Power Rack Advice / Noise: Safety Straps VS. Pins?

[gabrielfr75]

Hello everyone ,

My name is Gabriel and I am 25yo French guy living near Paris.

After a (too much) long time without exercising I have started again to fitness by using bodyweight based exercises. However I’d like to purchase a full powerlifting set including a power rack, a power bar, a bench and bumper plates. Indeed, almost no gym offer such equipment from where I am and when they do, they are ALWAYS busy. Also I love the idea of exercising from home.

However I am concerned about the noise . Right now I live in a house but soon I will move in an apartment with probably neighbors on each side, above and under (even if I’d prefer a ground floor place).
In order to prevent noise issues, I have already seen that bumper plates and heavy shock absorbing mats are good options, that’s why I am planning to buy them.

But here comes another issue: the noise from the power rack itself but also deadlift noise too. I have seen power racks with safety straps instead of metal safety pins. However there are only a few power racks that I can order in France that can come up with such safety straps, and they are (way more) pricier than “classic” power racks equipped with safety pins.

That’s why I would like to ask you: if deadlift or barbell row with such safety straps, will it be less noisy than with classic safety pins? Does it worth the extra investment (500 USD classic Power Rack VS. a 900USD one)? Is the stress put on the bar and the noise with safety straps will be ok compared to safety pins?

Thank you very much for your answers

Best regards,
Gabriel

[Ryan]

Hello Gabriel.

You are in a difficult situation, regarding noise restrictions. It sounds to me like your best bet might be to join a gym (one of those places you mention above that doesn't seem too desirable at the moment.....lol) because powerlifting is hard enough without having to worry about being too noisy. All of the noise-restricting safeguards you mention are great, but even they will not completely remove physics from the situation!

This is a case of weighing pros & cons. Are the available gym options perfect? I am sure not. But is the list of drawbacks short or cosmetic in nature? I would bet so, unless certain things such as hours of operation or distance from home/work are a problem. I have trained at some very sub-par gyms (as have many of us), but worst issues were environment and equipment quality. Training at home is GREAT (generally speaking....) but not when living in a flat/apt because walls and ceiling tend to be thin. The only good option in your scenario is to see if you get access to a garage or basement as part of your rental agreement. That could work.