The Best Power Tower Workouts and Exercises To Perform

Power tower workouts are a great way to build strength, lose weight and build a beautiful at-home body – but do they stack up against the gym?

Let’s be honest… 7 A.M gym sessions are no fun for anyone.

Sure, the routine of getting up early can put a nice spin on your confidence and motivation but wouldn’t you rather roll out of bed and into your own home gym?

Power tower workouts are fun, engaging, they take up little space and offer a wide variety of exercises to complete (no, it’s not a pull-up station).

Not fully convinced that power tower exercises will get the job done?

In this training guide we breakdown the best power tower workouts and exercises you can perform from the comfort of your home.

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Power Tower Exercises

Check out five of our favourite power tower exercises you can complete to build strength and improvements in body composition.

Pull-up

The pull-up is the classic back exercise that needs to be in any workout program. Largely missed by most people who complete at-home workout programs, a power tower affords you with the ability to complete pull ups easily.

Bonus: Variable Grips

Don’t forget that pull ups can be completed in a series of grips – each targeting a different set of muscles. While the neutral grip is the best for beginners, supinated (traditional chin-ups) will recruit the most muscle mass and work well with pronated (traditional pull-ups) to build ultimate pulling strength.

Although some power stations are designed with a simple pull-up system, many use a wide variety of grips to help you build strength.

Check out this detailed breakdown of effective power towers that feature unique grip placements for all your pullup needs.

Dips

Dips are a great way to build the chest, anterior shoulder, triceps and core muscles. You can complete the dip as a chest-dominant exercise or as a tricep dominant exercise.

Some advanced athletes even incorporate a tucked position to target the abs and put more resistance on the muscle.

Chest Dips vs. Tricep Dips

Not sure about the difference between chest dips and tricep dips? Check out this detailed guide breaking down the best chest and tricep dip exercises.

Pushup

The classic movement that is widely used by bodybuilders, calisthenic athletes and Olympic lifters to build strength, core stability and conditioning.

The pushup is a must for any workout program.

Many power tower workout stations come with pushup grips to take the pressure off the wrists – but you can also reverse your position to use the elevation of the power station to create decline push ups for maximal strength.

TOP TIP: Push ups work great as a secondary exercise in a superset with chest dips!

Core Work

Never forget the core.

Serving as the main agent for stability and force translation in the body, the core muscles are vital to your success as an athlete.

Power stations can provide you with an upright position to complete both hanging core and vertically supported core exercises.

Hanging Core

Beginners should start with a static hold. Simply raise your knees into your chest while in a dead or active hang and hold for time.

When you can comfortably hold this position for 45 seconds you can move to dynamic movements like knee raises and leg raises.

Vertical Core

Vertical core, sometimes called supported core, is when you use your arms to support an upright dip position and work through a series of exercises. You can complete the knee raises, leg raises and many other variations.

Those at a beginner level should start with the single-leg supported raises or static holds.

When you can complete static holds for 45 seconds you can move into double leg exercises and straight leg raises.

Squats + Lunges

The power tower is not just for upper body movements – in fact, the structure provides you with a very stable environment to complete beginner and advanced level exercises. Our favourites are the Bulgarian split squats and the supported pistol squats.

Bulgarian Squats

Sometimes referred to as the single-leg elevated squat, the Bulgarian split squat requires you to have balance and strength in the posterior chain (hamstrings and glutes).

The movement cue here is to keep your reps low and focus on balance.

Push through your heels and maintain an upright position throughout the exercise.

If you lose balance, stop your set, rest and complete your next set after 1-2 minutes of rest (we always want to prioritize quality over quantity).

Bulgarian Squats may require an advanced power station. Check out our review of the best power stations for effective workouts.

Supported Pistol Squats

Pistol squats are one of the coolest exercises you can perform – but they are also great for strength development.

While pistol squats can be difficult to complete, using the power tower as a balance device can help you to support the movement and train the correct movement pattern.

Simply grab the power tower for support, stand on one leg and try to lower your body weight – without fully relying on the power station for balance.

The power station should be there to support your movement.  

As you grow stronger and more stable you can slowly use the power station less and less until you can balance on your own.

You now have a repertoire of movements at your disposal – check out the next section on how you can complete simple power tower workouts to achieve your goals.

Power Tower Fullbody Workout Routine

Three carefully-curated workout routines to help beginner-level athletes achieve their strength and cutting goals.

Beginner Workout

Workout Instructions: This beginner power tower workout routine follows a traditional strength training periodization. You will start with the largest compound movement and move into the smaller exercises – followed by the core.

Those interested in weight loss may want to decrease the RBS – and/or add cardio in the form of skipping or a short run.

You can make this workout more difficult by increasing the tempo or by decreasing the rest time.

BEGINNER WORKOUT	REPS	SETS	TEMPO	RBS*
Bodyweight Squat	16	3	2121	90
Neutral Grip Pull-up	6	3	1010	2m
Bodyweight Chest Dip	6	3	1010	2m
Vertical Knee Raise Hold	35s	3	n/a	2m

Strength Workout

Workout Instructions: This strength training workout features a cluster set and a superset used through your power tower station.

Be sure to use the full recommended rest times.

Strength workouts are not about weight loss. Rather, your focus is to create strength development and perfect movement patterns.

STRENGTH WORKOUT	REPS	SETS	TEMPO	RBS*
Bulgarian Squat	8	3	2121	2m
Neutral Grip Pull-up + Row Hold (Superset)	6+35s	3	1010	3m
Push-up Cluster Set	4^4	2	1010	3m
Hanging Knee Raise Hold	35s	3	n/a	2m

Cutting Workout (Complete 2-3 rounds)

Workout Instructions: Cutting workouts are all about trying to elevate the heart rate – which will increase your metabolic rate.

Much of your weight loss will come down to your overall supplementation and diet, but a great HIIT training session can be a great addition.

Here you will perform each exercise in sequence with about 10 seconds rest. When you have completed all the exercises you should take a long rest period (3-4 minutes) and perform the circuit 2-3 more times.

CUTTING WORKOUT (HIIT)	TIME	RBS*
Body weight Lunges	30s	10s
Chin Ups	30s	10s
Chest Dip	30s	10s
Supported Pistol Squat	30s each leg	10s
Australian Row	30s	10s
Decline Push-up	30s	10s
Hanging Knee Raises	30s	4m

Key Takeaways

A power tower workout is one of the most effective and easiest ways to complete a full body workout in the comfort of your home.

Here are some key takeaways you need to remember:

• Power tower exercises can be adapted to any goal and skill level
  
• Your personal workout program should influence your specific goals and be combined with proper nutrition and supplementation
  
• Power tower workouts are safe, easy and effective
  
• The limited space needed for a power tower means you can complete a workout anywhere in your home
  
• Get creative and use supersets and cluster sets to influence strength development
  
• HIIT training and cardiovascular training can combine to create highly effective weight loss and cutting programs

FAQ

What are the Best Power Tower Exercises to Superset?

Supersets are generally completed to either burnout a muscle group or influence/stimulate blood flow.

In the case of burnout, you can complete two exercises that will target the same muscle groups – like dips followed by pushups.

In the case where you want to stimulate blood flow to complete more reps, you can move from a push to a pull (or vice versa). For example, moving from a squat (pushing movement) to a pull-up (pulling movement).

Where Can I Find Power Tower Workouts for Beginners?

Checkout this beginner-level workout routine which features simple, compound movements to build strength.

BEGINNER WORKOUT	REPS	SETS	TEMPO	RBS*
Bodyweight Squat	16	3	2121	90
Neutral Grip Pull-up	6	3	1010	2m
Bodyweight Chest Dip	6	3	1010	2m
Vertical Knee Raise Hold	35s	3	n/a	2m

NOTE: You can adjust the reps and exercises to suit your specific needs. For example – those with a nagging shoulder injury may want to swap the chest dip for pushups as they place much less stress on the shoulder joint.

Just be sure to try and keep the same format of larger compound movements first – working into your core at the end of your workout.