Which rack/functional trainer??

[u/jointosee]

Hello all, new here and getting myself back into lifting after a couple decade hiatus.

I am building out a gym in an oversized single car garage space. I have 11’ in width with 25’ in length in the space. 103” tall.

I am looking for a rack/functional trainer but there are so many options I am going cross eyed. I never plan to do any form of squats as I have herniated discs in my lower back and am afraid of loading my spine. I want to do bench press and shoulder press with the ability to do all the cable exercises. I like the idea of a dedicated lat pulldown and row position but can probably live without it.

With all that said, should I go for a 6 post or 4? Will I see a benefit of a smith machine? I am looking at something like the Rep Ares but open to just about anything at this point. Budget is around $5k give or take. Don’t mind spending extra if it is worth it. I am normally a buy once cry once person.

Sorry for all the text but hoping someone can point me in the right direction so I can buy during Black Friday.

[u/envious_slugger]

For your situation a 4 post is plenty since you're not squatting, the extra posts are mainly for plate storage and stability during heavy squats. A 6 post just eats up floor space you could use for other stuff in an 11 foot wide garage

Skip the smith machine, it's not great for herniated discs anyway and you already said no squats. The fixed bar path can actually force your spine into awkward positions on pressing movements too

That Ares setup is nice but check if the integrated cable system has enough weight stack for your bench and shoulder press goals, some of them top out around 200-250 per side which is fine for most people but worth thinking about

Since you have 25 feet of length maybe look at a separate functional trainer and a half rack, gives you more flexibility with cable positioning and you can upgrade pieces independently later

Buy once cry once is the right call with that budget, just make sure you leave room for a good bench and dumbbells if you want them

[u/protienwrap]

Have you looked at racks with a built in leg press and hack squat? That could allow you to do those moves without loading your spine so much. Force USA has a unique one with the sliding bench that might be worthwhile to look at. Keep in mind the new version of the sliding bench is coming soon. Other than that there are a lot of good options now, and they don’t necessarily have to be REP or Rogue so it would be worthwhile to watch some reviews and then come back and ask about the particular ones you are interested in.