2700 |
| CAP | Full Cage Rack 6' | Free | 39.62 | 43.62 | 72 | 47.5 | 2071.95 |
| CAP | Full Cage Rack 7' | Free | 39.62 | 43.62 | 84 | 47.5 | 2071.95 |
| Body-Solid | BFPR100 | Free | 43.00 | 47 | 83 | 45 | 2115 |
| TDS | Power rack | Free | 44.00 | 53 | 82.5 | 48 | 2544 |
| REP Fitness | PR1000 | Free | 44.00 | 58 | 84 | 48 | 2784 |
| REP Fitness | PR1100 | Free | 44.00 | 58 | 84 | 47.5 | 2755 |
| Fitness Reality | X-Class | Free | 44.00 | 52 | 86.5 | 86 | 4472 |
| Fitness Reality | 810XLT | Free | 42.00 | 46 | 83.5 | 50.5 | 2323 |
| HulkFit | 1000 | Free | 44.00 | 47 | 81 | 44 | 2068 |
| Average | 43.69 | 51.39 | 84.79 | 46.00 | 2364 |
Smallest Power Rack By Dimension
The list above shows you the dimensions of the most popular power racks. There are a few ways you can define smallest but the size of the footprint is what’s the most important for the majority of people so let’s look at that first.
Down below there are a few other options because those racks stand out in another way than total floor area.
Smallest Power Cage By Foot print
These are the two smallest racks by foot print:
Smallest foot print power cage #1: Rogue RE-3
The smallest foot print in any power rack. It’s super compact and on top of that, it’s a good rack although by Rogue standards it’s on the low end of their range. The good news is that it’s also on the low end of their price range which means it’s in reach of most people’s budgets.
It’s a bit smaller in part because they use 2” by 2” upright posts. That means the outside dimensions will be a bit smaller than with 2” by 3” posts. That means it’s not as sturdy as some other racks but for most people that’s really not an issue.
Attention: The RE-3 is now discontinued but might still be available at some places or second hand.
Smallest foot print power cage #2: Titan Fitness T-2 24” & T-3 24”
In size these racks fall between the R-3 and RE-3 but the differences are very small. The 24” in the name refers to the 24” of depth between the upright posts. That is there because these racks are also available in deeper versions. The 24” version is the shallowest and therefore smallest.
Which one you choose depends mainly on your wallet. Rogue products are awesome and very high quality but also have a price tag to match. Titan racks are quite a bit cheaper and give up a bit of fit and finish but in the end they are very similar racks that will last a very long time.
Narrowest Power Cage
The width is a little less important than depth since you have to fit the barbell as well. If you want to use a full sized barbell, that’s the width between the walls you need (at a bare minimum 87” If you ever want to change plates 100” is better). All full sized barbells will fit on all power racks no problem. If you want to save space and don’t mind to use a shorter (6’) barbell, the width becomes more important. The width you need for the barbell is still more than you need for the rack so that’s not why. A 6’ barbell has a shorter shaft which means not all of them fit on all racks. In that case, you need to check the shaft length your barbell has and if that fit’s the outside dimensions of the rack.
The narrowest is the CAP Barbell Full Cage Rack.(amazon link)
I know that name seems a bit redundant but it’s really called that. It’s a decent rack although for the price you can find better. But if you’re looking for the narrowest, this is the one to get. It will work with most 6’ long barbells.
Shallowest Power Rack
For many people, the total depth is an important dimension that often decides if you can fit a rack or not. The depth is the most important dimension for many home gyms. That’s partly because the width is decided for you so you can only really choose the depth. Many power cages are available in 24”, 30” and 36” depths (that’s the depth inside the upright posts so overall depth will be more). 24” is enough and is obviously the smallest. Most compact power racks have a 24” depth inside the upright posts. That is enough but if you can fit it, 30” is a bit more comfortable. 36” is nice to have but not necessary.
What’s the power rack with the shallowest overall depth?
The Rogue RE-3, Titan T-2 24” and T-3 24” are the shallowest with 32” and 32.75” respectively. Yes, those are the same as the ones with the smallest footprint. So if you get one of those, you’re going to do fine.
Power Rack That Doesn’t Have To Be Bolted Down
You might notice one commonality between all the different racks above. They all have to be bolted to the floor. What if you want a rack that you don’t have to bolt down? There aren’t as many options to begin with and they will take up a bit more space.
Because they don’t have to be bolted down, the bottom braces have to stick out a bit further to create the same stability a bolted down one would have. That means the outside dimensions are a bit larger for the same inside dimensions.
With that said, what’s your best option in this category?
#1: Cap Full Cage Rack (amazon link)
#2: Hulkfit 1000 (amazon link)
Both are a bit bigger than the smallest (bolt down) racks although the difference isn’t huge.
| Image | Custom | Custom | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
  | Cap barbell | Full Rack | Buy on Amazon |
  | HulkFit | 1000 | Buy on Amazon |
