REP fitness OMNI rack vs Rogue combo rack
This is a comparison between the Rep Fitness OMNI rack and the Rogue combo rack. Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the Rogue combo rack
The video above summarises my personal opinion for purchasing a Rogue combo rack for a home gym. If you want to just lean back and get information, watch it and then dig into the details below. In the following paragraphs you will find details on dimensions and alternative choices. I invite you to leave a comment on Youtube if you have direct questions.
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.
The most popular rogue racks based on views of their reviews on Marathon-CrossFit in 2020 are:
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The
RML 390 F is a half-rack from Rogue that does not need to be bolted to the ground. This makes it a very likely candidate from Rogue to have a very high sales volume. The small footprint and reasonable price further underpin this. Compared to the
RM8 it is affordable so popularity is more likely to directly transfer to sales.
You can read the full review of the RML 390F on my blog here.
The
RM4 Fortis is a cheaper version of the RM4 Monster rack from Rogue. You will have fewer color options and get fewer pins and extras with your order. This is a good option if you want more space in the rack than with a half rack without shelling out thousands of dollars.
You can ted the fu review of the RM4 fortis rack here.
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''.
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 OMNI rack
This is an overview of the REP fitness OMNI rack including the pros, cons, and alternatives. This article was originally posted in which rack to buy from REP Fitness. Follow the links for more information.
Related articles
Overview of the REP OMNI Rack $934
The
Rep OMNI rack is a flat foot version of the
REP PR-5000 series which has gained quite some popularity recently. It is a solid rack from a vendor who imports their parts rather than making them in the US as Sorinex and Rogue Fitness would. The main difference to the
PR-5000 is the flat foot base and the numbering on the uprights. The full specifications of this rack are:
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3x3 11-Gauge Steel with 1” diameter holes on upright.
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Compatible with most 5000 Series attachments including the Lat/Low Row.
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Up to 15 potential configurations when paired with the Omni Plus.
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J-cup, color options, and attachments are fully customizable.
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A long, flat-footed base helps promote stability, no need to bolt the rack down.
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Large stainless steel logo plate for additional rigidity and lateral stability.
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Includes: Multi-grip pull-up bar, six-band pegs, and hardware to connect up to six uprights to the base.
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Enough hardware will be provided for all possible configurations, which means that extra hardware may be left over after the build.
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Lat attachment adds 23" depth to the 4-post half-rack or adds 5" depth to the 6-post power rack is mounted to the interior uprights.
This is a good option when you do not want to bolt down your rack and start with a half rack that you will later upgrade. If you are looking for the most space-efficient option in the market it is probably not the best rack you can get.
Pros of the REP OMNI Rack
The main point about this rack is the flat foot design which means that you do not need to bolt it to the ground to make it stable. The bottom has quite some weight to it and a bigger footprint than a regular 4 post-half-rack would have. This is great to keep it from tipping over when you only have four posts and want to work with banded resistance on the deadlift, bench press, and squat.
As REP imports their material they can get away with lower costs for racks that compare in quality to the market leader Rogue Fitness. This means you get a similar quality rack for a lower price. This is one of the most appealing aspects of the REP fitness as they generally seem to do a better job on quality control than TITAN fitness but use overseas to keep costs down.
This is probably the best rack from REP fitness you can get, if you do not want to bolt down your rack but have big plans for it in the future. You will basically get a
PR-5000 with a flat foot design and can add to the base to your heart's contempt with further uprights.
Cons of the REP OMNI Rack
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Space requirements
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Numbering on uprights
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Website ordering system
The flat foot base of the
OMNI rack is laid out to accommodate a six-post design. While this makes it one of the few flat foot designs in the market for a six-post rack, it eats up too much space in a home gym with limited space. If you want to optimize for space a folding rack or a regular half-rack are the better options.
The numbering on the uprights does not go through every hole. While this saves cost in production it is a little inconsequential for ease of use. Either have no numbers to maximize my savings or number all holes to maximize the ease of use. This is especially true if you are buying in a commercial setting rather than a home gym.
Ordering an
OMNI rack is a little tricky and I wouldn't recommend it for first-time rack buyers. With these modular systems, it is better to really have an idea of the dimensions and accessories you are buying before configuring it. Compared to their main competitor rogue the configuration system on the website is also not as easy to use. But that is just my personal taste.
Alternatives to the REP OMNI Rack
This selection of racks is based in 3x3 11 Gauge steel uprights to avoid presenting too many options to you. If you want to save more money you can also look into 2x3 Gauge uprights. The smaller you are and the lighter the weights you move, the more likely it is that you should try to save some money for your home gym by going with a smaller frame. Commercial buyers should go as big as they possibly can on their budget based on insurance questions and that you can not predict as well who will use your equipment.
If you stick with the idea of "I want a Rogue quality rack at the lowest possible price" then the
REP-PR 5000 and the
REP PR-4100 are two other options to consider. The
REP PR-5000 has been hailed as one of the best, if not the best, rack for home gym users based on its good value for money. You can configure it as a 4 post or 6 post rack. The main difference to the
OMNI rack is that it does not come with a flat foot design. The
REP PR-4100 would be the folding rack option from REP Fitness. This is a good way to go if you still want to park your car in your garage when you are not training.
If you are toying with the idea of a flat foot 6 post rack the
OMNI rack is one of the few, if not the only option out there. Another option would be the
RM6 rack from Rogue which needs to be bolted to the ground. Go with the
RM6 if you are planning to get a belt squat, as currently, the Rhino Drop-in is the superior option to the belt squats from REP Fitness. The
Rogue RM3 is the half rack option from Rogue with 3x3 Gauge steel. If you have the budget for an
Omni rack you can probably also afford the
RM3. With the
RM3 you are saving footprint compared to the
OMNI rack, as it comes with four uprights without a flat foot design. The uprights will also have all the holes numbered instead of just a few on the
OMNI rack. With this rack, you will be buying from the current market leader in home gym equipment in terms of quality and units sold. Rogue also goes to lengths to make sure that their product is as American as possible by sourcing metal and staff locally and keeping production lines in Ohio. This comes at a higher price than their competitors to the consumer. The
Rogue RM3W is the folding variation of the
RM3. If you want the best and can afford it and you are not that much into the flat foot idea, this can be a good route to explore.
The
TITAN series rack is the flagship of the TITAN rack lineup. This is TITAN's go at being like Rogue Fitness. You will also get a 3x3 11 Gauge steel uprights setting, but this is a full rack, rather than a half rack. If you were toying with the idea of a full rack that does not need to be bolted to the ground, then this might be the right option for you. If you want a 3x3 folding rack then the X-3 from TITAN would be the right choice. TITAN is known to undercut most of the other vendors on the market considerably when you compare like for like. This is why I am presenting you with their top-line rack as an alternative to the
OMNI rack. The downside of TITAN is that the same to have the most incidents with quality issues between Rogue, REP Fitness, and TITAN fitness. This makes sense as you need to cut some corners to undercut everyone else in the market. If you don't mind a potential risk of minor blemishes, some inconsistency in paint, or on the drilling of the holes, then TITAN is right for you. A good option for the DIY enthusiast who wants to save money for a new drill to fix their rack setup and then have it for other home projects.
Conclusion for the REP OMNI Rack
The
REP OMNI rack is in my opinion the REP fitness approach to tailoring their portfolio to universities. This is the right rack for the strength coach that does not want to explain to the dean why he has to drill holes into the resurfaced gym floor that was paid out of taxpayer's money. The same goes for someone who is renting a mansion and wants to put a six-post rack into it without damaging the 100-year-old original floor. For anyone who can drill into the floor or just uses a rack without bolting it to the ground, I think it is not the ideal option. Why create an unnecessary unused footprint in your limited home gym space for a half-rack?