Rogue Monkey Rig vs TITAN plate loadable seated dip machine

This is a comparison of the Rogue Monkey rig and the TITAN plate loadable seated dip machine including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the TITAN plate loadable seated dip machine $229

This is an overview of the TITAN plate loadable seated dip machine including pros, cons and alternatives. This article was originally posted in Which gym machine to get from TITAN. Follow the links for additional information.

Overview of the TITAN plate loadable seated dip machine

The TITAN plate loaded seated dip machine is a simple and effective machine to train your triceps. If usual dips are not enough anymore or are too hard for you than you can use this machine to start with the benefits or push them even further. It also a machine that is very easy to use for beginners or anyone who has to rehabilitate. The full specifications of the TITAN plate loadable seated dip machine are:

- Add weight to your tricep presses

- Adjustable seat height to fit athletes of all sizes

- Powder-coated paint job gives rust resistance

- Heavy-duty steel construction will last for years

- Optional bolt-down holes at the base, to add stability

- Installation is fast and easy – assembles in minutes!

- Footprint: 27.5-in x 30.25-in.

- Seat Back Height: 51-in.

- Seat Height: 17-in.

- Sleeve Length: 10.75-in.

- Handle Length: 16.75-in.

This is a good small machine for accessory work to your main goals if you can fit it into your gym.

Pros of the TITAN plate loadable seated dip machine

The pros of the TITAN plate loadable seated dip machine are:

Easy to use
Plate loaded
Small footprint

This is a straight forward machine which is easy to use and beats a very low injury risk. This makes it an ideal machine for a gym where you expect a lot of beginners to be present.

The TITAN seated dip machine is also plate loaded which makes it a good option for the budget conscious home gym owner as you do not pay for the integrated weight stack that comes with other machines.

Another pro of the seated dip machine is that it takes up a relatively low small footprint on your gym for a machine that includes a seat. If you already have a chair in your home you might as well turn it into an exercise machine.

Cons of the TITAN plate loadable seated dip machine

The cons of the TITAN plate loadable seated dip machine are:

Space requirements
Plate loaded
TITAN quality control

The TITAN plate loadable seated dip machine will take up more space in your gym than a dip attachment to your existing rack. If you have to work with a limited space than you will want to make the best of use and a dip attachment is probably the better option than putting another machine into a tight space.

Plate loaded machines are a great option if you are the sole user of your gym. If you have to provide facilities for many people at the same time plates can become a trip and injury hazard. Depending on who you are targeting and the average fitness level of your clients you might want to lean towards machine that already have a weight stack attached to them. These cost more, but are usually safer to use and expose you to less risk as the owner of the gym than plate loaded machines.

Another con is the quality control from TITAN. While it is existent it is not as tight as with other vendors in the marketplace like Rogue fitness and Eleiko. That is natural result of competing at the low cost end of the market which TITAN decided to do. Also TITAN has several businesses across different verticals rather than focusing on fitness only. The result is that TITAN fitness is under a higher pressure to ship every unit that has been produced, even if it has minor quality issues. If you are fine with forcing some parts and applying some DIY to machines you have bought new, that is no issue. If you do not like this prospect, buy from another vendor.

Alternatives to the TITAN plate loadable seated dip machine

Alternatives to the TITAN plate loadable seated dip machine:

TITAN dip rack attachment
Rogue matador
TITAN power tower bench

The TITAN dip rack attachment is an alternative to be used with your existing TITAN rack. These are easy to use and not that expensive. With this you can turn your rack in a dip station when needed and also get the dip attachment off when you want to do something else. This is a good solution in a home gym with space contraints. Ina commercial gym you might want to have the dip station permanently installed and the dip seated machine becomes the better solution.

The Rogue Matador is a dip attachment for your Rogue rack. If you have a Rogue rack in your commercial or home gym you might eant to look into this option first before investing in an additional machine that does the same thing.

The TITAN power tower bench is a full gym for calisthenics including dips. If you are planning a home gym, but do not want to use weights, this might be the better option for roughly the same budget as getting a TITAN seated dip machine.

Conclusion for the TITAN plate loadable seated dip machine

This is a great addition for any gym that has the space to get dedicated machines for accessory work. It is easy to use and maintain and therefore will not create an additional headache in your gym like some pulley options can do. In a tight space you might want o look into rack attachments that will do the job rather than eating up more square footage with another machine.

Overview and Review of the Monster Lite Monkey Rig

This review was originally posted in the longer article "Which strength equipment to buy from rogue" in which you can read about 25 products of Rogue which cost more than 1.000$. The Rogue Monkey Lite rig is a gym in its own for advanced athletes. See the details in this article.

Overview of the Monkey Rig

The Rogue Monster Lite Monkey Rig is an impressive piece of hardware which will catch the eye of anyone who will cast an eye on it. The main addition to the normal Rogue setups are the Monkey bars at various heights. If you want to prepare your athletes for CrossFit competitions or to compete in the Ninja warrior series, this is the way to go.

The monkey rig is constructed by 3x3 11- Gauge steel with 0.625 holes and Westside spacing. Its length is 24', width 6' and height 9'. This makes for a total footprint of 24'-3'' x 6'-8''. On this space, you will create 6 squat/bench stations and more than 10 pull up stations. It comes in black and ships in 6-8 weeks.

Be aware that it does not ship with barbells or plates when you purchase it. These are additions to your budget. You can read up on my blog if you are not sure yet which rogue barbell to buy. to get an overview of the portfolio.

Pros of the Monkey Rig

The Monster lite Monkey Rig makes a big statement. If you want to differentiate yourself from other CrossFit boxes in an area where you have a lot of fit people around it makes sense. If your clients are also collectively moving into a direction where they want to compete in CrossFit team sports, this is a good bet. It will also open your gym up to clients who are more interested in climbing.

In addition to the Monkey bars, you will also get a fully functioning 24' Monster Lite Pull-up rig. This is already a full gym. It is ideally suited to training which incorporates a lot of kipping pull-ups and muscle ups. The middle also creates a corridor which can be used for sprints and other aerobic ideas like bear crawls.

Cons of the Monkey rig

This thing is massive! Most gyms will not have enough space. If I was to open a gym I would think of the Monster lite Monkey Rig as something to aspire to rather than a first purchase. Most of your clients will not be able to do pull-ups, muscle-ups or climb the entire Rig. This is something that the fitness community you will build has to grow into. The 5.000$ might be invested more wisely in other equipment in a first purchase unless you have unlimited sources, space and want to build the most impressive gym in the entire city (which is also a valid business strategy, if you have good financial backing).

It is a pity that you can not get the monkey rig in individual colors and that there is no conversion kit available at the moment for already existing 24' rigs. Also be aware that the Monster Lite series is not compatible with all of the Rogue accessory. Think about what additional equipment you want to get before you hit the purchase button. In my opinion, it also does not make sense to have beams at the lower end of this setup. Therefore you will not be able to use band pegs for the squat/bench stations. You will also have to store the weight plates away from the rig. To protect your clients from injury you want to take special care that this setup is not cluttered with plates.

How many clients should this rig bring you?

If you think the Monkey Rig can attract 17 new clients which you can sign up for 50$ a month on a 1-year retainer, make the purchase. This equals net new revenue of 10.200$ against 5.000$ in the first year. Adjust the numbers for your own gym accordingly.

Alternatives to the monkey rig

Depending on which clients you serve and how much floor space you have here some alternatives from Rogue based on a 5K budget excluding barbells and plates:

1x Monster Lite rig 24' @ 3595$
1x Metal Jerk Blocks @ 1.150$

This configuration will give you more opportunities to generate revenue from beginning weightlifters and gives you some color options.

2x RM6 @ 2095 each
2x Monster Single Post Shelf @ 95$ each
2x Monster Single Post Kettlebell Shelf

This configuration will give you more options in terms of training styles, especially when most of your clients cannot do pull-ups yet. This configuration leans more towards a powerlifting gym or an upgrade of the free weight section of a commercial gym. The Single Post shelves are often overlooked when buying the 6er series of Rogue. If your clients are used to half racks you can leave the back free. More often than not new additions to the Rogue portfolio are made exclusively or earlier available to the Monster range and not to the Monster lite range. Keep that in mind when making your investment.

Conclusion

The monkey rig is a great piece of equipment if you have space and money to afford it. It is the right addition to your gym, if you have advanced athletes who are looking for a bigger challenge. If your gym mainly has recreational weekend warriors on the roster this beast of steel and bars might be a little too intimidating.