Rogue RM8 vs TITAN power tower bench

This is a comparison of the Rogue RM8 rack and the TITAN power tower bench including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the TITAN power tower bench 188.99

This is an overview of the TITAN power tower bench 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 power tower bench

The power tower bench is a variation of the multiple power towers that TITAN has in their line up. This version will also make it possible to do bench press motions and flyes while lying down. Combined with a pair of dumbbells it takes care of many of the shortfalls of a regular power tower as the bench gives you access to a wider arrange of exercises to get to your goals. The downside is that this power tower will eat up more space because of its T shape than a regular power tower. The full specifications of the TITAN power tower bench are:

- Full size bench

- Adjustable j-cups

- Dip station

- Multi-grip pull up bar

- Push-up handles

- Length: 79 1/2"

- Width: 34"

- Height: 86 1/2"

- Bench Length: 43 1/2"

- Weight: 99 lbs

- Capacity: 350 lbs

This is a good training station if you do not go crazy with it. I would not recommend using at for barbell bench presses, especially not if you go very heavy, as the hole thing might tip over or you might get your fingers caught on the awkward hooks to rack the weight.

Pros of the TITAN power tower bench

The pros of the TITAN power tower bench are:

You get a bench
Price
Great for bodyweight exercises

The biggest advantage of this product is that you get a bench including a power tower. With many vendors in the market you would be ard pressed to even get a bench for this prize. Never mind an entire exercise station that can function as a gym in your home. For what it does the TITAN power tower bench is great value for money.

Cons of the TITAN power tower bench

The cons of the TITAN power tower bench are:

Racking hooks
Low weight
Space requirements
TITAN finish

The hooks for racking can be become a real health hazard. They are not optimized for racking a heavy barbell including weights. The cups have a small metal disc in front to keep the barbell in place. This can easily turn into a finger cutter if you have the pressure of a heavy barbell and a metal disc with some fingers sandwiched between them.

The whole station also has a pretty low weight for hanging yourself from it. If you do not attach it to the ground or to the wall it is likely that you will topple it. Especially if you like to go apeshit when you are training. It is not a good idea to get the cheapest possible equipment and than put the maximum amount of stress on it except you want to break things and humans.

This TITAN power tower bench will roughly take up the same amount of space as a small power rack. As you can not put this outside in the rain based on the bench pad you might want to reconsider and save up a little longer to fill your home gym space with something proper.

In addition to all of this you always have to take the TITAN finish into account. TITAN is know for parts that won't fit or completely missing parts. If the bones of the product are already flimsy and you combine this with lax quality controls you get recipe that won't necessarily make you happy. It does not mean that you can not train with TITAN equipment, it just will not more caution and DIY to make it work compared to other vendors like Rogue and Eleiko.

Alternatives to the TITAN power tower bench

Alternatives to the TITAN power tower bench are:

TITAN outdoor power tower
TITAN rack combo
Rogue jammer bar

The TITAN outdoor power tower is built a little sturdier than the TITAN power tower bench. It has also has been stripped off any parts that do not do well in the rain. In addition the tubing is a bit thicker as with the power tower bench and an extra coating has been apllied. If you want to invest a little more and train outdoors this is the safer and better choice than the power tower bench. The only downside is that you will not get a bench with your purchase.

The TITAN rack combo plays in a different league than the power tower, but you still get a bench and other options to train. Rack combos are aimed at powerlifting meets and are easy to assemble and transport. With the TITAN rack combo you save some money compared to the competition and do not take your fingers off when you are bench pressing. In return it can not be used for pull ups or dips.

The Rogue jammer bar is a great indoor pull up bar to put above your kitchen door. Whenever you walk through, you do as many pull ups as you can muster. Keeps the entire family fit, is safe and does not take up a lot of space. Nothing to not like about this product. Except the price as it costs the same as the TITAN power tower bench.

Conclusion for the TITAN power tower bench

If you use the TITAN power tower bench together with some light dumbbells and do not play tarzan while hangin from it it is a good budget option to keep generally fit. Still, I am not a huge fan as the production is cheap, it takes up quite a bit of space and does none of the things it claims really well.

Overview and review of the Rogue RM8 Power rack

The Rogue RM8 power rack is the new flagship of the rogue rack portfolio for $7.350. It combines the new LT1, Rhino Belt and RM6 into the Rolls Royce of racks.Here are the pros and cons and alternatives to this beast.

Overview of the RM8

The RM8 is the newest edition to the Rogue Monster line up. After publishing the 50cal, Rhino belt squat and a multitude of new bar designs using the Cerakote finish Rogue out it all together and went even bigger. This is the ultimate station to get stronger, especially for anyone who wants to squat heavy up until older age.

As part of the Rogue monster series, you will get the 3x3 Gauge steel with the big bolts. The finish is currently only Cerakote black also I am quite positive that this will change in the foreseeable future. The RM8 has the following dimensions:

Length 10’6”
Width 6’4”
Width Rack inside 43”
Height 100.375”
Footprint 10’6” x 53”

You will basically get an RM6 on steroids with all the plate storage you need and extra functionality to attack your muscles from every angle. Here is the list of items:

Rhino Belt squat
Loadable weight trolley
Knurled Socket pull up bar
Custom Rogue Nameplate
6 long plate storage pins
4 short plate storage pins
Monster Sandwich J Cups
4 Monster band pegs

The Rhino belt squat is one of the most interesting new developments in the Rogue portfolio. It is especially good to train heavy for squats without putting too much strain on your lower back. An older lifter will appreciate it, you get lifters will be able to get more volume in. The stand-alone version of the Rhino comes in at roughly $2000 and I have already written about the Rhino belt squat it on my blog.

The loadable weight trolleys are two lever arms with the 50cal mechanism. Again Rogue has shown innovation on these. They revised that the original lever arms were cumbersome to adjust and can up with these. Footballers and Rugby players will appreciate the tackling training which can be done with them. Strongman athletes will have a good piece of equipment to simulate car deadlifts or uneven loads. Bodybuilders will have options to simulate all kinds of rowing and pressing machines when combined with an adjustable bench. Finally, powerlifters can use the setup to create a mini monolift.

The pull-up bar with knurling gives you extra grip. It is one of the newer additions to the rack options of Rogue. Still, it is a bar, not a lot to be said about it.

The custom rogue nameplates look cool, but that is about it. It’s a pity that Rogue does not allow the configuration to be changed to a simple cross member. The nameplate renders the beam almost unusable for any attachments. Still, it looks dang cool.

That plate pins are great as they safe you the extra hassle and cost to provide for plate storage. If you have children in your home I recommend getting spring collars to make the plates safe. Some like to put the plate pins as high as possible. I would not do that as the plates will drop from a height into anything below if they come off the rack. Most children won’t be able to move the spring collars, so at least you have some safety.

The band legs can be used to train with the west side method. You attach bands to the pegs and barbell for added resistance. You can see an example of how that works in the two videos below.

Pros of the RM8

The RM8 is the one-stop-shop for the latest and greatest that Rogue has to offer. The Rhino belt squat will give you many variations to train while keeping your lower back safe. You can switch from resisted jumps to band assisted squats. The potential is limitless. It is really great to see that products can still be made better in a market which you thought was saturated. If you have the money the Banshee won’t disappoint.

Cons of the RM8

$7000 is a big price tag for a rack. You can get 7 Fortis racks for this price if you were to equip a commercial gym. Another option would be a monkey rig which gives many more options to run classes of them. This beast is aimed at in e or two people. Of course, you can have more people train at it, but this is definitely the ultimate celebrity or athlete home gym, not the commercial option. Unless you are an NFL team and do not care about multiplying out the 7000 over half the numbers of players you have.

Another con is that for the biggest price tag you get no color option. That is a shame and hopefully changes soon. They probably assemble it by hand and coat it as they don’t have a production line for the RM8 yet. Stay tuned in this space.

Alternatives to the RM8

There are no alternatives if you want all the best toys of Rogue in one rack. But not everyone has 7000 to spend on a rack. Here are some alternatives to spend your hard-earned money on excellent Rogue equipment:

If you have the same amount of money to spend but also think about how to make that money back in a professional gym setup the monkey Rig or a monster rig might be a better choice. A Rig leaves you with more options for circuit training and positing people up. You can read more about rigs in my monkey and monster rig articles.

If you want to spend money on a very good rack for your home gym you can go for the RM6 instead. The RM6 comes with different height and color options and leaves you with more choice rather than the take it or leave it approach of the banshee. If you were to come to money at after stage you can still upgrade with the Rhino Drop in and the 50cal trolley arms separately. You can learn about the RM6 in my review.

The RM4 fortis is the best rack option from Rogue under 1.000. If you wanted to equip a commercial gym with seven racks rather than one rolls Royce that is the option to go for. The RM4 is still a great rack and your customers will be happy.

3WC is a rack option which can fold in and be snug against the wall. This way it is an ideal setup for a garage gym when you still want to park your car. It also comes in at around $500.

Summary of the RM8

The RM8 is the best to be had from Rogue. You can use the Rhino when your lower back is at you or do resisted pull-ups while the rest of the rack offers everything for plate storage to a pull-up station. Of course, it is over the top, but that’s the whole point.