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Rogue Monkey Rig vs TITAN Economy H-PND

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Jan 2, 2021 5:00:00 PM

Rogue Monkey Rig vs TITAN Economy H-PND

This is a comparison of the Rogue Monkey rig 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.

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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 Monster Lite Monkey Rig

 

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 Monkey Lite rig is a gym in its own for advanced athletes. See the details in this article.

 

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Overview of the Monkey Rig

 
The Rogue Monster Lite Monkey Rig is an impressive piece of hardware which will catch the eye of anyone who will cast an eye on it. The main addition to the normal Rogue setups are the Monkey bars at various heights. If you want to prepare your athletes for CrossFit competitions or to compete in the Ninja warrior series, this is the way to go. 
 
The monkey rig is constructed by 3x3 11- Gauge steel with 0.625 holes and Westside spacing. Its length is 24', width 6' and height 9'. This makes for a total footprint of 24'-3'' x 6'-8''. On this space, you will create 6 squat/bench stations and more than 10 pull up stations. It comes in black and ships in 6-8 weeks. 
 
Be aware that it does not ship with barbells or plates when you purchase it. These are additions to your budget. You can read up on my blog if you are not sure yet which rogue barbell to buy. to get an overview of the portfolio.
 
 

Pros of the Monkey Rig 

 
The Monster lite Monkey Rig makes a big statement. If you want to differentiate yourself from other CrossFit boxes in an area where you have a lot of fit people around it makes sense. If your clients are also collectively moving into a direction where they want to compete in CrossFit team sports, this is a good bet. It will also open your gym up to clients who are more interested in climbing. 
 
In addition to the Monkey bars, you will also get a fully functioning 24' Monster Lite Pull-up rig. This is already a full gym. It is ideally suited to training which incorporates a lot of kipping pull-ups and muscle ups. The middle also creates a corridor which can be used for sprints and other aerobic ideas like bear crawls.
 
 

Cons of the Monkey rig

 
This thing is massive! Most gyms will not have enough space. If I was to open a gym I would think of the Monster lite Monkey Rig as something to aspire to rather than a first purchase. Most of your clients will not be able to do pull-ups, muscle-ups or climb the entire Rig. This is something that the fitness community you will build has to grow into. The 5.000$ might be invested more wisely in other equipment in a first purchase unless you have unlimited sources, space and want to build the most impressive gym in the entire city (which is also a valid business strategy, if you have good financial backing).
 
It is a pity that you can not get the monkey rig in individual colors and that there is no conversion kit available at the moment for already existing 24' rigs. Also be aware that the Monster Lite series is not compatible with all of the Rogue accessory. Think about what additional equipment you want to get before you hit the purchase button. In my opinion, it also does not make sense to have beams at the lower end of this setup. Therefore you will not be able to use band pegs for the squat/bench stations. You will also have to store the weight plates away from the rig. To protect your clients from injury you want to take special care that this setup is not cluttered with plates. 
 

How many clients should this rig bring you?

 
If you think the Monkey Rig can attract 17 new clients which you can sign up for 50$ a month on a 1-year retainer, make the purchase. This equals net new revenue of 10.200$ against 5.000$ in the first year. Adjust the numbers for your own gym accordingly.
 

Alternatives to the monkey rig

 
Depending on which clients you serve and how much floor space you have here some alternatives from Rogue based on a 5K budget excluding barbells and plates:
 

 

This configuration will give you more opportunities to generate revenue from beginning weightlifters and gives you some color options. 
 
  • 2x RM6 @ 2095 each
  • 2x Monster Single Post Shelf @ 95$ each
  • 2x Monster Single Post Kettlebell Shelf
 
This configuration will give you more options in terms of training styles, especially when most of your clients cannot do pull-ups yet. This configuration leans more towards a powerlifting gym or an upgrade of the free weight section of a commercial gym. The Single Post shelves are often overlooked when buying the 6er series of Rogue. If your clients are used to half racks you can leave the back free. More often than not new additions to the Rogue portfolio are made exclusively or earlier available to the Monster range and not to the Monster lite range. Keep that in mind when making your investment.
 

Conclusion

The monkey rig is a great piece of equipment if you have space and money to afford it. It is the right addition to your gym, if you have advanced athletes who are looking for a bigger challenge. If your gym mainly has recreational weekend warriors on the roster this beast of steel and bars might be a little too intimidating.  
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