Tools of the Trade: Trak-Rak

The barbell is arguably the single most important tool when it comes to strength training.  However, the centerpiece of most weight rooms is the ‘rack’.   These metal cages were originally developed to serve as a mechanical spotter for heavy loads during squatting and hence became known as a “squat cage” or a “squat rack”.  However, a multitude of different strength training exercises can be performed in a well-engineered lifting rack, and thus alongside the barbell it is at the top of list when equipping a weight room.

At Perform-X, we have engineered a novel and innovative feature into the conventional lifting rack. Similar to other racks, the Perform-X Trak-Rak is a four-post rack with all the features you would expect – adjustable spotting bars, adjustable J-hooks, and weight storage pegs … but with the added bonus of our novel and innovative Trak-X System.

The Trak-X System is a customized metal strip, or track, that provides an easy-to-use clip-in, clip-out attachment for safely anchoring one of the many Perform-X resistance cords.  When anchored to one of the resistance cords, athletes can effectively perform upper body, rotational, and lower body movements including plyometric drills, Olympic lifting, and rehabilitation exercises; thus making the entire system versatile.

The two major lower body and upper body exercises that are performed in the lifting rack are the squat and the bench press. Now you can gain the physiological benefits of variable resistance loading on the squat and bench press by simply anchoring the Squat-X and Bench-X cords to the Trak-Rak. This can be done in a resisted or assisted manner at the bottom or top of the rack. And, there is no need to twist, loop, and contort those ‘other’ bands – just use a Perform-X Strength Cord and safely and effectively anchor with the in-built Trak-X.

There is also Trak-X on the front of the rack that provides an additional anchoring point and station(s) for a secondary or ancillary exercise(s) using one or more of the other Perform-X cord systems.  For example, the Ult-X Upper Body Cord can be used for pushing, pulling, pressing, rotational movements, lifting and chopping. Or the Speed-X Lower Body Training System can be used for cord-loaded linear and lateral movements applications (e.g., lunge, shuffle, plyometrics).

As you can see, it is possible for the Trak-Rak to become a multi-station device with an athlete squatting (plus partner spotting), two additional stations on the front (e.g., upper body push with Ult-X on one side and lateral lunge with Lower Body System on the other), and perhaps an additional station on one or both sides using the Hip-X 360 System for hip flexion, hip extension, hip abduction, hip adduction and hamstring exercises.  Pull-ups can be performed on the Trak-Rak or on the connector between racks (not shown) as well. Thus, there is the potential for six athletes (or more) at each rack.