Rogue Monkey Rig vs TITAN standing back extension machine
This is a comparison of the Rogue Monkey rig 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.
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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:
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:
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 $2000.
Conclusion for the TITAN standing back extension machine
The standing back extension machine is a great addition to any commercial gym with space. You might even want to get multiple of these and create a back area. In a home gym the
glute and hamstring combo might be better use of your space.
Overview and Review of the Monster Lite Monkey Rig
This review was originally posted in the longer article "Which strength equipment to buy from rogue" in which you can read about 25 products of Rogue which cost more than 1.000$. 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.