For any home or garage gym builder, you’ll find great joy in discovering a home gym hack. These usually let you do more exercises or perform an exercise more efficiently without needing to have equipment that is usually only found in a commercial gym.
One of the biggest drawbacks of a home gym is that you have less access to equipment, especially in the early stages. Available space and budget are two things that always restrict the amount of equipment you can have so looking for some versatile options are always a good idea.
Take a power rack as a good example. These can come with a built-in pull-up bar, dip handle attachment, cable pulley systems, and landmine attachments. All of these are pieces of equipment that can be bought as standalone products but when combining them within a power rack, you save on space requirements and storage.
A more recent product that is quickly increasing in popularity is jammer arms. These are unique power rack attachments that mimic the functionality of a multi-gym but within the footprint of a power rack. So, in this article, we’ll cover the topic of “what are jammer arms for a power rack” and conclude with why you should invest in some…
Because you should!
What Are Jammer Arms for a Power Rack?
Jammer arms are a power rack attachment that replicates a moveable handle used on a number of fixed weight machines. They are plate-loaded and allow for a variety of presses, rows, squats, and a number of other exercises to be performed within a power rack – making the rack more versatile and replicating a multi-gym.
The majority of modern power racks allow users to attach jammer arms (check out our guide on universal power rack attachments).
These are basically arm-shaped extensions that you can put on your power rack to be able to do a variety of different exercises. Jammer arms are becoming more common in fitness facilities and people are also starting to see the value in investing in them for their at-home gyms.
Why do people prefer working out with jammer arms?
They are safe and versatile for many workouts, allowing you more freedom with your exercise routine. Another advantage to jammer arms is that they can help you save on space. If your workout area is small, jammer arms are one of the best pieces of equipment to have for a full-body workout.
You can do a number of different exercises using jammer arms, which includes:
- Leg press
- Seated dips
- Chest press
- Hip thrust
- Overhead press
- RDLs
- Chest supported rows
Why Should People Use Jammer Arms?
The main benefit of using jammer arms is that you can convert your power rack into a more versatile piece of gym equipment. The leverage allows you to perform a variety of exercises usually performed by specific machines inside the footprint of a power rack. This makes them space-saving as well as efficient.
One of the reasons why jammer arms are essential for every workout space is because people can get both bilateral and unilateral training. People who are new to working out and training can benefit from using them because it can help them learn the proper movements safely.
Jammer arms are also great for people who have limited motion and require a fixed range for their workouts. They can exercise using jammer arms and develop the right range of movement safely.
However, as jammer arms are appearing in more fitness facilities across the country, more people are using them for bench presses, squats, and more. Everyone can experience a dynamic range of motion from using them to improve their workout routine.
One of the most impressive things about using jammer arms is that they can be used to help athletes remain stable while attempting heavier lifting movements.
The concept of a jammer arm replicates an all-in-one leverage multi-gym (like Powertec) but without the additional space requirement for needing more equipment.
What Type of Jammer Arms Can People Buy?
If you want to add jammer arms to your home gym, there are two different types that you can choose from: fixed jammer arms and adjustable jammer arms.
The type of jammer arms you get will depend on what type of workouts you will be using it for and how you’ve set up your gym at home.
Let’s take a closer look at each type.
Fixed Jammer Arms
When you attach a set of fixed jammer arms to your power rack, they will stay in that place for the duration of your workout. You will not be able to adjust them. While this may seem like it limits the number of exercises you can do with them, fixed jammer arms are great for creating a solo jammer arms workout space.
You can set up the workspace to be for a specific type of workouts, such as a chest press station or a squat station. It’s very easy to set up one of these stations on the back of a power rack so you won’t have to invest in a bunch of additional equipment.
These (almost) perfectly imitate fixed weight machines and allow you to perform workouts in a power rack that would otherwise require a commercial-grade fixed weight machine.
Adjustable Jammer Arms
Just as the name suggests, adjustable jammer arms can be adjusted once they have been attached to the power rack. Users can change the jammer arms’ position to be able to do a variety of different exercises. While the adjustable jammer arms are typically more expensive than fixed jammer arms, they are worth it for getting the most variety in your workout.
If you are limited on space in your home gym, the adjustable style of jammer arms will be more practical unless you only do one type of exercise.
Best Jammer Options
As Jammer arms are relatively new to the market, there are only a few key brands creating them and there are few budget options at the moment. Therefore, below are the best jammer arm options for you to consider:
Jammer Arm Benefits?
Firstly, proper form and positioning are crucial for athletes (and people who are just trying to stay in shape).
This is something that can be difficult to achieve on your own and can also be difficult to watch for when you’re in the midst of exercising. A lot of coaches and personal trainers recommend using jammer arms to help with getting the right form every time you workout.
When a coach has a new client, they can place them in the right position, and the client can use the jammer arms to keep the proper form throughout the entire routine. The jammer arms also help people hold the right form when they move up to the next weight level for lifting. Creating a safe workout space is always worth it.
Another reason why jammer arms are useful on power racks is that they can help people who are undergoing rehabilitation get their movement back safely. Patients who are recovering after surgery and need to begin exercising can rely on jammer arms to make their gentle workouts more effective. This way, they can experience a wide range of motion without putting themselves at risk.
^^ That’s a specific example, most readers here will be interested in purchasing jammer arms because of the versatility that they give to users, especially those training in a home gym.
Jammer arms can replicate exercises that you’d typically need fixed weight machines for making them almost unmatched in terms of versatility. Cable machines can perform a similar function but you can’t load a cable machine with as much weight as you can jammer arms due to the different mechanics and points of load/tension.
Finally, jammer arms can transform a power rack into a multi-gym, whilst still maintaining the benefits of free weight training. A multi-gym is a space-saving piece of equipment that allows for (close to) full-body training.
The issue is that these are limiting in how you can progress and don’t carry the same benefit to strength training as free weight training in a power rack. The additional off jammer arms to a power rack essentially allow you to combine free weight training with fixed machine training for a complete workout, all within the same space-saving footprint.
Summary
Jammer arms are a relatively new invention in the gym equipment industry, however, they are one that is quickly growing in popularity – and for good reason!
Jammer arms are a power rack attachment that acts as a lever (which is why they are also known as lever arms). They are plate-loaded and allow users to replicate exercises done traditionally by fixed weight machines like chest press machines, seated shoulder press, or chest supported rows.
Jammer arms essentially transform power racks into a multi-gym with far more versatility and functionality. They save on the space that would be required for extra equipment and allow you to easily add accessory and isolation work into your strength training or powerlifting routines.
At the moment, jammer arms are relatively expensive when looked at as an individual piece of equipment but it’s important to think that if you need to buy just a chest press machine, the cost will be significantly more than the more versatile jammer arms.
They are not perfect and that shouldn’t be the key takeaway but in terms of functionality and usefulness, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to invest in some jammer arms for your home gym set up!
