What is a power tower and do I need one?

Just getting into working out? Considering expanding your home gym equipment? Good for you! It can be overwhelming with so many different accessories and machines on the market, so let’s see what’s a power tower and whether you need one. 

What’s a power tower?

Let’s solve this one first—if you’ve seen a piece of equipment be called a gym tower, that’s the same thing as a power tower. As you can imagine from the name, a gym tower is a tall piece of equipment that allows you to do strength-training exercises in a variety of positions.

A power tower is perfect for a full-body strength workout since it’s outfitted with parallel bars, a horizontal bar, and handles. It’s also ideal for your home gym since it’s versatile and you can really train any muscle group on it. If you don’t get a huge one, you can also do a lot in a small space footprint. Power towers are usually made with extremely durable heavy steel and can support people of most sizes.

Power Tower Exercises

Thanks to a variety of bars, an armrest section and elbow protection, you can perform a multitude of exercises on a power tower:

• Push-ups

• Pull-ups

• Dips 

• Hanging leg raises

• Vertical knee raises

These exercises and others can help you get more toned arms, core, shoulders, and back.

How to pick the best home gym power tower

When deciding whether a power tower is a worthy investment for you or not, consider the following:

• Decide your goal for working out - if you aim to get a strong and toned upper body, a power tower can help. But if your primary focus is on cardio and improving your stamina, you don’t really need this big piece of equipment.

• Consider how often you will use it - if multiple times per week, a power tower will definitely earn its keep. But if you are only going to do push-ups or pull-ups here and there, consider an over-the-door pull-up bar instead. 

• As you are reading this, consider the types of exercises you will do and whether a power tower will be useful or if you need a simple bench or even the floor.

• Consider where you will put the power tower and whether you have both space & budget for this piece of equipment.

• If you decided to get one, make sure you take a close look at the materials and ensure the power tower is made of durable steel and nothing cheap so it will be safe to use and last you a long time.