PRx Profile PRO Squat Rack Review

Who this rack is for

The PRx Profile PRO is a squat rack for somebody who needs their floor back when the workout is over. That's the whole reason to buy it. If space is limited, being able to push the rack up against the wall and get it out of the way is a big deal.

If you don't need the space, then maybe you don't need this one, because you do pay a little bit of a premium for the fold. I'll get into that below.

Where it's installed and who uses it

This rack is in my parents' home gym. My dad is 5'10" and worked construction for over 40 years. I'm 6'5" and 270 pounds, and I use it when I'm over there. So what you're getting here is two very different bodies on the same rack.

My dad had never had a for-real squat rack before this one. He's been able to use it pretty much every single day, and he has absolutely loved it. Every time I come over I'm wowed by it, and a little bit jealous that it's at my dad's house and not mine.

Folding it up and down

This is the selling point, and it's as good as they say. You push it up and it's out of the way. You pull it down and it's ready. I mean three seconds, and you go from stored on the wall to down and ready to work out.

It's so easy that my mom can do it. She's 70 and she doesn't work out. She says it's a little hard to push up, but pulling it down is super easy for her.

At my own home gym I have a Rogue fold-away rack, and I don't even fold it away, because it takes so long and it's hard to do. You've got to pull this pin, pull this pin, pull this pin, and then it folds. With the PRx rack it just goes. Done.

PRx says the standard rack sits about 4 inches off the wall when it's folded, if you take the J-hooks off. Leave them on and it sticks out a little farther. The pull-up bar you choose changes that number too, which I cover below.

Does it wobble?

This is the question I get most in the comments. Is it wiggly? If you grab it and shake it side to side, there is a little bit of give. But it's no more give than you'd expect from a fold-in squat rack.

If you had a rig that was bolted into the ground and bolted into the wall, it's not going to give as much. For how little of this rack is fastened to the wall, and the fact that it folds, there's not much give here.

I was a little worried at first about the arms that attach it to the wall. They didn't look as robust as some other racks I've seen. But I haven't had any stability issues. Put any weight on it at all and it's solid as can be. Racking a bar and taking a bar off has never felt unstable. And I can hang off the pull-up bar at 270 pounds and it doesn't shake like you'd think it would.

Fit at 6'5": pick your upright height carefully

There are two upright heights I looked at, 89 inches and 95 inches. We went with the 89 because of my parents' ceiling. For my dad it works just fine.

For me, it's a little bit too short. That's my one real negative. If I were buying this for my own gym I'd want the 95 inch uprights, because the pull-up bar sits higher and I wouldn't have to hang as low to the ground. It's not a deal breaker. I just hang from the bar. But if you're tall, think about it before you order.

Ceiling height: measure before you order

This is the number that decides your install. PRx recommends a 107 inch ceiling for the 89 inch uprights, and says you can go as low as 94 inches with a modified install. The 95 inch uprights are designed for a 113 inch ceiling and can go down to 100 inches with a modified install.

My parents' ceiling is 103 inches, so we did the modified install. The instructions for that are in the book that comes with the rack.

Here's the one thing I'd want to know going in. The low ceiling setup brings the rack much closer to the wall, so there's not as much space between the rack and the wall when you're using it. With a higher ceiling, the arms stick out farther and you get more room. It's not that big of a difference, and it's certainly not a deal breaker, but you should know it.

The pull-up bar: why we went multi-grip

PRx has a straight bar, a kipping bar and a multi-grip bar. We went with the multi-grip, and I'd highly recommend it.

For my dad it's huge. Forty years of construction beat up his wrists, so his wrist mobility isn't what it could be. Having different positions and different grips makes it a lot easier for him to do pull-ups and grip work. I like it too. I can change my grip and play with it when I'm over there.

Just know the bar changes how far the rack sits off the wall. PRx lists the multi-grip bar at 29 1/4 inches from the wall folded down and 11 1/4 inches folded up. The kipping bar sticks out farther, 39 1/2 inches down and 22 1/2 inches up. So check your clearance before you pick one. The bar itself is 42 inches long with a 1 1/4 inch diameter, and the powder coat is really easy on the hands.

Uprights, holes and attachments

The uprights are 11-gauge, 3x3 steel. The rack is 53 inches wide overall and 48 inches outside the uprights. It's rated for 1,000 pounds.

The holes are numbered. I didn't think that was going to be a big deal, but it is. It's always a guessing game where you're putting the J-hook, and with the numbers you know exactly where you are. Plus they look pretty cool.

The spacing is 1 inch around bench press height and 2 inches up the rest of the upright, so you can get the bar exactly where you need it for benching. There are holes on the side as well.

The holes are 5/8 inch, so it takes typical third-party attachments. You don't have to buy only PRx-branded stuff. It comes with two J-cups, and they're solid. I also added the spotter arms. My parents are 70, so having that safety there in case something gives out mattered to me.

Installing it

The hardware it comes with is set up for wood studs, and your studs need to be 16 or 24 inches on center.

Read the instructions carefully. The bolts come in two lengths and I mixed them up. The instructions also say it's a two-person job. I did it alone, and lifting it into place was heavy. Get a second person for that part.

PRx doesn't send anybody out to install it, but you can call them and they'll walk you through it over the phone.

How it's held up

It's been fantastic. It's steel, so it's not going anywhere. The paint hasn't chipped, and it still looks as good as new. The fold still works the way it did on day one.

It's made in the USA and ships out of North Dakota, which is a big win for me. It also comes in nine colors. We went with gray because that's what my dad wanted.

Would I buy it again?

Yes, if you need the space. It's a great, solidly built piece of equipment, and nothing else I've used folds away this easily.

If your gym is a dedicated room and the rack never has to move, you're paying for a fold you won't use, and you can get more rack for the money somewhere else. And if you're tall, get the taller uprights if your ceiling allows it.