Rogue Donkey vs TITAN plate loaded fly machine

This is a comparison between the Rogue Donkey and the TITAN plate loaded fly machine including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the TITAN plate loaded fly machine $474

This is an overview of the TITAN plate loaded fly machine 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 of the TITAN plate loaded fly machine

The plate loaded fly machine is a classic in bodybuilding and an exercise that is frequently done in gyms all over the world. Flyes will build your back and chest. They are a great accessory to any chest day after you have finished your bench presses. The full list of Features for the TITAN plate loaded fly machine includes:

- Develops pectoral, chest, shoulder, and back muscles.

- Dual overhead cams offer independent and collaborative conditioning.

- Swiveling handles for exceptional range of motion.

- Thick, comfortable seat and back pads.

- Fully adjustable to accommodate users of all sizes.

- 2-in x 2-in, 12-gauge steel frame.

- Plate Sleeve: 2 Posts that fit Olympic sized plates.

- Dimensions: 65-in x 32-in x 28-in.

- Weight Capacity: 300 lb.

- Assembled Weight: 91 lb.

This is a solid machine for a home gym or a private gym where people k ow what they are doing and want to train flyes.

Pros of the TITAN plate loaded fly machine

The pros of the TITAN plate loaded fly machine are:

Price
Plate loaded
Seat and position

As all TITAN products the plate loaded fly machine comes in at an excellent price. TITAN usually undercuts the competition by about half and this is no exception. If you want a fly machine with warranty and a reliable vendor behind it than TITAN is a good address for you.

If you are building a home gym plate loaded machines are great as they safe you money for paying for the weight you train with multiple times over. If you are all about cutting cost than getting some plates and a bunch of plate loaded machines to go with them is a good strategy.

For training it is always great to have a proper machine with a good frame to sit in to target the smaller muscle groups. This fly machine delivers on that concept.

Cons of the TITAN plate loaded fly machine

The cons of the plate loaded fly machine are:

Cons of the TITAN plate loaded fly machine are:

Plate loaded
One trick pony
Makeshift

While plate loaded is great if you are building a gym for yourself and training buddy in your basement it is less than optimal in a commercial setting. Plate loading machines makes your workouts longer, creates trip hazards and exposes your clients to higher injury risk. If you run a heavily frequented gym that gets crowded in rush hours, than go with a fly machine that includes a weight stack.

This machine is also a one trick pony whic makes it less attractive for use in a home gym compared to other products from TITAN. If you want to optimize your money and space, steer away from this machine and look into the ones that are more multi functional.

The last point against the TITAN plate loaded fly machine is that the pulleys are exposed which gives the machine a makeshift feel. It does not feel like you could throw a truck at it and it will hold. It wi do the job, but if you are big and intend on putting a lot of abuse on it, you might want to look elsewhere.

Alternatives to the TITAN plate loaded fly machine

If you have the space you can get a complete training unit with the cable crossover machine from TITAN. You can also perform flyes with this and many other exercises you might want to do. The only downside is that the frame is very large and you get no seat with the machine. To get a similar experience you would also need to buy a bench from TITAN. In return your setup will be more modular and flexible.

The Titan plate loaded functional trainer is a good option for a home gym that wants to add a multitude of cable pulley exercises. If you already have a rack and bench in your home and want for to do more accessory movements to stay fit and support the big weights, than this is a good budget option. It might not be the ideal solution for a commercial gym as it is plate loaded. In those scenarios a machine with a weight stack is a better option.

The TITAN functional trainer does basically the same as the plate loaded with the difference that it comes with two 200 lbs weight stacks in addition to the frame. This makes it easier to load and get a quick workout done. This is the less messy functional trainer from TITAN but comes at the hefty price of $2000.

A set of TITAN dumbbells can also be used if all that you are interested in are flyes. In combination with a bench you are in the same ballpark as the price for the fly machine.

Conclusion for the TITAN plate loaded fly machine

The TITAN plate loaded glute machine is a great option for a spacious home gym than can afford your have multiple machines. If you have an Iron den where all of your clients know what they are doing and are few in umbers this can also work. In highly frequented gyms a fly machine with a weight stack might be the better choice. Home gyms with small space should stay clear from this single purpose machine and optimize your space better.

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.