The Best Power Tower Workout: 4 Moves for Total-Body Toning

It's time to power up your upper body workout. A Power Tower is a common piece of gym equipment that could seriously help you drive your workouts from 0 to 100.

Let's explore this handy dandy piece of equipment. We'll go over the differences between a Power Tower and a captain's chair, and examine how this apparatus could help you get a stronger core and upper body. Harness your power and come along for the ride.

Power Tower vs. Captain’s Chair

You may have seen both of these pieces of equipment in your commercial gym. But what's the difference between a Power Tower and a captain's chair? Although these two machines can look very similar, there are some slight differences that you may notice.

Power Tower Features

Power Tower is a little bit more comprehensive than a captain's chair in most cases. Most current Power Towers on the market do come with the captain's chair functions included, mainly the vertical handles that help you train ab exercises.

Power Towers usually include dip bar handles, vertical handles, and horizontal handles. This is slightly different to the captain's chair which usually has vertical handles only.

Some variations of the Power Tower also come with ground-level handles. These are included for people who want to train push-ups. Some Power Towers at commercial gyms even offer cable pulleys, however, if you're looking to add this piece of equipment to a home gym, advanced attachments like this can make it more expensive.

Because of the increased variation in handles, the Power Tower is more of a full-body access machine than a captain’s chair.

Captain’s Chair Features

You can do many of the exercises that you can on a Power Tower using the captain's chair. but most captain's chairs come with a narrower array of functions. Because of the way the handles are laid out on this machine, captain's chairs are more targeted toward ab work, specifically.

Exercises like leg raises and bicycle crunches are great to perform on a captain's chair. particularly for beginners, The backrest and comfortable grip also help you if you have core stability issues, although most Power Towers include these comfort features as well.

What are the Benefits of a Power Tower

Full-Body Workout

This area tones ab muscles including the:

• Rectus abdominis: This area on the front of your torso is also known as your six-pack. Working on the rectus abdominis is an essential part of building an aesthetic body.
• Obliques: The obliques are the waist muscles on the sides of your torso. They help you twist your trunk from side to side and bend at the side waist.
• Hip Flexors: When you hinge from your hips to perform any kind of abdominal crunching move on a Power Tower, you work your hip flexor muscles. This includes major muscles like the psoas major and the rectus femoris.

Most adults don't have great mobility in their hip flexors. Research indicates that tight hip flexors can cause pain across the lumbar spine (lower back).

Power towers also help work your:

• Back: Moves like pull-ups help target the latissimus dorsi, rhomboid and trapezius muscles in the back.
• Shoulders and Arms: Moves like push-ups on a Power Tower also hit your deltoids, triceps, and pectoral muscles.

All in all, this machine provides a more comprehensive workout compared to a simpler apparatus like a captain’s chair.

Versatility

Power Towers are a great piece of equipment for full-body workouts.

If you prefer to work with your bodyweight only rather than equipment like free weights dumbbells or barbells, the Power Tower can provide phenomenal workouts for you. Power Towers let you execute moves like pull-ups, leg raises, hanging knee tucks, and even push-ups in some cases.

Although the structure of each Power Tower can vary a little bit, most of them are designed to be able to hit most of your body's major muscle groups. That being said, if you want to do ab-specific exercises, the Power Tower is just as good an option as the captain’s chair. Leg raises, especially, on these machines can activate deep core muscles like the transverse abominis.

Together with the rectus abdominis and obliques, there is evidence that these muscles help stabilize the lumbar spine (however, in what capacity each muscle contributes to stabilization remains to be studied).

Cost-Effectiveness

If you're starting to build up a home gym, the Power Tower is a less expensive piece of equipment that you can buy for yourself.

If you want a machine that works most of your muscles and you’re willing to do bodyweight workouts, the Power Tower is a fantastic economical option for you. Although the ones you see at the gym are usually much more expensive, lower-cost power towers can range anywhere from $100-$500.

Best Power Tower Exercises

Pull-Ups

A traditional pull-up is one of the best moves you can train with a Power Tower. If the pull-up bar is occupied at the gym, you can easily make your way over to a Power Tower and start working on your pull-ups.

This is because most Power Towers have an attached pull-up bar. Grab the bar with an overhand grip. For the starting position, keep your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart.

Engage your shoulder blades and lift your body weight using your back muscles to pull yourself up to the bar. Once your elbows are bent and your chin is touching and resting over the bar, lower your body back down in a controlled manner.

If you can't perform a full pull-up don't worry. Resistance bands aren’t only useful for squats and deadlifts. You can also anchor resistance bands to the top of a Power Tower for an assisted pull-up variation.

Grab a resistance band with the weight you want to remove from your body weight for your pull-up.

So for example, if you weigh 150 lb, and you use a 50 lb resistance band, you would be reducing your body weight by approximately 50 lb so that you're only lifting 100 lb.

Keep in mind that the weight you take out of your pull-up using resistance bands can vary. This depends on the way you anchor the band, and whether you use one foot, both feet, or your knee at the bottom of the band to perform this move.

Leg Raises

Leg raises are one of the best power tower ab workout moves you can perform to help build sculpted and toned abdominal muscles. This move helps to work your rectus abdominis (your six-pack muscles). To perform this move grab the vertical handles of your Power Tower and plant your back against the backrest of the machine.

You can perform this move with straight legs or vertical knee raises with bent legs. Hinge at your hips and lift your legs upwards until the thighs are at a 90° angle to your torso. Hold for a moment, then slowly bring the legs down to return to the starting position. Repeat this move for as many reps as you need. You can also perform a leg raise hold where you simply hold the legs up for longer.

If you hold the move in a straight leg variation of the leg raise, this can work as a progression to help you train an L-sit.

Pro tip: From this position, twist at the abs to sweep the legs from side to side to get a windshield wiper workout in as well.

Oblique Knee Raise

This move will help you build up the muscles on the sides of your waist. Strong obliques are important for bending over, twisting your torso, and helping to create a tapered or V-line look to your waist. The oblique muscles along the sides of your body allow you to twist through your midsection.

But with too much belly fat around this area, (which has been linked to increased mortality) you may start to build up an unsightly muffin top, or even get the appearance of an inverted butt. Not so nice.

To perform oblique knee raises, grab the two vertical handles on your Power Tower. Firmly press your back into the back plate and brace your core. Bend your knees up towards your chest, then hitch one hip upward to crunch through your oblique area to one side.

Bring your torso back to the center and tap your legs back down to the bottom of the machine. Then bend your knees, and repeat the movement, crunching through the oblique on the other side.

Dips

Tricep dips are one of the most powerful moves you can perform to build sculpted shoulders and the upper body of a Greek god. When paired with a pull-up, the tricep dip is also the end component of a muscle-up.

This is a great muscle-up progression exercise if you’re looking to build up your calisthenics repertoire.

To perform dips on a Power Tower, grab the horizontal handles with your palms facing toward each other. Slowly bend your elbows until your forearm and upper arm are at a 90° angle with each other. Lower your body downward.

Pro tip: Make sure you have adequate upper body strength to perform this move unassisted if you choose to train your dips using a Power Tower. This machine doesn't have a lower leg platform for you to support your feet. So here you would be lifting your full body weight.

If you're just getting started with dips, try your dips off the edge of a weight bench or box instead. That way, you can use your legs for support, taking some of the effort out of this advanced move.

The Takeaway

The Power Tower is one of the most versatile bodyweight machines you can use at the gym. It's similar to a captain's chair. But the Power Tower usually comes with a few more bells and whistles. These make it a more sophisticated machine for total body workouts.

From bodyweight exercises to a workout routine that targets the upper body muscles only, the Power Tower has a little big of everything.

Instead of being focused only on the abs, the high bar and horizontal handle attachments make it an exceptional way to train your pull-ups or your dips as well as the abs.

What's more, the Power Tower is generally an inexpensive piece of equipment. This machine often retails for below $500, so if you're adding a Power Tower to your home gym, this is one of the more economical options you can choose.

Whether you choose an abdominal exercise or an upper body strengthening move, make sure to always stretch after you use the Power Tower.

Power Tower— Warm up and Cool Down

Warm up your shoulders before you start a Power Tower workout as well. If your gym has dowels, a dowel mobility warm up can be one of the best ways to get your shoulders activated for work on the Power Tower.

Simply grab a dowel, using an overhand grip and raise it over your head with straight arms. Once you get to the top, flip your shoulders around to begin lowering the dowel behind your back. If you have good mobility, you should be able to touch your butt with the backs of your hands and bring your dowel all the way down your back, facing your palms away from you.

This move is challenging for a lot of people with tight shoulders. Don't be discouraged if you have some difficulties initially. Continue to train shoulder mobility and you should see some improvements. You may also wish to warm up by swinging around a light weight. This helps open up the shoulders and stretch your chest.,

After an intense workout on a Power Tower, remember to cool down too. Stretches like a supine twist or a child's pose can help you to maintain healthy shoulders and a stretched-out upper body.

How Can I Eat for Better Abs?

Always remember to balance out your diet if you’re training abs too. No matter how strong you are, you can’t out-exercise a bad diet! Your muscles won’t show up well under an extra 5 pounds of fat. However, it is worth it to work out your abs if you have belly fat regardless. Be sure to incorporate lean proteins, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates when you eat.

If you’re having trouble reducing body fat, you may want to explore options like taking fat burners, whether or not you work out or pre-workout supplements.

Remember to consult a doctor or sports nutritionist to guide you in the right direction if you are considering athletic nutrition supplements.

Seize your power and drive your workouts to the max. Flex offers an all-in-one workout platform to help you learn new exercises, visualize your fitness journey and keep all your PRs in one place.

We’ve made it simple to work on customized fitness plans or to introduce a little friendly competition to your fitness community by sharing exercises with your friends. Try it for free through the Flex fitness app.

References:

Konrad, A., Močnik, R., Titze, S., Nakamura, M., & Tilp, M. (2021). The Influence of Stretching the Hip Flexor Muscles on Performance Parameters. A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(4), 1936. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041936

Murdock CJ, Mudreac A, Agyeman K. Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis, Rectus Femoris Muscle. [Updated 2023 Nov 13]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539897/

Nauli, A. M., & Matin, S. (2019). Why Do Men Accumulate Abdominal Visceral Fat?. Frontiers in physiology, 10, 1486. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2019.01486

Siccardi MA, Tariq MA, Valle C. Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Psoas Major. [Updated 2023 Aug 8]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535418/

Stokes, I. A., Gardner-Morse, M. G., & Henry, S. M. (2011). Abdominal muscle activation increases lumbar spinal stability: analysis of contributions of different muscle groups. Clinical biomechanics (Bristol, Avon), 26(8), 797–803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2011.04.006