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Squat rack with weights [Article, Video]

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Dec 26, 2019 9:00:00 AM

Squat rack with weights

Squat rack with weights

 
A good combination would be the Rogue RM4 or TITAN rack with bumper plates. All details in the article below.
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Squat rack with weights 

 
Which rack and bar will fit your budget can ultimately have unlimited different combinations depending on your preferences. 
 
Some questions to ask yourself in the process of getting the right equipment for you are:
 
  • How much space do I have available 
  • Hoch much do I maximally want to spend 
  • Which exercises do I want to do 
  • How many people will use the equipment 
  • What preferences do I have for the conduct of the manufacturer 
  • What type of training will I do 
  • Do I prefer nice design or finish or maximum amount of equipment per dollar
  • Will the new equipment fit with my old equipment 
  • What is the resell value of my equipment 
  • Will my gym be single purpose or will I use the space for parking a car too? 
 
All of these questions will narrow your choices down and start progress. As a good rack and Olympic bar combo can put you back anywhere between $500 to $10000 it is worth the while to put some time and thought into it. Unless you make more than $10000 a month. Then this is spare change to you. In that case, buy the Rogue RM8, built a garden house around it and get a combination of rogue calibrated steel and competition plates including a Pyrros and Thor bar. 
 
For a great rack, you will usually spend around $1000. The sky is the limit, but the high-end racks are $8000 to $10000 when they have all bells and whistles. You can also start at $200 but if you want some color or the option to have the best upgrades for the rack in future put down $1000 against the rack. You might get nasty shipping or tax surprises at the end of the check out process which bumps the price tag by 10% to 20%. So put $1000 in the bank so that you have some wiggle room on the rack while not having to get the cheapest option. 
 
Barbells usually range from $100 to $1000. At the lower end you will have lighter barbells or options which do not fit with standard plates. Stay away from those as they do not protect your investment and also mean more hassle than fun with your purchase. At the high end we have the Eleiko Olympic barbells. The middle ground are barbells from Rogue, Titan and other vendors with different focus. You have to decide whether you actually want an Olympic barbell in the sense of doing Olympic lifts with them. These usually come in for $400 to $700 as they have bearing on the sleeves instead of bushing for a better spin. If you don’t need bearing you will get a great barbell for $300 for all purposes. 
 
Based on this my personal recommended budget for a rack and weights combo would be $2000 if you buy new. Good months for discounts are October and November. The brands that I would personally recommend for a US purchase are TITAN and Rogue as they have been around for a while, produce in the US and usually have shipping costs included on a big order. 
 
Rogue is usually perceived as the high-end brand. They have higher costs than other vendors as they invest more in marketing, processes and staff. They also only focus on fitness equipment and have managed to get a big foothold in the CrossFit community. Their owner is an ex-military and brings in metalworking and design ideas from there into the business like the Cerakote coating. With Rogue, you usually find a consistent finish on welds and color on their products and good customer service. Their big downside is the price you pay and that the community starts to perceive the same as the Wall Street of fitness as they start buying and registering parents left, right and center. 
 
TITAN is usually perceived as the budget-friendly US clone of Rogue. TITAN also has another arm to the business which focuses on farming equipment and other heavy machinery. What you save on the purchase comes at a higher risk of an inconsistent finish on their products. Some people are super happy while others literally hate TITAN products. With Rogue people usually complain about the price but not about the product. 
 
The Rogue combo I picked is the RM4 rack with bumper plates. This sets you up in the middle of the portfolio of Rogue for a budget of $2000. You will be in the focus of their product line up with the monster series. Rogue racks usually also have a better resell value as they are in demand. You can downgrade to an R4 to save money to get a Pyrros bar. Look at the alternatives provided as this is only a reference point. 
 
From the TITAN portfolio, I picked the TITAN rack and bumper plates. For the same budget, you get some plate storage pins with the TITAN rack which are not included with the RM4. The atlas bar is the equivalent of the Ohio bar in the Titan portfolio. 
 
You find the detailed reviews for each item below.
 
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Overview and review of the Rogue RM-4 Monster Rack

Price: $1.300 - $1765

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 Monster RM4 rack gives a cage for your powerlifting needs without providing a lot of storage options. See the details in this article.
 

Overview of the RM4

 
The RM4 is the core of the Rogue Monster rack series. This is the full rack that can be built onto in many ways. As it is part of the Monster series you can choose between 90'', 100'' and 108'' in height. The RM4 is 49'' long and wide. The overall footprint comes to 53''x53''. You get westside spacing and a multitude of colors to choose from. These are:
 
  • Bright Blue
  • Bright Green
  • Burnt Orange
  • Dark Blue
  • Gun Metal
  • Light Gray
  • Rogue Red
  • White
  • Satin Clear
  • Satin Black
With the MOnster rack, you are entering Rogue's flagship series of construction. This protects your investment for the future. You can choose from multiple options like Flip down safeties and 2'' Monster Sandwich J cups for your own comfort. 
 

How many clients should the Rogue RM4 Monster Rack bring you?

 
If you think that the Rogue RM4 will bring you 5 new clients who pay you 50$ on a 1-year retainer it is worth the investment. This will yield 3.000$ net new revenue against an investment of 1.300$. Adjust the numbers for your own gym accordingly.
 

Pros of the Rogue RM4

This is a rack that can be upgraded easily while still being in the Monster series of Rogue. This is one of the most cost-effective options to get into the Monster portfolio with a relatively standard product to build upon. There are less costly options in the Monster series, but they are specialty racks which might lead to challenges when upgrading.
 

Cons of the Rogue RM4

The biggest con for the Monster series is the price tag. You can get a lot more rack for the same price out of the Infinity series. 
 

Alternatives to the Rogue RM4

Here are some alternatives within the Rogue portfolio based on a budget of 1.300$
 
With the Rogue RML 490C, you basically get the same amount of rack space at a lower space. The Monster Lite series is built a bit less sturdy than the Monster series. Some of the bigger machines also do not attach to the Monster Lite series. Apart from this, you save 300$ for more or less the same effect. 
 
If you are considering to upgrade your existing gym you might want to consider metal jerk blocks instead. This will help to attract professional weightlifters to your gym who usually pay more and stay for longer. This is only an option when you have the basics already covered. #
 

Conclusion

The RM4 is a bit friendlier on your purse than its big brother the RM6. You still get a good option out of the Monster series to do your workouts in. Be mindful of where to store your plates when you buy the RM4 as it is very unlikely that there will be enough room on the rack itself.
 
 

Bumper plates 

Price $565 / $3.76 per kg

Overview of the Rogue Bumper plates

The HG Bumper plates are the workhorse in the plate portfolio of Rogue. If you want cheap plates with a three-year warranty which do the job, this is your place. These plates will last, can be abused in any kind of way and will perform. The disadvantages of these plates are that they are harder to handle than 6 shooters and do are as plain as they come. They score 88 points on the durometer scale and have therefore slightly more bounce than the high range options from Rogue. The only color option for these plates is black.
 
Weight / Diameter / Thickness / Price per pair
25kg / 450mm / 3.5'' / $162.50
20kg / 450mm / 3.25'' / $130
15kg /450mm / 2.625'' / $97.50
10kg / 450mm / 1.75'' / $63
5kg / 450mm / 1'' / $52.50
Available sets
90kg, 2x 10-15-20 kg $370
110kg, 2x 10-20-25 $437.50
120kg, 2x 15-20-25kg $460
140kg, 2x 10-15-20-25kg $525
150kg, 2x 5-10-15-20-25kg $565
This is the no-nonsense choice if you are starting out and just want weight.

Pros of the Rogue bumper plates

These plates will not oxidate and can be used outside. If they reak your heart won't sink and you just replace them. They will be forgiving when dropped on feet or on the skin. Hurting your fingers is less likely than with other plates. You can drop them from overhead. Take your pic. 

Cons of the Rogue bumper plates

These plates look dull and you can not see what you have exactly loaded. You also will not fit as much weight on the bar than with higher price ranged options from Rogue. It is also more likely with these plates, tat th weight varies more considerably compared to what is stated on the plate.

Alternatives to the Rogue bumper plates

Alternatives to the bumper plates are:
 
 
The 6 Shooter Urethane plates are another workhorse option with a different design. The six holes make it easier for athletes to handle the weight. These plates can also be used for workouts without a barbell, which is hard to do with bumper plates.
 
Olympic weights are the ultimate plate for getting as much weight as possible on your bar at minimum cost. These metal plates are not fancy, but weigh a lot while not taking up a lot of space on the bar. If your gym should make clanging and banging noises, this is the plate to get.
Competition plates are the Nascar version of bumper plates. These plates are color coded so you can easily see how much weight is on the barbell. They also have a steel core which makes them behave better when you change direction for the Olympic lifts. 
 

Rogue Color KG training plates

Price $960 / $6.85 per KG

Overview of the Rogue Color KG training plates

 
The Rogue color KG training plates come in full color just like the competition plates and are specialized in Olympic weightlifting. These plates can be used in training and still life up to the IWF standards, You can choose from 10kg, 15kg, 20kg, and 25kg plates. These plates come with a 450mm diameter and collar opening of 50.4mm. They score 86 on the durometer which means they a little more bounce than the top range plates from Rogue. They also have been designed to be thinner and fit more weight onto the bar. The weight tolerance on each of these is around 15 grams per plate. 
 
Weight / Color / Diameter / Thickness / Price per pair
 
25kg / Red / 450mm / 2.50'' / $345
20kg / Blue / 450mm / 2.125'' / $285
15kg / Yellow / 450mm / 1.75'' / $220
10kg / Green / 450mm /  1.25'' / $152.50
 
Available sets
 
90kg, 2x 10-15-20kg $615
110kg, 2x  10-20-25kg $755
120kg, 2x 15-20-25kg $825
140kg, 2x 10-15-20-25kg $960
 
These are the right plates when you want to get the real competition feel going for your Olympic lifters in your gym while still saving some money compared to competition plates. 
 

Pros of the Rogue color training plates

 
These plates are great for training purposes and cost less than actual competition plates. You will fit more of these onto a regular bar compared to normal bumper plates. The color coding will set your gym apart and make it easy for athletes and coaches to identify the weight on the bar.
 

Cons of the Rogue color training plates

 
The color coding is not ideal in gyms where the plates will be used on and off a platform. They will quickly take on lose color and dirt will be easily visible. The higher bounce rate compared to higher end Rogue products makes it more likely for them to break. This also means that they are a bit more dangerous to train with for beginners as they are usually not used to bouncing weights.
 

Alternatives to the Rogue color training plates

 
Alternatives to the KG color plates are:
 
 
If your clients or yourself prefer to train in lbs rather than KG but like the color coding and a bit more bounce, than the LBS version of the Color training plates are an option for you.
 
If you want top-notch training plates which match the rest of your gym and are more durable, you can opt for the Black training plates from Rogue. These have less bounce and a couple of extra features on the plate which make them more beginner friendly. 
 
If you want to save money and do not need to max out the weight that can be put on the bar, the bumper plates are a time tested solution for any gym. Not fancy, but they do the job and you save some $$$ per kilo.
 

Calibrated steel plates 

Price $885 / $5.56 Per KG

Overview of the calibrated steel plates

The Rogue calibrated steel plates come in KG and LBS nominations. They are popular for powerlifting purposes as they can fit a lot of weight onto a bar. They are also approved by the IPF and therefore be used for official powerlifting competitions based on their high level of precision.
In the manufacturing process, each plate will vary in weight when it is finished. The cheaper the plate, the more variance you will have. Calibrated plates are made with better quality machines and add one production process at the end which is the calibration. What happens here is that the plates are weighed and then there will be a disc placed into little holes at the back of them to adjust to within 10grams of the desired weight.
Further specifications for the Rogue Calibrated steel plates:
 
Weight / Color / Diameter / Thickness / Price per pair
50kg / black / 450mm / 50mm / $386.50
25kg / red / 450mm / 27mm / $225
20kg / blue / 450mm / 22.5mm / $182
15kg / yellow / 400mm / 21mm / $140
10kg / green / 325mm / 21mm / $99.50
5kg / white / 228mm / 21.5mm / $82.00
2.5kg / Black / 190mm / 16mm / $55
1.25kg / Chrome / 160mm / 12mm / $42.50
0.5 kg / Chrome / 134MM / 8mm / $35
0.25kg / Chrome / 112mm / 112mm / $25.75
 
Available sets
 
159kg, pair of each plate except 50kg $885
459kg, pair of each plate 0.25kg to 20kg & 7 pairs of 25kg $2060
Calibrated steel plates are very good when you want to fit as much weight in as little space as possible. As long as you do not want to drop your weights this is great.

Pros of the calibrated steel plates

Calibrated steel plates are the ones you will use in competition in a powerlifting meet. They will also take up less space in your gym than bumper plates for the same amount of weight. The color coding looks cool and gives any gym a little extra feel of being professional when it comes to getting results. With these, you can train like a real champion.

Cons of the calibrated steel plates

Steel plates are not ideal for overhead lifts. They spin differently than competitionbumper plates and behave differently when you switch direction during the lift. They also suffer from dropping or heavy use a lot more. Especially the calibration discs can come loose and start to rattle or fall out over time altogether. 

Alternatives to the calibrated steel plates

Alternatives to the calibrated kg plates are:
 
Calibrated steel plates with LBS nominations are the same plate style but take out the thinking for you when you prefer to lift in pounds. If you do not want to compete this might be an option, as the international standard for the IPF is to measure the weight lifted in kilograms.
 
Competition bumper plates can be a good alternative if you focus more on weightlifting than powerlifting in your local gym. These plates are specially designed to be used in Olympic lifts. For this purpose they have a metal core and bumper surroundings. The only downside with these plates is that you can not fir as much on the bar as with steel. But you were not planning on overhead pressing 400kg soon, weren't you.
 
The most durable and high-quality plates you can get from Rogue are the Urethane plates. Therefore, they are also the most expensive. You can basically think of these as the steroid version of the competition bumper plates which last longer. If you will drop your plates often and use them outside for overhead lifts, this might be the way to go. 

 
TITAN power rack

Titan Series Power rack

Price $1030

Overview of the TITAN power rack

 
The Titan series power rack is the flagship rack from TITAN which is currently available. You will get an overbuild cage with a lot of space inside to play around with. If you are a massive athlete or just like big, star things, this is a good option for you. It also includes all of the its and bits and plate storage to get you started. A barbell and plates would have to be purchased separately to make a full set. The specifications of the TITAN power rack are: 
 
  • 3” x 3” 11 Gauge Tubing and bolt-together design.
  • Includes (2) 1” Diameter Pins w/ 1.5” Pipes for
  • Includes (4) Bolt-On Weight Plate Holders
  • Includes (4) Band Pegs.
  • Includes a pair (2) Sandwich J-Hooks.
  • numbered laser cut holes
  • Keyhole side spacing 
  • 1” bolts 
  • Max height of 94” for pull-up bar. 
  • Overall Weight: 388 LB
  • Overall Height: 100”
  • Footprint (including bolt-down plates): 53” x 55.5”
  • Overall Depth: 48”
  • Inside Depth: 42
  • Overall Width: 48”
  • Inside Width: 42”
 
This rack will make a fine centerpiece of your gym for years to come. 
 

Pros of the Titan power rack 

 
You will get a massive rack for a very competitive price. TITAN also offers a wide arrange of attachments to tend to all of your own or clients needs in the future. Once bolted down this thing does not move anywhere. Ideal for big guys lifting big things.
 

Cons of the TITAN power rack

 
As Titan seems to operate on lower margins than their competition you might find that the finish or welds of racks can be inconsistent. If you make less money per transaction you usually have to make up for it by cutting corners by buying different quality material from different suppliers on the cheap or pay your staff less. As we are talking racks here, this might not be as bad as with medication. However, if you get furious about little cosmetic blemishes or less than perfect craftsmanship, don’t buy from TITAN. 
 

Alternatives to the TITAN power rack 

 
Here are some alternatives to the TITAN power rack: 
 
 
The X3 is basically the same model as the Titan rack with two differences. It doesn’t have numbered holes on the uprights and the keyhole design. This means that you can use fewer attachments with it which you have not necessarily bought from Rogue. 
 
The T2 model comes in various shapes and heights and can be configured differently for your home gym to make it fit your space. The main difference to the other Titan racks is that the uprights are 2x2 instead of 2x3 or 3x3. 
 
The T3 rack model is also very similar to the Titan rack but comes at a lower cost. It is the same as the X3 except that it has 2x3 Gauge uprights instead of 3x3. 
 

Summary for the TITAN power rack

 
If you only want to buy a rack from TITAN and want the best, this is the one to go for. Also if you want to buy a lot of racks and don’t care about the finish that much, TITAN is a great option. If you are a smaller athlete and want to save money you might want to look at the other TITAN models as well, especially the X3. 
 

Squat rack with plates 

 
The plates are probably the place where you can save the most without losing too much of the comfort. You do not need high-end plates if you are not a high-end athlete.
 

Topics: Rogue, TITAN