REP fitness AB-5000 bench vs Rogue combo rack

This is a comparison between the Rep Fitness AB-5000 bench and the Rogue combo rack. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the Rogue combo rack

The rogue combo rack comes in at a price of $2500 and is the ultimate rack for your powerlifting meet. This overview was first published in "which rack to buy from Rogue". See for yourself whether this rack is the right choice for you or you might want to steer to other options from Rogue.

What else to consider from Rogue

Most popular Rogue racks in 2020

Attached you find which Rogue racks have been most popular on Marathon-Crossfit.com in terms of views of their reviews and click through rates to Rogue Fitness for purchases. If you want to learn more about the details of the composition of the data you can read the full analyses under what were the most popular Rogue products in 2020.

Overview of the combo rack

The Rogue combo rack is the gold standard from Rogue for powerlifting meets. It has been designed for the environment of a powerlifting meet where you have professional athletes of different sizes stepping up to the platform. The Rogue Combo rack is IPF certified and manufactured in Columbus Ohio. Special features are the lever arm jack, telescoping uprights which can be angled and the removable bench.

The rogue combo rack comes in black and weighs 505lb. It is 77.25'' long when the bench is attached. The total width is 80.25'' and the inside width comes to 43.5''. When it is fully extended the maximum height is 78'' for the squat and 17.5'' for the bench press. The Notes are cut from 3x3 Gauge steel as with all products from the Rogue Monster series. The overall footprint of the combo rack is 77.25'' x 80.25''.

This is the flagship rack of Rogue that has been built for showing off the best national and international athletes. That the IPF put its stamp of approval on it shows that Rogue means business. If you want to organize one big meet or multiple meets throughout a year this rack is for you. If you are serious about competing on an international level you might want to get this for your home or local gym, so that you can simulate competition as close as possible.

Pros of the combo rack

This rack is sturdy and can be easily adjusted. It also does not need to be bolted down to the ground as Rogue is making use of their flat foot design. This is handy if you are putting up a competition in a local hotel or on any stage where you are not allowed to bolt a rack into the ground. Another advantage is that the uprights can be angled. This is great when you have very big athletes competing who want to grip the bar outside of the J Cups as they are so massive. The removable bench will safe time for your meet is you do not have to haul off one piece of equipment of the stage and replace it with another. You will also get a westside Monster bench and squat stand in one purchase. This saves money if you are serious about power and strength and know what you are doing.

Cons of the combo rack

The first con is the price. For 2.500$ you can also get an RM6 from Rogue or two midrange RM4 or R4 racks. This rack is also not user-friendly. It has been designed with a powerlifting meet in mind. To operate it most effectively you need 2 - 4 spotters who get everything ready for the athlete. Great in a powerlifting meet. Suboptimal when you are training by yourself or have a gym where beginners will just wreck themselves with the setup. There are also no safeties for the squat as a spotter crew is assumed. This is the right piece of equipment for someone who wants to get a powerlifting meet organized and done with as little waiting time for the crowd and athletes between lifts as possible. The home gym or commercial gym owner will make their lives unnecessarily hard.

Alternatives to the combo rack

For 2.500$ you can get the following other options from Rogue

If you are looking at the Combo rack I am quite sure that you are serious about lifting and probably already own a gym or seriously consider to build a massive home gym. If you are not planning to become the local powerlifting meet go to point or you do not have a serious team of powerlifters around to work the combo rack while someone lifts, consider getting something else.

The Rogue RM6 rack is a great option for anyone starting a home gym who wants storage and rack space combined in one rack. You can also upgrade this rack with the Monster Lat pull down and Rhino belt Squat Drop in. Innovation at Rogue also always comes first for the Monster line and trickles down from there. If you have the budget and want the best for your home gym, this can be an excellent choice instead of the combo rack.

The Rogue Rhino monster Belt Squat saves you money compared to the combo rack and is a great option for someone who has space and already owns a rack to squat and bench press in. If you own a gym think about what your clients need. If your clients are mainly powerlifters who compete often, you might want to get the combo rack. If your gym has a more mixed clientele and many older powerlifters with lower back problems, you definitely want to get the belt squat.

If you are opening your first gym or a new gym you will probably be better of investing the money in a Monster or Monster lite rig. For 2.500$ you will get one of the shorter ones. This will give you more options to create revenue streams, as the rig can be used for more different styles of training. A rig sets you up for powerlifting, CrossFit, Weightlifting and Tabata classes. The combo rack is for powerlifters only.

The Prone leg curl can be an option for a commercial gym or home gym owners who want to present more options for leg development. If you have a lot of bodybuilders or footballers in your gym this might be the better option than the combo rack.

Overview and review of the REP fitness AB-5000 bench

This is an overview of the REP fitness AB-5000 bench including pros, cons, and alternatives. The original was published under which rep fitness bench to buy. Follow the links for more details.

REP AB-5000 Adjustable Bench zero-gap

The REP AB-5000 bench is the zero-gap bench option from REP fitness. The lower part of this bench can be moved in place so that the gap disappears. This is a great bench for very lifters who still want an adjustable bench to move around but no gap when flat benching. The full specifications of this bench are:

Patented: This product was designed by REP in the USA and protected by one or more issued patents.
11-gauge steel frame.
Flat, incline, and decline positions with 7 back pad adjustments and 4 seat pad adjustments.
Laser-cut degree markings on a stainless steel wear guard
Unique pop-pin and bearing system adjustment for zero gap between seat and back pad. Adjusts in 1 second.
Easy to move with urethane grip handle and wheels

Total Height: 17.75"
Total Pad Length: 53.5"
Back Pad Width: 12.25"
Total Footprint: 8 SQFT
Weight Capacity: 1,000 lb
3% Tolerance

This is a solid option at the higher price range of REP fitness bench portfolio of like the pin design and want no gap between the two pads of the bench.

Pros of the REP AB-5000 Adjustable Bench

The pros of the REP AB-5000 bench are:

Zero gap
Good inside the rack bench
Harder cushion
Longer seat
Labeled degrees
A HIgher degree of safety due to push pins

The main feature of this bench is the zero-gap design. This makes it a good bench to keep inside your rack as it is not as easy to adjust as other benches in the REP fitness lineup.

It also comes with a harder cushion than some of the other REP fitness options and a longer seat than the REP AB-5200.

The labeled degrees on this bench are one of the biggest distinguishing features of the REP fitness compared to the competition. If I was a designer at someone else’s company I would probably copy it.

Cons of the REP AB-5000 Adjustable Bench

Cons of the REP AB-5000 are:

Cumbersome to adjust
Heavy
Vertical instead of a horizontal handle
90-degree incline

This is a big and hard-to-adjust bench. What you can in options for the setup you lose in speed for the adjustment itself. I also don’t like the 90 degrees top spot and prefer the 85-degree option in the REP AB-5200. The vertical handle to move the bench is also not of its time anymore as horizontal handles are easier to use.

Alternatives to the REP AB-5000 Adjustable Bench

Alternatives to the REP AB-5000 are

The REP AB-5200 bench is the better option if you don’t mind a little gap in your bench while gaining a lot more comfort in adjusting it. I am personally not a huge fan of the safety pin design on adjustable benches as it is a pain to use. The hook system is more dangerous for your fingers but has greater ease of use.

The Rogue AB2 adjustable bench works with the push pin design and can also be upgraded to the AB 3 by buying a leg attachment. These are the sturdiest benches you can get from one of the best vendors in the market. Their price is off-putting. The range close to $1000. At TITAN fitness you can build an entire gym on this budget.

The Rogue adjustable bench 2.0 is the model a personally own and I am very happy with it. This bench can be stored upright, is beefy, and still reasonably easy to move around. The price is also not outrageous even though it comes in higher than REP fitness’s top model AB-5200.

The TITAN Max adjustable FID bench is TITAN’s take on a beefy adjustable bench. If you want something for a low price to rival REP fitness and Rogue TITAN is the right place to shop.

Conclusion for the REP AB-5000 Adjustable Bench

The REP zero-gap bench does what it says on the tin. You can always set it up in a way that there is no gap between the upper and lower pad. This makes it a pain to adjust at times with the pushpin system, but that is the price you pay for this feature to work.