Best Fitness assembly
Body-Solid’s value rack. Easy to build, but use two people and leave the bolts loose till the end.
The Best Fitness BFPR100 is the budget power rack from Body-Solid, the biggest rack-maker there is. Owners find it unusually easy and well-organized to build, with two caveats they stress: use two people, and do not tighten the bolts until the whole thing is together.
A budget rack with a real pedigree
Best Fitness is Body-Solid’s value line, and its BFPR100 power rack brings that pedigree to a budget price: a compact, heavy-duty cage of fourteen-gauge two-by-two steel, rated to five hundred pounds, with twenty-three adjustment positions, adjustable lift-offs and full-length safety bars. For squats, presses, pulls and more, it gives you professional-style safety without a commercial price.
Owners repeatedly praise the build as one of the most straightforward they have done, often finishing in around an hour, with well-organized hardware and clear instructions. Two things they stress, though: use two people, and follow the instructions to leave the bolts loose until the whole rack is assembled, then tighten.
From there it is designed to grow. Body-Solid offers lat, dip and folding-bench attachments that turn the rack into a fuller home gym, so it is a sensible foundation to start with and build on.
The build
About 1 hour. Two people. Bolts loose till the end.
| Model | Time | People |
|---|---|---|
| Check the hardwareWell-organized and labeled. | 10 min | 1 |
| Assemble the frameLeave bolts loose. See below. | 30 to 40 min | 2 |
| Tighten everythingOnly once it is all together. See below. | 10 min | 1 |
| Set lift-offs + safetiesFull-length safeties, level. See below. | 10 min | 1 |
| Attachments (optional)Lat, dip, or folding bench. See below. | 20 min | 1 |
A wrench and a socket or ratchet are all you need. Measure your ceiling first, owners note it is low enough for basement pull-ups yet tall enough for cleans.
How to build the BFPR100 right
Use two people, and leave the bolts loose till the end
The two tips owners stress most. First, although one determined person can manage it, the build genuinely goes better with two, one to hold uprights and crossmembers steady while the other bolts. Second, and this is the big one, follow the instructions to keep every bolt loose until the entire rack is assembled, then go round and tighten them all. If you fully tighten as you go, holes further along will not line up and you will be fighting the frame. Loose-then-tighten is the difference between a smooth build and a frustrating one.
Why the Body-Solid pedigree matters
The reason to choose this over an anonymous budget cage is the maker. Body-Solid produces more power racks than anyone in the industry, and the BFPR100 inherits that engineering along with a proper manufacturer warranty, so despite the low price you are getting a rack from a company that has built racks for decades. In practice that shows up as well-fitting parts, clear labeling, and the backing to get any component replaced quickly. It is budget in price, not in provenance, which is a large part of why owners rate it so highly for the money.
The full-length safeties are the standout
The feature that defines this rack is its full-length safety bars, which catch a failed lift anywhere along their length rather than only at fixed spotter points, which is what gives you real confidence training alone. Paired with the adjustable lift-offs across twenty-three positions, they let you dial in a proper starting height for squats, presses and more. Set the lift-offs and safeties to match on both uprights, and within the five-hundred-pound rating you have a genuinely reassuring solo setup.
Grow it with the Body-Solid attachments
One advantage of buying into the Body-Solid family is the attachment ecosystem. You can add the BFLA100 plate-loaded lat pulldown and low row for pulling work, the DR100 dip attachment, which usefully spans both safeties for extra stability during dips, and the BFFID10 folding FID bench to press and work from. So you can start with just the rack and expand it into a near-complete gym over time. Fit each attachment per its manual, and keep any lat cable and pulley clean for smooth operation.
It is sized for a real home
A trait owners appreciate is that the BFPR100 is sized for real homes, low enough to still do pull-ups on the bar in a basement, yet tall enough for overhead work like cleans. Confirm your ceiling gives clearance above the pull-up bar, and that you have floor room to load plates and move around it. That compact, home-friendly footprint is a large part of why it fits where a bigger commercial cage simply would not, making it a natural first rack for a garage or basement gym.
Before you build
Measure your ceiling and floor space, and pull-up clearance.
Line up a second person for the frame assembly.
Have a wrench and a socket or ratchet ready.
Plan to leave all bolts loose until the rack is fully assembled.
And consider which attachments, lat, dip, bench, you may add later.
Where an installer helps
By building it as a two-person job should be built, holding pieces steady and keeping the bolts loose until the frame is square, then tightening, which is exactly the step owners say to follow.
By setting the full-length safeties and lift-offs perfectly level for safe solo training.
By fitting any lat, dip or bench attachments and routing their cables.
It is a manageable build for the handy, so help is most valuable for a square, level, correctly-tightened rack, and for anyone who would rather not wrangle uprights alone.
What an installer does
- Assembles the frame with two people, bolts loose then tightened.
- Squares and fully tightens the rack once assembled.
- Sets the full-length safeties and lift-offs level.
- Fits any lat, dip or folding-bench attachment.
- Confirms ceiling and pull-up clearance and space.
- Handles any missing or damaged parts via customer service.
Get it built by someone who has built one before.
Tell us your ZIP and what you bought. Installers near you will quote you directly, and you deal with them, not with us.
Questions people ask
Is it hard to assemble?
No, it is one of the easier budget racks, owners often finish in about an hour and praise the well-organized hardware and clear instructions, using just a wrench and a socket or ratchet. Two tips they stress: use two people, and leave every bolt loose until the whole rack is assembled, then tighten, so the holes line up as you build.
Why not tighten the bolts as I go?
Because if you fully tighten early, the holes further along the frame will not line up and you will fight the structure. So follow the instructions and keep all bolts loose until the rack is completely assembled and square, then go round and tighten them. This loose-then-tighten approach is the single biggest thing that makes the build smooth rather than frustrating.
How is it different from other budget racks?
Mainly its pedigree and its safeties. It comes from Body-Solid, which makes more power racks than anyone, so you get their engineering and a proper warranty at a budget price, and owners find the parts well-fitting and the build painless. It also uses full-length safety bars that catch a failed lift anywhere along their length, rather than only at fixed points. Together those make it a well-regarded value pick that punches above its price.
Can I add to it?
Yes, that is a real advantage of the Body-Solid family. You can add the BFLA100 lat pulldown and low row, the DR100 dip attachment, which spans both safeties for stability, and the BFFID10 folding FID bench, turning the rack into a much fuller home gym over time. So you can start with the rack and expand as your training and budget allow.
Will it fit in a basement?
Often yes, and it is designed with that in mind, owners note it is low enough to still do pull-ups on the bar in a basement while being tall enough for overhead work like cleans. Still, measure your ceiling height and confirm you have clearance above the pull-up bar and room to load plates and move around it before it arrives, so it fits your space comfortably.
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