Overview and review of the Rogue Socal complete
The Alpha Crossfit package gives you 5 different items at a price of $730 to cover your Crossfit needs. Learn more in this overview and find out about alternatives if you don't have the budget or need for such a big pack. This overview has originally been published in "Which Rogue equipment pack to get for an individual".
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Overview of the Socal complete
The
SoCal complete is probably the cheapest overall
package from Rogue for CrossFit which you can obtain. Here is a shortlist of the items you will be getting:
Apart from an
Abmat and speed rope, you are covered with this
package for a relatively low cost. This makes it a good option on a budget. Be aware that this pack does not come with a rack, plate storage or pull up bar.
Items of the Socal Complete
This is a list of the items in more detail.
1) 160LB ROGUE HG BUMPER SET
-
(2) 10LB
-
(2) 25LB
-
(2) 45LB
That is not a lot of weight but will do for any WODs which go for a high repetition count.
Bumper plates are a great option for your home gym as they can be used outside or indoors. They also can be dropped from overhead without any problems. If you get them too close to your fingers or shin they are less likely to injure you than
steel plates. While these are the benefits of
bumpers they fall short on design, precision and space requirements.
To keep the price low
bumper plates are manufactured from old rubber. This leaves you with only black as a choice. If you want to add some color to your life you can go for the RR plates or
competition plates from Rogue instead.
Bumper plates are not precision engineered. This means that they have more tolerance in the difference from the actual weight to the stated weight on the plate. This can be up to 1kg higher or lower. If precision is important to you you might want to go for the
calibrated steel plates or
competition plates instead.
The last point is the space requirements. The plates will take up a lot more space on the barbell than
steel plates. This becomes especially relevant when you have powerlifters who regularly lift more than 400 pounds in your gym.
(1) ROGUE ECHO BAR 2.0
The echo bar is the most cost-effective option from in terms of barbells. As you are probably in the saving mindset I won’t recommend other bars to you. However, you can observe the boneyard to get a nice bargain. The boneyard contains barbells who did not make the cut from a production point of view or got send back by clients after being unboxed for minor blemishes. The boneyard bars come with no warranty.
(1) PAIR OF SPRING COLLARS
Spring collars are a common presence in any gym in the world. They are cheap and do the task of keeping your plates in place. This comes at the cost of more scratches compared to collars.
(1) SET OF ROGUE WOOD RINGS
These American made wood rings will cover your needs for gymnastics. They come with straps to hook them up to your rack. To get their full value their best hung from the ceiling or a high point. Make sure you have the correct anchoring in place which does not come with the shipment.
(1) ROGUE MEDICINE BALL
A
Rogue medicine ball comes with this
package which has been manufactured in the US. The diameter is 14” and you can Choi’s from a range of 4 to 20LB.
If you want to save even more money ask to swap for the rubber version of these medicine balls.
(1) ROGUE KETTLEBELL
Pros of the Socal complete
I personally think that the
SoCal complete is the best CrossFit
package from Rogue for an individual on a budget. You get everything you need from a high-quality player without investing too much. You might want to add a pull-up bar or squat stand to your order and your first home gym is complete.
Cons of the Socal complete
Some might make the argument that you want to equip your own home gym better than the gym around the corner. You will also have no infrastructure with this order, so think about your options here.
Alternatives to the Socal complete
Summary of the Socal complete
The
SoCal complete is exactly what it says on the tin. You get everything you need to start at a low cost. You just will not have a lot of variety for each exercise and the cheapest barbell from Rogue. Not necessarily the champion's mindset.