Rogue Monkey Rig vs TITAN t bar row
This is a comparison of the Rogue Monkey rig and the TITAN t bar row including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the TITAN T bar row machine $489
This is an overview of the TITAN T bar row 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 T bar row machine
The
TITAN T bar row machine is their take on a classic in every gym. Most movie montages with bodybuilders will include some type of the
t bar row and with good reason. The
T bar row is a staple in building bigger backs and putting on mass. With a dedicated station for
T bar rows you save time for the setup and can go heavier. This station takes up considerable space and therefore might be not the best option for a home gym. In my opinion a commercial gym that wants to provide strength to their clients absolutely needs one of these. The full specifications of the
TITAN T bar row machine are:
- Dual diamond plated footplates for grip
- Vertical and horizontal grip handles with a durable rubber grip
- Adjustable handle height
- Includes holes for bolting the machine to the floor
- Olympic sized weight plate holders
- Tough, solid steel construction is long-lasting and dependable
- Powder-coated paint job prevents rust and early scuffing
- Overall Height: 22.5-in.
- Overall Length: 39.5-in.
- Overall Width: 85-in.
- Footplate Dimensions: 15.75-in x 8.65-in.
- Grip Handle Diameter: 25 mm.
- Weight Sleeve Length: 12.7-in.
- Knurling: Medium Diamond Texture
- Finish: Powder-Coated Black
- Material: 2-in x 2-in 11-GA Steel
- Weight Capacity: 440 lb.
- Product Weight: 150 lb.
This is a great addition to any commercial gym that has the space.
Pros of the TITAN T bar row machine
One of the main advantages of buying from TITAN fitness is that they undercut their competition on most of their products by half. The
T bar row is no exception in this. As a
T bar row station is no rocket science to build, you should try to save some money on it. Where I would lean towards spending a little more are
belt squat machines,
barbells, and
functional trainers. These take a little more care and engineering to build well.
The frame of the
T Bar row is heavy and can take big weights and athletes. If you have people rowing multiple
plates on a regular basis,this is the machine to get.
A big advantage of
T bar rows is that you can load them very heavy fairly easy. With a
barbell you always need to load on both ends, while with a
T bar row you can just keep adding at the front. With the station it also means that the pin rests in a place where you can immediately add
plates without the need to jack up a
barbell.
Compared to
barbell rows
t bar rows also behave a little differently as the weight moves inside the athlete's frame rather than outside of it. It is a minor thing, but it can be nice to break the routine and row on a
t bar, rather than with a
barbell.
Cons of the TITAN T bar row machine
The main point against a T-Bar row machine is that it eats up a lot of space to only do one thing.
Barbell rows can pretty much do the same thing and also leave more room for variations. This makes the
T Bar row a bad choice for home gyms that need to save space. Here a landmine combined with a
barbell handle for
t bar rows comes in handy.
The price of a
T bar row machine is hard to justify, if you already have
plates and a
barbell. With this equipment you can build your back and row the heck out of your body to get bigger already.
Alternatives for the TITAN T bar row machine
The
TITAN chest supported adjustable row bench is a very specific machine that minimizes the activation of the entire body in the row to focus on the back only. This is popular with powerlifters and strongmen, but not necesserily the best machine to get for the average commercial gym. It also puts your body at a 45 degree angle to make the exercise more stable and challenging.
The
TITAN Adjustable prone row machine is a variation on the
barbell row which allows full extension of the arms when rowing while lying flat. This is also a good exercise for building your back which is popular among powerlifters and bodybuilders. Therefore this machine is more geared towards the "hardcore" gyms rather than the more mainstream ones. In a home gym setting you might give up too much space for a machine that can only do one thing.
The
plate loaded seated row is a classic you find in many gyms up and down the country. If you have a spacious home gym this is an option as it takes up little space compared to other machines. For a commercial setting i think one of these is a must. In very frequented commercial gyms you might want to consider a version with its own weight stack rather than a
plate loaded one to save time for your customers.
The Rogue T bar machine is the direct competitor of the
TITAN T bar row. The price difference between the TITAN and Rogue version is $200. If you only want to do T bar rows, get the TITAN version and save yourself $200. The main difference in design is that the Rogue version also allows for band pegs to be used so you can do banded rows. If you are big into the west side method in your gym, get the Rogue one instead, as attaching bands to the TITAN version is awkward at best. Remember to add the band pegs to your order with Rogue as there are none included on the T bar row order (on
rack orders this happens automatically).
If you want to
T bar row in your home gym, try to get the cheapest landmine attachment for your
rack and a handle for your
barbell. Also keep the handle relatively small so that it is easy to store. Otherwise it will just be in the way most of the times. For a homegym that only fits a
rack, this is the best option to do
T bar rows. In a home gym you also do not have to worry that you will wreck the equipment for setting it up for the
T bar row.
Conclusion for the TITAN T bar row machine
The
TITAN T bar row machine is a great option for any commercial gym to save cost and still provide a proper
t bar row to their clients, I personally think a
T bar row machine is a requirement for a commercial gym that has the necessary floor space. Get rid of one of the many bench stations most of the big gyms have and install a
T bar row instead. The general gym rat population should do more rows anyway. In a home gym scenario the
T bar row is a massive one trick pony that eats into your space. Attach a landmine to your
rack instead and get a handle while minimizing cost on thise. If you are not careful you might shell out up to $500 on these two items in total so try to keep it cheap, unless money is not an issue for you.
Overview and Review of the Monster Lite Monkey Rig
This review was originally posted in the longer article "Which strength equipment to buy from rogue" in which you can read about 25 products of Rogue which cost more than 1.000$. 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.