Why Antique York Racks Are Stupid

[Allentown]

I'm sorry to hear about you losing a client.

And the clients family losing a family member.

[mbasic]

Having built a "Rip rack" long ago, they're shyte. Too wobbly, hole spacing is too big, bolts make shitty unsafe hooks.

Only ever used them at his gym. And yes, they were all wobbly. And many of the barbells were worn smooth towards the sleeve,

Oh, and THIS ^.

Pins/bolts instead of some kind of J-Cup is retarded.

If you don't ever plan on doing a snatch-grip-anything, yeah sure, wear out the last six inches of knurl, knock your self out.
For a supposed Oly gym back in the day? retarded.
If you got a shit ton of bars (these are for squatting, these are rack pulls, these are nices one for quick lifts, etc) I guess so.
Fuck that.

A bar continuously bashing onto another transverse round pin is probably the most efficient way to mash down your knurling.
Tangent on tangent, turned 90 degrees to one another. . . . its perfect.

At my globo, almost everything has plastic lined J-cups. . . . .now.
The benches stations have plastic lined pins.

There is still one shoulder press station with metal pins.
And still one squat rack with blade type metal J cups....a pin safeties (we used to have several).
I have to constantly rescue the nice oly bearing bars from those other stations.
All of our older bars that have full length knurling have mashed down areas at the ends.

Its a thing.

Maybe you can cut a pieve of PVC and put it on there or something . . .but I don't see that over at the Mecca.

[Hamburgerfan]

With the general thrust of this thread: I agree. Having built a "Rip rack" long ago, they're shyte. Too wobbly, hole spacing is too big, bolts make shitty unsafe hooks. I don't understand the fascination people have with them, let alone anyone who's actually used one!

EDIT: I have also no idea what the fascination with rack pulls is, considering pulling off of blocks is not only nicer for the lifter (bar rolls less) but also far kinder to the bar.

I think it's the same people who recommend making your own straps out of junkyard seatbelts.

I like rack pulls better. The bar doesn't flex at the start so it's a harder lift at any given height, and the weights are faster and easier to change so I can move on with my life sooner. Never experienced a rolling bar with rack pulls. Might be a matter of different equipment? The bar issue is a valid point. I think every gym needs a designated shitty rack pull bar, but there isn't always one available.

[DirtyRed]

This all reminds me of the story from several years ago where a Honda Odyssey was loaded up with reporters and driven on a track where it went on to outrun several muscle/sports cars from the 1960s. Sure owning one of those muscle cars is nice from a point of nostalgia, but the minivan was superior in every way. Technology and progress are good things. This applies to power racks as well.

I can personally attest to a 2002 Honda Odyssey being able to reach speeds of 90 MPH while 2100 lbs of humanity crammed into it.

Regardless, get over your ex. Jesus.

[mgil]

Regardless, get over your ex. Jesus.

I took umbrage, along with others, that a 80 year old York rack design was promoted as inherently superior in both design and cost to manufacture/procure well before being banned. Seeing that it was a topic of discussion again, I simply wanted to speak my peace on the matter and reiterate what had been covered, and probably deleted.

Part of this is trying to have an honest conversation about training. Part of training is good, safe, and reasonably priced equipment. It's a worthy topic of discussion nonetheless.

[Idlehands]

can confirm. rip racks are spartan, and wobbly and a pita.

[iamsmu]

At first, i thought that Gillie's lead example had to be an urban legend or something. But, my God, it looks like it's true. The Honda Odyssey (which has a faster 0-60 than my fit) is modern mechanical bull:

https://gearheads.org/10-classic-muscle ... ould-beat/

So this would be more exciting if they had a minivan. Actually, it would be lame. The minivan would get away:



And this!!!!

[damufunman]

At first, i thought that Gillie's lead example had to be an urban legend or something. But, my God, it looks like it's true. The Honda Odyssey (which has a faster 0-60 than my fit) is modern mechanical bull:

https://gearheads.org/10-classic-muscle ... ould-beat/

So this would be more exciting if they had a minivan. Actually, it would be lame. The minivan would get away:



And this!!!!

Dude, minivan drivers are some of the craziest in the road. I'm pretty sure it's because the majority of them are soccer moms who really wouldn't mind of they flew off the road and didn't have to soccer mom ever again. It's scary seeing how some of them drive (though keep in mind I drive a Miata). But yeah, minivans can GO.

[iamsmu]

Dude, minivan drivers are some of the craziest in the road. I'm pretty sure it's because the majority of them are soccer moms who really wouldn't mind of they flew off the road and didn't have to soccer mom ever again. It's scary seeing how some of them drive (though keep in mind I drive a Miata). But yeah, minivans can GO.

It looks like a hearse:


[*]

[DirtyRed]

Dude, minivan drivers are some of the craziest in the road. I'm pretty sure it's because the majority of them are soccer moms who really wouldn't mind of they flew off the road and didn't have to soccer mom ever again. It's scary seeing how some of them drive (though keep in mind I drive a Miata). But yeah, minivans can GO.

Also, the soccer moms are probably perpetually distracted by the dumbass kids they're hauling. Their spatial awareness, reaction times, and logical decision making capacity are shit to begin with, distractions only make it worse.

Though the problem isn't necessarily that they're all over the road. It's that, at least around here, they're all over the road while inexplicably being slow as fuck about it.

"Herpa derp, doing 30 in the left lane in a 45 when everyone else would rather be doing 55!" Useless bints.

[ithryn]

Two questions:

1. Are isometrics really just loading a bar between safeties and pushing against it really hard?

2. I forget what the second question was because now I'm fantasizing about taking my Odyssey onto a racetrack

[Allentown]

2. I forget what the second question was because now I'm fantasizing about taking my Odyssey onto a racetrack

Get good tires, have fun.

[Wilhelm]

Get good tires, have fun.

This reminded me of a mini driving school thing i did.
While driving with the lifter carriage that simulates icy conditions, i took my hands off the wheel to let it self correct.
Three students and the instructor were in the car, and we were doing timed laps "racing" each other.

The instructor said "you shouldn't take your hands off the wheel" then paused and added "nice instincts though"
I fucking won that shit.

[cwd]

I love minivans.

I was stopped at an intersection waiting to turn left last year, when a guy in a diabetic fugue came in off the highway and hit me head-on at 40 mph without touching the brakes, staring straight ahead and seeing nothing.

My Toyota minivan died a horrible death, but I and the two kids in the back were fine except for shoulder-belt and airbag bruises. We later replaced it with one just like it.

The guy who hit me just sat there like a zombie until the paramedics carted him away.

[SeanHerbison]

I don't know why this is still a topic of discussion. Those racks are better if you want it to survive being hit by a truck, but that's about it, so far as I can see.

1. Are isometrics really just loading a bar between safeties and pushing against it really hard?

Pretty much. Bill Starr wrote an article about it - The Ultimate Strength Exercise: Isotonic-Isometric Contraction. There's also a Part II.

His basic conclusion was that it does work, but it works a lot better alongside Dianabol.

[Allentown]

I don't know why this is still a topic of discussion. Those racks are better if you want it to survive being hit by a truck, but that's about it, so far as I can see.

Better than? Are you inside the rack for this truck-hitting?
The only thing they are good for is displaying to other people that you are willing to spend way too much money for a non-functional object from the time before people knew how to make quality things. It's basically a classic car prior to being restored. Sure, it can get you where you want to go, but you spent way to much on it and it works like crap.

[Murelli]

I don't know why this is still a topic of discussion. Those racks are better if you want it to survive being hit by a truck, but that's about it, so far as I can see.

1. Are isometrics really just loading a bar between safeties and pushing against it really hard?

Pretty much. Bill Starr wrote an article about it - The Ultimate Strength Exercise: Isotonic-Isometric Contraction. There's also a Part II.

His basic conclusion was that it does work, but it works a lot better alongside Dianabol.

But does it work with Anavar and Trenbologna, or those only work with monolifts?

[Allentown]

But does it work with Anavustard and Trenbologna, or those only work with monolifts?

That sounds like a tasty sandwich. Once you add bread, of course.

[cwd]

The only thing they are good for is displaying to other people that you are willing to spend way too much money for a non-functional object from the time before people knew how to make quality things. It's basically a classic car prior to being restored. Sure, it can get you where you want to go, but you spent way to much on it and it works like crap.

My leather bomber jacket is worse in every practical way than one made from modern miracle fabrics -- not as warm, too heavy, too expensive, hard to clean, etc. But it's cool.

I don't own a Harley, or a York/Rip rack. But I understand why someone would want one.

Why are we mocking people who like old-fashioned things? Isn't this forum full of people who smoke actual tobacco instead of vaping non-carcinogenic nicotine, and write with fountain pens?

[Allentown]

My leather bomber jacket is worse in every practical way than one made from modern miracle fabrics -- not as warm, too heavy, too expensive, hard to clean, etc. But it's cool.

I don't own a Harley, or a York/Rip rack. But I understand why someone would want one.

Why are we mocking people who like old-fashioned things? Isn't this forum full of people who smoke actual tobacco instead of vaping non-carcinogenic nicotine, and write with fountain pens?

The York rack is unstable, costs 3x the price of a Titan cage, provides insufficient space, damages bars, and is made of angle iron offering no form factor. The only benefit it provides is that it looks like the ones that people used to use.
Many other "old-fashioned" things have benefits beyond just looking old.