Rogue Monster Rig 2.0 vs TITAN leg press hack squat machine
This is a comparison of the Rogue Monster Rig and the TITAN leg press hack squat machine including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the TITAN Leg press Hack Squat machine $1055
This is an overview of the TITAN Leg press hack squat 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.
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Overview of the TITAN Leg press machine
A
leg press machine is a classic in gyms all over the world. In any bodybuilding movie montage you will find someone sitting in a hack squat machine pushing the equivalent of a small truck around. It has also become quite popular to get all of your friends to hop on one and post the video on Instagram. If you want to get instafamous you might still be able to afford the bikini models to hop onto the machine when you buy the
TITAN leg press. A great additional design is that this machine also doubles up as a hack squat. This makes it a two for one machine which saves space in a commercial or home gym setting to train your legs hard. The full feature list includes:
- 2-in-1 Machine features leg press and hack squat positions
- High quality steel construction for a solid, stable design
- Safety hand rails for complete control and easy bailout no matter what position you're in
- Fits Olympic weight plates and features two loadable weight posts and two additional posts for weight storage
- Comfortable and adjustable for any size athlete
- Footprint Dimensions: 40-in W x 7 FT L
- Overall Height: 53-in.
- Leg Press Footplate Dimensions: 21-in W x 15-in L
- Leg Press Back Pad Dimensions: 10.5-in W x 31-in L
- Hack Squat Footplate Dimensions: 26-in W x 22-in L
- Hack Squat Footplate Positions: 4
- Hack Squat Shoulder Pad Spread: 7.5-in W
- Hack Squat Shoulder Pad Dimensions: 4.5-in W x 8-in L
- Hack Squat Back Pad Dimensions: 20-in W x 15-in L
- Weight Post Length: 11.25" per side
- Storage Weight Post Length: 11.75-in per side
- Weight Post Diameter: 1.95-in.
- Weight Capacity: 875 lb.
- Weight: 325 lb.
This is a great machine for a home gym as it does two things for the price of one. In a commercial gym you might want to provide two stations instead of one so that more people can train at the same time.
Pros of the TITAN Hack squat leg press machine
-
Price
-
Space efficient
-
Big storage capacity
As usual the price is almost unmatched in the market for a product that would deliver the same or similar specs. Especially if you take free shipping and customer service into account. TITAN manages to provide the same material at roughly half the cost of their competition. If you want to build a massive gym, especially in your own home where you dont mind minor quality issues, TITAN makes your money stretch further.
As this is a two in one machine it will save you floor space. If you want to equip a small commercial gym or a home gym with a
leg press and hack squat, this is the ideal solution sothat you can keep some floor space for other machines or strechtes.
This
leg press machine can also be the centerpiece of an entire weight room, as you can store a lot of
plates on this machine. If possible i would place it close to the middle of any arrangement so that you can save on some
plate trees. Making plates readily available in your gym can cut waiting time considerably and create a better experience for your customers. In your home it is nice to not have to haul your own
plates too far and just able to throw them on the machine at the end of your workout.
Cons of the TITAN Hack squat Leg press machine
While 2 in 1 designs are always great when there is a single user, it can become problematic for multiple users. Not everyone will understand and use the machine in the way that it is intended. Especially in a commercial setup this bears a higher risk of this machine breaking or becoming a health hazard. While 2 in 1 is great for a single users who knows what the functions are, you need proper instructions when you use such a design in a more public space.
While the
TITAN hack squat leg press is definitely sturdy it is a small
leg press. You are giving up space for placing your feet and shoulders based on the two in one design. Also it would not feel comfortable using this
leg press fur multiple tons of weight as it is flimsy for a
leg press. It is great for the average joe, but if you do 4 - 6
plates easily for reps on a
leg press, you might want to get a dedicated machine for that purpose.
As with all complex assemblies from TITAN I put a caveat out that manuals and little bits are one of TITAN's major shortfalls in quality. When you offer your products for such a low price you have to cut corners in the creation of manuals and employee training. You just hear more often about tough assemblies or missing parts with TITAN than from comparable brands like Eleiko or Rogue fitness.
Alternatives to the TITAN Hack squat Leg press machine
If you want to do lunges and do not want to do them with a
barbell or kettlebells, a
smith machine can also be a good choice. The
TITAN smith machine is also closer to free weight training than a
leg press or hack squat. I am personally not a huge fan of
smith machines as they eat up a lot of space and are not that versatile. Still, most commercial gyms have one, so you might have to bite the bullet to provide the same as the guy next door. For any home gym I personally think that a
smith machine is a waste of space and money.
The
TITAN belt squat machine is another option to train your legs hard and still keep the exercise closer to free weight training. A
belt squat machine is a great tool for weightlifters and power lifters as it takes pressure of the spine for volume work on the squat, while still not restricting your body as much as a
leg press. Usually leg presses are a little more prominent with bodybuilders, so it depends on your training style for your home gym or what kind of clients you have in a commercial gym, if a
belt squat is the better fit for your place than a hack squat
leg press.
The
Rogue Rhino is the current gold standard in the industry when it comes to belt squat machines. Rogue has combined their recent push into the world of machines with their tryouts for pulley systems and created a
belt squat that is safe, easy to use and has almost a 1:1 ration for weight to exercise. The only downside to this machine is that it comes in at $1.750 which considerably sets it apart to the higher end compared to other machines.
The Rogue leg press is the beefiest and biggest machine of its kind I have personally seen. An added feature is that this massive leg press can also be used to train each leg separately or in a type of bicycle motion. Everything about this machine is massive; the seat, the
plate to put your feet on, and the
plate storage included. So is the price. This
leg press will put you back about $4000 so you could get 4 TITAN Hack squat leg presses for the price of one Rogue leg press. The Rogue leg press is the right machine for anyone who train athletes at top levels who do not have to worry about budget. If you are massive, this is the leg press for you.
Conclusion for the TITAN Hack squat Leg press machine
The
TITAN hack squat leg press machine is great for a spacious home gym for the average joe. The price is great for what you are getting. In professional environments a dedicated
leg press and a hack squat machine are probably the better choice to serve more customers in a shorter amount of time. Professional bodybuilders, powerlifters, and huge athletes might steer away from this machine due to the space constraints on the metal
plates and the fact that for a
leg press, it is a very light and small machine.
Overview and review of the Rogue Monster Rig 2.0
Price: 1.845 - 6.095$
This review was originally posted in the longer article "Which strength equipment to buy from rogue" in in which you can read about 25 products of Rogue which cost more than 1.000$. The Rogue Monster Rig 2.0 can be a good start to build your first commercial gym. See the details in this article.
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Overview of the Rogue Monster Rig
The concept behind the
rigs is the backbone of any CrossFit "box" gym. This design is genius in its adaptability and flexibility. As with all highly flexible and adaptable systems, this makes the purchase process a bit more complicated. Before you
buy a rig, make sure you have measured your gym, made some reasonable assumptions about your potential clients, or even better asked them directly. You can spend thousands of Dollars on attachments and space, that your clients might not even use and you, therefore, don't need.
The constant factors in the
Monster Rig built are the width, height, steel notes, and built pattern. The
Rogue Monster rig is 6' wide and 9' high. The steel nodes come in 3x3 11- Gauge steel. The
rigs will be built in a 4-6-4 pattern,
which means that the squat/bench stations are 4' wide while there is 6' space between the stations. The main variations are the length and edition of the
Rogue Monster Rig. The editions are from lowest to highest price:
- Base 2.0 Edition
- Standard 2.0 Edition
- Racked 2.0 Edition
The base version has the lowest cost, The construction gets its stability from double
pull up bars. If you have no clients who want to do muscle ups and you do not want options to place rogue accessories up high for climbing exercises this is the way to go. If you want to be able to do muscle ups ask rogue whether you can swap the double bars to
dirty south bars. This provides the double beam while moving the
pull-up bars out to be able to do muscle ups. The standard Edition might be more cost effective for this purpose.
The standard edition comes in at a slightly higher cost. For this, you get the second generation of the
rigs. Rogue changed their
pull up bars so that muscle ups are possible and there's more support where the bars attach to the
beams of the rig. The upper construction has also been optimized that it can take more accessories. This leaves you with more options for upgrades and more stability, as the upper construction is now sturdier. The base and standard edition are optimized for Crossfit as you can move around the ground more freely. For gyms focused on weight training & powerlifting, you might want more stability and beams.
The
Racked Edition of the Rig adds considerable cost. In return, you will get more rack space. Each bench/squat station now basically turns into an
RM6 rack with one full rack in front and a
half rack in the back. The
half racks could be filled with
Rhino belt squat machines. This setup also enables band work in and outside of the
rack and opens more storage options for
plates. The downside is that this setup is suboptimal for CrossFit gyms. There is too much going on on the ground to freely move around.
The Rogue Monster RIg is available in 4 different lengths which are
- 10'
- 2 Squat/Bench Stations
- 6 Pull-up Stations
- 14'
- 4 Squat/Bench stations
- 8 Pull up stations
- 20'
- 4 Squat/Bench Stations
- 12 Pull up Stations
- 24'
- 6 Squat/Bench stations
- 14 Pull up Stations
The more clients you want to serve in parallel the longer
the rig should be. Choose wisely between the setups especially on your first purchase. Remember that you can always buy more at a later stage. You can even make it a business goal to be able to justify to
make your Rig longer based on growing numbers in classes.
Pros of the Rogue Monster Rig
The Rigs are highly modular and versatile. You can find an option for almost any budget and can do a multitude of exercises in them. The general feedback in the market is that Rogue comes in at a higher price and delivers with solid builds. You can also see how Rogue incorporated client feedback and
kept improving their RIgs based on it. Buying anything out of the
Monster series also protects your investment for the future. Most upgrades are first released for
Monster and are only later made available for
Monster lite if it all.
Cons of the Rogue Monster Rig
How many clients should the Monster Rig 2.0 bring you?
Your first
monster Rig purchase will be very important. If you are at this juncture take a really hard look at your business plan.
- How many people live in the area?
- How many people are already on your books?
- What kind of training do they like?
- Are there other gyms in the area?
- What kind of equipment do they have?
- What do you like?
- What do you dislike?
- What kind of equipment do you have yourself?
- Is it compatible with the Rogue Monster Rig?
- How much space do you have?
- Where are the doors?
- Where are major obstructions?
- Where will you store equipment?
Just to name a few. It is easy to get excited about Rogue's great equipment and get carried away. If you are flush with cash have fun. If you are cash-stricken do multiple iterations of the planning process and reflect with others over it to get the optimum for your dime.
If you think that the
Monster Rig will bring you 7 to 21 new clients who pay you 50$ on a 1-year retainer it is worth the investment. This will yield 4.200$ to 12.600$ in net new revenue against an investment of 1.895$ to 6.095$. Adjust the numbers for your own gym accordingly. If this Rogue is being bought for opening the doors also factor in running costs like electricity, insurance, staff education, and labor.
Alternatives to the Monster Monster Rig
For this, I will go with the average between of 1.895 and 6.095 which computes to 4.995$.
This is the minimum configuration of the little brother of the
Monster Rig.
- Base Edition
- Rig length 10'
The main difference are the holes
which have been drilled into the material. This means that usually more accessories work with the
Monster than with the
Monster lite. Most rogue material is overbuilt for the purpose. I would not worry too much about stability and safety between the
Monster Lite and
Monster versions.
Conclusion
The Rogue Monster Rig 2.0 is an uncompromising start to your new gym. Even the biggest athletes will be able to brutalize it without significant impact or movement in the structure. If you have the money and want to build the best of the best, this is the way to go.