The SteelBody STB-98005 by Marcy is, in my opinion, the perfect power rack for someone who’s either just starting their home gym or who’s looking for an inexpensive upgrade to their basic home gym setup.
This is a four post older style power cage with additional weight storage in the back. It doesn’t have as many bells and whistles as some of the newer style racks, but you DON’T need a power rack that looks like Optimus Prime had a baby with the Voltron Vehicle Force in order to get a ton of productive work done in your home gym! In fact, having too many attachments on your rack can be counterproductive, if you share a rack with your spouse or another training partner!
This rack is well built, feels sturdy and with a few tweaks as you progress in your journey, I think it can serve you well for a long time!
Now you can either check out my review on YouTube that’s listed below but if you can hang in with me a little longer, stick around here and let’s dive a little deeper into why I like the Marcy SteelBody STB-98005 Monster Cage Power Rack for a beginner or for someone who’s looking to upgrade from a cheaper rack without breaking the bank.
Watch My Review on YouTube
A Little Background
I’ve had this rack here in my garage for about twenty days and I’ve used it for a full training cycle. For those who are new to this site, I train in a physical culture style with a bias towards the powerlifts. So that means I do powerlifting style low bar squats, powerlifting style bench press and powerlifting style deadlifts and rack pulls but I also do a fair amount of kettlebell movements and restorative movements like the Barbell Bent Press, Scott Lifts and the Pullover and Press to name a few.
How I Use the SteelBody STB-98005
You needed to know all of that, so you understand that if I use my power rack, it’s typically for movements that require an extremely stable power rack to offset the fact that I often train alone without a spotter or handoff person because my wife and I train at different times of the day. For me, the first job of a power rack isn’t to entertain me, it’s to keep me safe while I’m lifting! This rack fit the bill.
Overview and Specs
I said that this rack is an older style rack because it doesn’t include any functional trainer attachments, nor does it include a landmine. It does have one set of band pegs, located on either side at the bottom as well as side mounted dip handles and not one but two sets of pull up bars depending on how tall you are and whether you prefer kipping pull ups or pullups from a dead hang.
It’s 74”L x 65”W x 95”H with 3×3 posts and according to the Marcy website the rack is rated for the following:
- Maximum user weight for Chin-up Bar and Dip Handles: 350lb
- Maximum weight on the Safeties: 500lb
- Maximum weight on Weight Storage Post: 100lb
- Maximum weight on Dumbbell-Kettle weight Tray: 270lb
The SteelBody STB-98005 is described on the Marcy website as being “… heavy duty with an industrial style” which is a surprising way in my opinion, to describe a 14-gauge steel rack.
I would typically characterize racks with 14-gauge steel posts as light commercial, not heavy duty, but this rack definitely feels more substantial and well-built than the other 14-gauge steel racks that I’ve reviewed this year.
So much so that I honestly didn’t believe that it was 14-gauge steel until I confirmed it with my gauge tester!
In any case, the rack is solid, and I feel completely comfortable lifting in it which I’ve done several times over the past month.
Too be fair, I haven’t attempted any one rep maxes in it this past training cycle, but I did take myself close to momentary muscular failure and felt completely safe doing so.
How Easy Is the SteelBody STB-98005 to Assemble?
The assembly process was fairly straightforward with only a couple of hiccups where my wife and I didn’t understand the instructions in the manual. But we were able to get this done in a couple of hours. In fact, my wife had to leave before the assembly was done so I finished the setup by myself, and I have to shout Marcy out for having the foresight and customer focus to provide an assembly video for this product on the product page!
Not enough brands do this so any brand that takes the time to help their customers out in this way gets my respect immediately! You can find that assembly video on YouTube by clicking this link as soon as you finish reading this highly entertaining and informative blog post!
But first, let’s go through the rack specs in a little greater detail.
My Pros and Cons
Pros
Accommodates attachments from multiple brands. I’ve used my Bells of Steel Seal Row Pad, my Micro Gainz plate hanger, my Dynabody J Hooks and my Fringe Sport Rig Step Up so far with zero issues.
The rack feels sturdy and it’s nice and wide as well as deep enough that I had plenty of room to walk out my squats but still keeps a nice compact footprint in my garage gym.
My wife and I absolutely LOVE the storage shelf in the back. We only wish that there were two so we could get ALL of our kettlebells off of the ground but it’s still really convenient.
The safety bars double as additional J Hooks for lifting outside the rack
It’s nice and tall so I don’t have to bend my legs when I do pull ups or dead hangs after training
It’s aesthetically pleasing and looks like a well-made piece.
Cons
The J Hooks are too deep – this makes racking and unracking problematic in the squat and bench press.
There’s not enough integrated weight plate storage. At least four posts would be better. Six weight storage horns would be awesome, and eight storage horns for grownups with more than 300lbs of plate weights would be perfect.
They need to add a spot for a functional trainer bracket so people can attach one if they choose.
The rack accessories should include a step up plate to help shorter people safely reach the multi grip pull up bar which is VERY high up.
We need more color options than brown. Seriously.
Final Thoughts
Okay so my final verdict on the Marcy STB is that if you hated yourself enough to buy one of those cheap Amazon racks just to save money when you were starting your home gym, you need to put that thing on Facebook Marketplace NOW and replace it with the Marcy STB and a good standalone functional trainer.
Or if you don’t have the space for a functional trainer, you could even grab something like the Marcy Stack Home Gyms.
If you HAVEN’T wasted money on one of those cheap Amazon racks, I’m glad that I got to you in time. DON’T.
Instead, grab the SteelBody STB-98005 from the Marcy website, along with a vertical plate tree like the Marcy one I have in my home gym. And if you need to do cable work, get a compact lat pulldown station, a standalone functional trainer or the Marcy Stack Home Gym I mentioned earlier.
You’ll end up spending about the same amount as you would if you bought some cheap $1800 all in one setup on Amazon, and you won’t be risking your health and safety in the process.
If you want to see more, check out my review on YouTube or just visit Marcy.com!