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Rogue Atlas stones vs Dynamax medicine ball

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Sep 4, 2020 4:00:00 PM

Rogue Atlas stones vs Dynamax medicine ball

This is a comparison of the Rogue Atlas stones and the Dynamax medicine ball including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

 

 

Overview and review of the Dynamax medicine ball

This is an overview of the Rogue Dynamax medicine ball including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

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Overview of the Dynamax medicine balls

Price: $80 - $165
 
The Dynamax medicine balls were one of the first medicine balls to think about how they behaved when thrown at high velocity. The design has often been copied by other vendors but Dynamax still has this extra edge about the finish and stitches as this is what they do best. If you like the design and you are willing to pay a little extra, these are the medicine balls for you. Dynamax medicine balls are available in the following sizes:
 
  • 4lb
  • 6lb
  • 8lb
  • 10lb
  • 12lb
  • 14lb
  • 16lb
  • 20lb
  • 25lb
  • 30lb
If you do boxing training and abuse the hell out of your medicine balls, this is probably the one to get.
 
 

Pros of the Dynamax medicine balls

 
Pros of the Dynamax medicine balls are:
 
  • Excellent finish
  • Simple design
  • Time tested 
  • Many color option
These medicine balls have been the gold standard for a long time and are here to stay. The stitches are perfect and the finish of these balls is immaculate. If you only want the best for your gym, this is the medicine ball to get. You can also choose from a big range of different color combinations on purchase. 
 
 

Cons of the Dynamax medicine balls

 
  • Price
  • Bounce back 
Compared to other Medicine balls you can get the Dynamax medicine balls are at the higher end of the market. Especially if you want to buy in bulk for gyms where you know that the equipment will not be treated well, this might be throwing money out of the window. Compared to slam balls they are also more expensive and might put one or two noses out of joint, if not used carefully. 
 
 

Alternatives to the Dynamax Medicine balls

 
Alternatives to the Dynamax medicine balls are:
 
The Rogue Standard medicine balls are very similar, if not identical in the make of a Dynamax ball. The only difference is the standard black color and a different technique to sew the ball together and pad it out. If you want to provide good equipment, but also know it will be abused, save a few dollars, and get a lot of standard rogue balls. 
 
The Rogue rubber medicine balls are a great value for money option if grp is not as much of concern. The leather of good medicine balls emulates punching or touching a boxer or other athlete. If that is not needed for your training purposes a rubber ball can be of a lot less maintenance and cost. The only drawback is that these balls almost bounce too weel for the intended training purpose. 
 
If all you do is slam your balls into the ground than you can save yourself money and hassle with slam balls, These will not bounce back from the ground and hurt you or your clients while also coming in at a lower cost than regular medicine balls.
 
 

Conclusion for the Dynamax medicine balls

 
The Dynamax medicine balls are the best you can get for standard medicine balls. If your facility only wants to provide the best and you want the maximum option to customize the colors of your medicine balls, this is the one to get. You get what you pay for, so if you buy in bulk the price will escalate quicker than with other options in the market. 
 

Overview and review of the Rogue Atlas stones

This is an overview of the Rogue Ruber Atlas stones including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

 

Overview of the Rogue Rubber Atlas stones

Price $125 - $915
 
The Rogue Rubber Atlas stones are another take on Rogue's team to make hardcore strength equipment more accessible for the mainstream. These Atlas stones are basically big medicine balls with a rubber mold and an iron core. This makes them more accessible for beginners and easier to maintain than concrete Atlas stones.  The specifications of these Atlas stones are:
 
  • Construction - Overmolded Rubber, Cast-Iron Core
  • Sold a la carte or in full sets (225 LB or 450 LB)
  • 5 Available Weight Increments: 50, 75, 100, 150, 200 LBS
  • Embossed Weight Indication and Rogue logos on one side
  • Recessed edges to prevent rollaway
  • Color: Black
The different models are available in:
 
  • 50 LB (10" diameter)
  • 75 LB (12" diameter)
  • 100 LB (14" diameter)
  • 150 LB (16" diameter)
  • 200 LB (18" diameter)
and can be purchased in two different sets. One is lightweight up to 100lb while the other is heavyweight up to 200LB. These are great tools if you do a lot of Atlas stone movements and you are getting fed up with remolding the ones you break on a constant basis.
 

Pros of the Atlas Rubber stones

 
The pros of the Atlas rubber stones are:
 
  • Easy to maintain
  • Lower injury risk
  • Ready-made
Compared to concrete Atlas stones this is a step forward to make Atlas stones a mass marketable product. In the past, you would get a concrete mold and make the stones yourself with cement and/or concrete. Not everyone is familiar with this process and the quality of the result can suffer. In addition, concrete is very unforgiving on the hands and anything you drop it on. Therefore the injury risk is higher. Concrete Stones also take less abuse, especially if you drop them directly on the floor. You usually need to pair them with some gymnastic mat which makes the setup cumbersome. The rubber Atlas stones take care of this problem. 
 

Cons of the rubber Atlas stones

 
The cons of the rubber Atlas stones are:
 
  • Not an official strongman competition tool
  • Get hot in the sun
  • Can not be changed in weight
  • Storage
If you are a strongman who is looking to prepare for competition, there is no way around using actual stones rather than rubber. The handling of a concrete ball is different from getting a grip on rubber. If you have a home gym and just want to simulate strongman training, these are a great option. If you are a strongman who wants to compete, get a mold. 
 
As these stones are black rubber they can be a problem in the hot Californian sun. They have a big surface to soak up the heat and you might burn your hands if they are left outside for too long. Of course, you have the same problem with all equipment, but as these are likely to stay outside for a long time because they are hard to store and the fact they are black does not help. 
 
Compared to other options for a home gym that just wants to simulate strongman training, rather than create competition like conditions, the rubber Atlas stones have the disadvantage that they can not be loaded with different material. If you buy a set of different strongman sandbags from Rogue it leaves you with a lot more options to play around with the weight. They are also easier to store after use if you can dispose of the sand or led you filled them with. 
 
The last disadvantage of Atlas stones is that they are hard to store. Most racks and storage options offered by Rogue or you already have will not fit them. Therefore you will most likely keep them on the ground and they are not small. Combine that with the fact that they are more often than not a gimmick rather than the main staple of your daily training, this can get annoying. Unless you throw them about every single day. 
 

Alternatives to the rubber atlas stones

 
The alternatives to the Rubber Atlas stones are:
 
  • Slater stone molds
  • Rogue Strongman sandbags
The Slater stone molds range from 8" - 24" in diameter, 23lbs to 586lbs in weight, and $50 to $220 in price. With these molds, you can make your own stones for use in your gym or anywhere in the world for competition purposes. Usually, it is cheaper and easier to make the stones for a competition on the spot, rather than transporting the heavy stones across the country. If you do not know your way around mixing concrete and pouring it into a mold, this might not be for you. There are good instructions out there, but it is a DIY job.
 
The Rogue Strongman sandbags come in various shapes and sizes in price ranges from $85 to $155. Thes bags have the advantage that they can be filled with different materials to get different training results. You can use Play sand, Crumb rubber, and lead shot to get weights ranging from 40lb to 2000lb. The lifting experience is not the same as with stones,  as you are onto military grade fabric. These bags are also more likely to deform during the lift making the structure more challenging or forgiving depending on whether it hits you or you want to wrap yourself around the bag. 
 

Conclusion for the Atlas Rubber stones

 
If you are a strongman who needs to work on speed on small Atlas stone weights, then this is worth the investment. It will make the setup a lot easier, you do not have to worry as much about an injury or the stones deforming. For your maximum attempts or heavy lifts to shoulder, i think there is no way around a concrete stone to do competition justice. If you are a home gym owner who is just starting their home gym I think that these combined with boxes of various heights are a better option than a dumbbell rack. If you have the space for a dumbbell rack, you have the space for a small Atlas stone ladder. Get the loadable dumbbells from Rogue and use the saved space for the rubber stone setup. That is what I will do when I upgrade my space that currently only houses a power rack and a bench.
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