Rogue Donkey vs TITAN Economy H-PND

This is a comparison between the Rogue Donkey and the TITAN Economy H-PND including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the TITAN Economy H-PND $399

This is an overview of the TITAN Economy H-PND including pros, cons and alternatives. This article was originally posted in Which gym machine to get from TITAN. Follow the links for additional information.

Overview for the TITAN Economy H-PND

The Economy H-PND is a budget version of the H-PND that TITAN build first. This is a reverse hyper that takes up less space in your gym than the bigger version and also takes less money out of your pocket. If you are an average sized person the padding on this is more than enough for doing your exercises. If you are a huge athlete you might want to look into the H-PND option instead. A reverse hyper can be used to train the lower back to get more stability on heavy squats and deadlifts. These areas are usually hard to train with conventional machines and free weights. This is why Louie Simmons, creator of the Westside training method, made extensive use of reverse hypers more popular.The full specifications of the Economy H-PND are:

- 2-in x 2-in steel tubing makes for a sturdy and firm frame

- 6-inch handles swiftly adjust to eight positions in 2-inch increment to cater to every athlete looking to strengthen their posterior chain and lower body

- Includes (2) spring collars and strap

- Rubber feet on each corner prevent floor scuffing

- Overall Height: 44.5-in.

- Footprint: 55-in x 39-in.

- Sleeve Diameter: 1.95-in.

- Loadable Sleeve Length: 10-in.

- Step Dimensions: 2-in x 2-in Tubing, 8-in Long

- User Weight Capacity: 300 lb.

- Loadable Weight Capacity: 700 lb.

- Product Weight: 147 lb.

This is a good machine for a spacious home gym, or a commercial gym where people get a lot of attention from personal trainers. It is not the best machine to get for a gym where clients are mainly left to their own devices as it is not completely self explanatory and fits a training style that is not often followed by the general public.

Pros of the TITAN Economy H-PND

The pros of the TITAN Economy H-PND are:

Price

The main advantage of this machine is that it is a reverse hyper for the possibly lowest price you can get it for in the market. If you go to other vendors you will usually pay more for this very specialized piece of equipment. To get to this price point TITAN had to cut a few corners and strip some material out of the padding and the metal itself.

Cons of the TITAN Economy H-PND

The cons of the Economy H-PND are:

One trick Pony
Space requirements
Less sturdy built

While the Economy H-PND delivers on price it falls short on comfort. This is not the right machine if you are very heavy yourself or you go very heavy on your reverse hypers. For the best kind of comfort and security for the big guns go with the original H-PND rather than the economy.

If you are strapped for space this is also not the best machine to get. If you are serious about training your posterior chain you probably want to do reverse hypers and glute ham raises. For this the GHD combo from TITAN is the better choice as it only cists a little more, but than you do not have to buy two machines.

Alternatives to the TITAN Economy H-PND

Alternatives to the TITAN Economy H-PND are:

The TITAN H-PND is the original H-PND that is massive. The padding is big and this whole machine is build like a tank. If you can afford it and do not want a combo for your reverse hyper, buy this instead.

The TITAN Glute and Hamstring developer takes up roughly the same space as the Economy H-PND but mainly focuses on your glutes. If you mainly work with bodyweight exercises or have the space to get the GHD and the Economy H-PND this might be an additional option or alternative.

The TITAN Glute and Hamstring combo is in my opinion the best option you can get from TITAN if you buy into the benfits of training the posterior chain with this kind of machine in your home gym. It covers all the exercises which are hard to do for that area with freeweights and conventional machines while saving space in a 2 for 1 design.

Conclusion for the TITAN Economy H-PND

The TITAN Economy H-PND is a good reverse hyper for average sized athletes that have the space in their gym to have it. Commercial gyms might want to invest their money elsewhere as this is a machine with a very unique client set. Ultimately, for what it does, I would buy the Glute and hamstring combo instead for myself.

Overview and review of the Rogue Donkey

The Rogue Donkey is the ultimate machine from Rogue to address your lower back and core for $1945. You have everything in one place and with 500 pounds of weight, this thing is not going anywhere, just like any good old donkey.

Overview of the Rogue donkey

The Rogue Donkey brings the reverse hyper and GHD space to a new level. Rogue thought about their designs again and combined the Z hyper and the Abram GHD into an all-purpose lower back machine.

The benefit of this is that you only need to buy one piece of equipment which fits both purposes. This means money and floor space saved. The dimensions of the Rogue Donkey aa followed:

Made in the USA
Color: Black
Weight: 500LB
Length: 73”
Width: 44”
Height:54.5”
3x3 Gauge Steel
73” x 44”

This is a great machine to have in a serious home gym or powerlifting establishment. Some CrossFit boxes might also want to consider getting one of these.

Pros of the Rogue Donkey

The Rogue Donkey has a lot going for itself, of you are interested in a machine for back extensions, reverse hypers and glute ham raises. I have yet to find a machine that is better thought through for these purposes and therefore saves space in your gym.

Cons of the Rogue Donkey

The price and weight might be off-putting for some. Not everyone wants to have a 500-pound piece of equipment in their home gym or get on one in a commercial gym. Reverse hypers and back extensions are also not the most popular movements, so watch out whether you are getting your money’s worth.

Alternatives to the Rogue Donkey

I think there are no better options than the donkey from Rogue for what it does. However, $2000 can be a hefty price tag, especially for first-time buyers. Here are some other options from Rogue for $2000:

The fortis rack is the best rack from rogue under $1000. Combined with an adjustable bench and with a little stretch of the budget an Ohio bar you have a fully functioning gym for the price of a donkey. The only downsides would be no color option and that you somehow have to take care of plate storage.

If you prefer plate storage and a color option because you already have a bench you can go for the RML 690C and Ohio bar. The budget would even allow getting one of the fancy Cerakote bars. My favorite is the Fraser bar.

If you want to build a garage gym with all of the things needed to do CrossFit you can also go for the 3WC and Alpha CrossFit package. This way you will have a foldable rack and everything including plates to get started with CrossFit.

Summary

If you already have the bases covered and you are looking into expanding your gym the donkey is a great option to be considered. It is not necessarily your first big purchase from Rogue.