Rogue Monster Lat pull down vs Crown pull up bar

This is a comparison between the Rogue Lat pull down and Rogue Crown pull up bar including pros, cons, and alternatives. The Original was published in which accessory equipment to get for your rogue rack. Follow the links for details

Overview and review for the Rogue Crown Pull up bar

The Rogue Crown Pull up bar comes in at $255 and are a great addition to your existing rack to widen the possible exercises you can do. This article was originally published in "which accessory equipment to get for your rogue rack".

What else to consider from Rogue

Overview of the Crown pull up bar

The Rogue Crown Monster pull up bar is the ultimate pull up station for your garage, basement or garden gym. If you have a Rogue monster rack at home this is the one to get. You will have no issues with height constraints and still be able to train your grip and upper back. The crime bar provides bars of different thickness and even spheres to keep routines challenging. The specifications of the pull-up bar are:

Made in the USA
Only compatible with 43” and 70” monster cross members
Width 47” pull up bar
Width 38” backplate
Height 7.5”

This is a straight forward attachment that makes no fuss.

Pros of the Crown pull up bar

The crown pull up bar is easy to set up and versatile in its applications. The possibilities are limitless for a reasonable price.

Cons of the Crown pull up bar

The crown pull up bar is not ideal for kipping or explosive pull-ups. Muscle-ups may also be hard to do.

Alternatives to the Crown pull up bar

Alternatives to the crown pull up bar are

The Socket pull up bar is a robust pull-up bar with good value to do pull-ups and muscle-ups. This is probably the optimal choice for beginning crossfitters who want to progress to muscle ups and kipping pull ups.

The flying pull up bar is the option for advanced crossfitters who want to take it to the next level. This can be used to prepare you for parkour courses in which you have to use your upper body a lot. Combined with some of the grip accessories from Rogue this can get quite powerful.

The rotating pull-up setup is a variation which can be used to target specific areas of a pull up without the constraints of having a straight grip. This can ease the strain on the wrists for athletes in rehab.

The wooden rings are a versatile addition to your gym for all strength levels. They come with the necessary straps to be set up with a rack. Be aware that most standard racks are not high enough to give you the full benefit of training with rings.

If you happen to have a long Rogue rig you may also consider a long climbing setup to switch things up instead of the Crown pull up system.

Summary for the Crown pull up bar

If you are mainly interested in straight pull-ups and grip strength this is the ideal tool for you. Powerlifters should really consider this an addition to any rack they buy.

Overview and review of the Rogue Monster Lat pull down stand alone

Price: 2.950

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 Monster lat pull down will create more bats in your gym. See the details in this article.

Overview of the Rogue Monster Lat pull down

The Monster Lat pulldown Standalone is a lat pulldown machine for the expert athlete. As with all Rogue equipment this machine is built like a tank. The lat pulldown machine is a great example of how Rogue takes pride in what they do and takes their customer feedback series.

If you read between the lines you can see that the pulley, the bar, cable, and Steel eye were not up to Rogue's standards in the V1 of this machine. All of these parts have been consequently brought in-house and are not bought from 3rd parties anymore. These things are normal when new production lines are being built, a new market is tested and new processes build around them.

At least Rogue took the right learnings from this and perfected their Rhino launch. The prone leg curl and the ISO leg press have not gotten a V2 overhaul yet whereas the Lat pull down has. Be aware of this when you buy from Rogue. I am positive they will accommodate valid feedback, especially on big orders. If you buy for your home gym, maybe wait on the leg press and curl until there is more feedback available or find a gym nearby to test them.

The Rogue Lat pulldown weighs 605lb and offers up to 300lb resistance in plates in 10lb increments. It has a footprint of 40'' by 60''. It is 60'' long, 40'' wide and 96'' high. The steel notes are 3x3 11-gauge steel just like the rest of the Rogue Monster series.

Pros of the Rogue Monster lat pull down

This lat pulldown is also a rowing machine so you get two for the price of one. The difference to many other rowing machines is that Rogue came up with an idea that does not make the bench longer. By positioning a footrest under the seat this lat pulldown machine turns into a rowing machine without adding extra length.

Another big pro is that this machine allows the use of bands with the lat pull. This is very unique and I have not seen many machines like this. Especially when you have experienced athletes you will appreciate that you can work with bands.

Cons of the Rogue Monster Lat pull down

A lat pulldown is a big machine. It will take up quite a bit of space where a pull-up bar might create a similar effect. Especially in a home gym scenario, you might be better off getting dumbbells and a pull-up bar which takes up less floor space. As with other machines, the pulley system takes maintenance. Oiling this system and keeping it in check might not be for everyone.

How many clients do you need for the lat pull down?

If you think that the Lat pulldown will bring you 10 new clients who pay you 50$ on a 1-year retainer it is worth the investment. This will yield 6.000$ net new revenue against an investment of 2.950$. Adjust the numbers for your own gym accordingly.

Alternatives to the Lat pull down from Rogue

Here are some alternatives to the Rogue lat pull down

1x Rhino belt Squat Rack @ 2750$

The Rhino belt including the half rack will give you a better pulley system and the necessary rack to play around with it. It will not exactly be the same and the workarounds might be not ideal, however, it is possible. I would also be very surprised if Rogue did not capitalize on the opportunity to deliver a system that combines the RM6 and Rhino to a fully built all-purpose gym station. Stay tuned for that one.

1x Monster Lite Rig @ 2.495$

A monster lite rig will provide you with

4 Squat/ Bench Stations
8 Pull up Stations

For less than the price for one lat pulldown machine. If you are aiming to open a small CrossFit gym this is the way to go. This also shows you that Rogue still has to work on optimizing their costs on building machines. The upshot is that you will get a machine that is fully made in the US. If you work for the government this might even be a requirement for purchase.

Conclusion

The Rogue Monster lat pull down is a very solid machine for your gym. If you do not want to compromise and attract the biggest and best athletes to your gym, this is the one to go for.