Rogue ISO Leg Press vs TITAN standing back extension machine

This is a comparison of the Rogue Iso leg press and the TITAN standing back extension machine including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the TITAN standing back extension machine $381

This is an overview of the TITAN standing back extension 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 standing back extension machine

The TITAN standing back extension machine is a simple and robust design from TITAN. With this machine you can do back raises and side raises to train your core and back. The pad is adjustable in height and can also be tilted in different positions. This is a machine for accessory work that can not be done with a lot of other machines. It is great for what it does if you have the space for it. The full list of specifications is:

- Strengthen your posterior chain

- Fully adjustable unit to fit a wide variety of exercises and athletes

- (8) adjustable foot roller and round pad positions in 1-inch increments

- (4) adjustable angle positions for the rounded pad

- High-quality 2 x 2-inch steel frame for a solid and stable design

- Footprint: 65-in x 28-in (39.5-in with band pegs)

- Footplate Dimensions: 24-in x 24-in.

- Rounded Pad Height: 28-in – 35-in.

- Foot Roller Diameter: 3.5-in.

- Product Weight: 112 lb.

Simple, elegant and effective. This is a machine that is easy to use and can be used in many different ways. Compared to a reverse hyper or GHD it delivers similar results but in a more accessible way for the general public.

Pros of the Titan Standing back extension machine

The pros of the Standing back extension are:

Price
Easy to use

As with almost all TITAN products you get an industrial grade machine for a consumer price. TITAN undercuts their competition by about half and the standing back extension machine is no exception.

This is a great machine for a commercial gym to provide options to train g your back and sides. In a home gym you might want to go for a GHD and reverse hyper combo as it offers you more options while it takes up roughly the same footprint.

Cons of the TITAN back extension machine

The cons of the TITAN back extension machine are:

Footprint
mainly suited for bodyweight exercises

For a bodyweight exercise machine the standing back extension takes up quite a bit of foot print. For this big a machine you might want to get something else instead that enables you to add resistance to your exercises via plates.

Alternatives to the TITAN standing back extension machine

Alternatives to the standing back extension machine are:

The TITAN H-PND is TITAN’s Monster Reverse hyper. This thing is built like a tank and will have enough padding for even the biggest of athletes. If you want to train your lower back with a reverse hyper than this is the best you can get from TITAN.

The TITAN economy H-PND is the little brother of the original H-PND from TITAN. The steel gauges and the padding have been downsized to offer this reverse hyper at a lower price. The economy H-PND also builds the base for the Glute and hamstring combo, which is a great choice to train your posterior chain in a spacious home gym.

The Rogue donkey is the gold standard in the market for posterior chain development. Rogue came up with a clever design and executed it perfectly. Especially the lad on this machine is very high quality and supports even the biggest athletes. Good quality also comes at a high price as the Donkey puts you back close to $2000.

Conclusion for the TITAN standing back extension machine

The standing back extension machine is a great addition to any commercial gym with space. You might even want to get multiple of these and create a back area. In a home gym the glute and hamstring combo might be better use of your space.

Overview and review of the Rogue ISO Leg Press

Price: 4.750

This review was originally posted in the longer article "Which strength equipment to buy from rogue" in which you can read about 25 products of Rogue which cost more than 1.000$. The Rogue ISO leg press is a machine for the advanced athlete to perform the leg press. See the details in this article.

Overview of the Rogue ISO Leg press

The Rogue Iso Leg press is one of the products of Rogue which have recently appeared in the portfolio. In my opinion, you can clearly see that Rogue wants to use the Lat pulldown machine, Prone Leg Curl and ISO Leg press to gain market share in the commercial gym sector to diversify their business beyond CrossFit gyms. While Rogue has already mastered the mass production of barbells and rigs, the production of big machines is done more manual. You might get a cheaper, more refined machine from somewhere else who has specialized in these for decades. Still, this will be most likely not American made and definitely not fit the rest of your Rogue gym setup.

The future looks promising as the Rhino Belt Squat has been a great release with a positive reception in the market. I am sure rogue will take the new technological developments from the 50 cals (locking system) and the Rhino (Pulley System) to create more refined machines in the future which will take over the market.

The Rogue ISO press can load up to 2475lb and has four load pegs. Rogue claims a 60% true weight ratio for the leg press. Machines are often criticized that too much of the load gets lost and does not have an effect on the lifter. This is why you see some people on Youtube leg pressing a bunch of plates and four Chinese girls on a leg press machine. They have better leverage than in a barbell squat.

The Rogue ISO leg press weighs 708lbs with a footprint of 64'' x 98''. It is 98'' long, 64'' wide and 47'' high.

Pros of the Rogue ISO Leg Press

Rogue has paid attention to the feedback from other machines by working on the true weight ratio. The four loadable pegs will go down well with your stronger clients who like big machines and also cannot find sufficient machinery in other gyms.

The fact that each leg can be addressed individually will be interesting to rehab clients and professional athletes alike. Not many leg press machines bear this feature.

You will also get a machine that has been made by American hands in Columbus. There is quite some work to be done to finish this beast and you will always know that this has been done by an American.

A leg press machine is also less intimidating to many clients than a barbell squat. Anyone who feels like they are hurting their back with the barbell squat can be put on a leg press machine instead.

Cons of the Rogue ISO Leg Press

The leg press machine is a single purpose machine with a relatively big footprint. This does not make it a suitable option for most gyms with a small footprint. You will also be buying outside of Rogues core business with less volume. Expect that customer services have fewer options to help you out with parts/replacements/repairs as the order volume on these is lower. There is less storage to draw from and all parts are welded together for the ISO (which means if you want to return it, they probably have to weld another from scratch or move someone else's order).

For this price, especially if you buy multiple, maybe ask Rogue whether you can inspect the machines on site before delivery. Bring your biggest and smallest athlete/client&relative, Based on the test ask whether small alterations can be made before the machines are finished (coated etc) and shipped.

How many clients should this leg press bring you?

If you think that the ISO leg press will bring you 16 new clients who pay you 50$ on a 1-year retainer it is worth the investment. This will yield 9.600$ net new revenue against an investment of 4.750$. Adjust the numbers for your own gym accordingly.

Alternatives to the ISO leg press

Here are some alternatives to the Rogue Iso leg press which come in at roughly the same budget.

1x Rogue Wingspan Rig @ 5.099$ (including all options, no weights)

The Rogue Wingspan Rig only costs about 250 USD more but is an all in one gym for that price. You have a pull-up station, rack, lots of storage room, a crown pull up bar for various grip variations and space to store up to five barbells. While the ISO leg press is on one end of the spectrum as a leg training giant, this is one of the most versatile options from Rogue in the same price range.

1x Rogue Rhino Stand Alone @ 1750$ USD
6x Monster Lite SML.2C @445$

This would be an alternative for a weightlifting gym that has no need for pull up bars and has a lot of space. You have to teach your clients how to drop a bar safely when there is enough room. The Rhino belt squat can be used by athletes with shoulder injuries or for heavy squats/volume work. It still loads enough weights for mere mortals.

1x Rogue Wood Jerk Block Starter Set @ 972.50$
1x Rogue Multi belt @90 USD
1x 10lB chain @ 17$ USD

The belt squat is the poor man's version of the leg press. It does more for balance and natural movement patterns and can not be loaded as heavy as the Rhino Belt Squat or Leg press machine. If you already have jerk blocks or pylo jump boxes this is probably the most cost-efficient version to get close to a leg press. Be aware that the setup is tedious and the injury risk is high if you do not assist your clients in setting this up.

Conclusion

With the Rogue Iso Leg press you will get a fully welded, American made leg press machine. The specialty of this leg press machine is that you can work one leg at a time or both optionally. With some extra space to add plates to the leg press and special attention to a maximum carry over of the weight to the lifter this leg press is for serious gyms that do not want to compromise.