Rogue Atlas stones vs Rogue D-Ball medicine ball

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

Overview and review of the Rogue D-Ball medicine balls

This is an overview of the Rogue D-Ball medicine balls including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview of the D-Ball medicine balls

Price: $55 - $110

D-Ball medicine balls are a great option that provides a little more grip than a classic medicine ball. These balls are great for everything you can do with a medicine ball except throwing and catching. For that, a traditional medicine ball is probably the better choice. Rogue D-Ball medicine ball come in 8lb to 40lb with a diameter of 9"or 10.6". The full specifications are:

Made in the USA
Medball/Slamball
9 Weight Increments: 8 LB to 40 LB
Diameter: 9” (8LB to 25LB) and 10.6” (30-40LB)
Durable Rubber Shell with Textured Grip
Color: Black

These are a great addition for anyone who wants to do condition y lifting heavy balls of the ground to the shoulder and dropping them back down to repeat the process.

Pros of the D-Ball medicine balls

Pros of the D-Ball medicine balls are:

Rubber exterior
Standardized size
Gel-like filling

The rubber exterior makes it easier to hold onto and keep the ball in place when you want to perform any kind of movement where you are leaning on the ball. Even if the d-balls get heavier, they stay the same size, which is good to remember the motor pattern. The gel-like filling makes them especially good for lifting to the shoulder and dropping them back down from there without too much bounce.

Cons of the D-ball medicine balls

The cons of the d-ball medicine balls are:

Little bounce
Harder on wrists
Higher price

The D-ball medicine ball has very little bounce and is also harder than a classic medicine ball. This makes it a great option when you drop it and pick it up, but less ideal for throwing and catching. Compared to the Echo Slam balls they also have a higher price. ou get a better grip on the D-Balls than on the slam balls, but the difference is negligible to justify the higher price. Especially if you are buying in bulk.

Alternatives to the D-Ball medicine ball

Alternatives to the d-ball medicine ball are:

If you want a heavy medicine ball for your workouts that stays the same size, then the MK D`Balls are a good option. Especially for the higher weights, I would go for the MK instead of the regular D-Balls.

The Echo slam balls are a great alternative to the light D-Balls that cost less. If all you do is slamming the balls rather than bringing them to the shoulder than this might be the right one for you.

If you want to save some money, but still have a medicine ball that you can throw around, then the Rogue Rubber medicine balls can be a good alternative to combine a low price point with some weight to throw about.

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.