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not being big enough for this big dog to do 45 degree calf raises.

and boners, get OUT OF THE SQUAT RACK WHEN IT'S YOU ARE DOING BENT OVER ROWS. THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO DO 20 MINUTES WORTH OF EXERCISES THAT YOU DON'T EVEN NEED A RACK TO DO.

ugh. sorry.

At my gym, you have to do bent over rows in the squat rack, other than that there's only smith machines. Or seated cable rows (Which aren't bad tho)

i don't know man, i figured out a way to do them without the smith or rack.

you put 90lbs on the bb, take it off the rack and balance it on the flat bench. add more weight, and then you just roll the weight back until you are at the edge of the bench and then you do them. it's about the same level as the rack would be.

Where do you guys stand on using the squat rack for bent rows, if it's the only BB available?

There are four BBs available in my gym. Two on bench press benches and two in squat racks. Nine times out of ten, the benches are taken. So I will do my BB rows/overhead presses/dead lifts in or in front of the squat rack.

The shorter BBs with the fixed weights only go up to 40kgs, so no good.

Thoughts?

I'M ALL FOR using it if it's the only one available. luckily there are 5 in my gym. 2 bench press, 1 incline, 1 decline and the 1 at the squat rack. depending on what is free, i will go accordingly. if it's the incline, i adjust the seat and rest it on the 90 degree angle the bench and seat make. if it's the decline i'll grab one of those portable benches used for db exercises and adapt. it's all about adapting.

really it wasn't the rows that bothered me. it was the combination of a ton of rows, a ton of curls, and a ton of shrugs. i came in and they were there, i finished and they were there. i know this doesn't belong in this section. i was more frustrated with the stupid hammer strength machine not allowing me to do 45 degree calf raises. i hate not being able to squat on leg day. I WISH there was more then one squat rack at my gym. it makes me want to squat on friday, then do my back and bi routine.

Yeah, I actually travel further so I can go to the gym with two squat racks. Also has a smith machine, which is more popular. Means I hardly ever have to wait for a machine.

My close-by gym only has one squat rack, where you often have to wait. The trade-off being that it is a full cage rather than a half cage.

Ummm, why can't you just deadlift the bar into position for your BB rows?

Smith machines? Heresy! Rows from a rack? Because that 8th of a deadlift with weight that is light enough to row is going to take so much out of you. I might put it on the rack to change plates, but once I got 135, it stays on the floor. You always row from the floor.

see the gym is just something i'm going to have to deal with until i make more money and can afford to go to an old man muscle gym.

i guess one could dead lift into position and then do rows. any which ay you slice it, you don't NEED to be in the cage to row.

i usually stay clear from the smith machine. i haven't seen a real purpose for it yet until last night. it's really hard for me to use the step they have for calf raises because my balance is really $h1t. i did them in the smith machine, added on a ton of weight and felt like i really got a workout.

Didn't we once have a whole thread on uses for Smith machines? Or was that an article somewhere? As I recall, only one of the proposed uses was something that the makers of the machines would have anticipated. I recall "clothes rack". Was "ship's anchor" on the list? It should be.

I think the only exercise use was for inverted rows. It's nice to have adjustable bar height.

Am I crazy, arent BB rows supposed to come off the floor? I know I touch the BB to the floor every rep - unless I am doing High reps and have less that 135 on there - am I missing something?

There are different variations of the barbell row. I like to do them from a roughly 45-degree angle with the bar traveling from my knees to my waist and back.

Normally I use a rack, simply because it's easier. However, if the racks are all busy or someone is waiting for a rack, I can just deadlift the bar, bend over and start rowing.

I wouldn't recomend using a bench as a rack. I you're rowing heavy you could damage the bench, or possibly bend the bar.

most of the time i just use the lowest hook on the bench rack.

So.... Where do you stand?