Rogue Monster Lat pull down vs LT1 50 cal lever arm
This is a comparison between the Rogue Lat pull down and Rogue LT1 50 cal including pros, cons, and alternatives. The Original was published in Which Strongman equipment to get from TITAN. Follow the links for details
Overview and review of the LT1 50 cal lever arms
The LT1 50 cal lever arm kit comes in at $995 and is 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 50 cal lever arms
The
LT1 50 cal lever arms are one of the latest innovations of Rogue. The idea is to press most of the machines you find in a gym into a rack. The lever arms can be used for lunges, snatches, squats, rows, incline bench presses, and many more setups. If you want to get the maximum out of your rack these are a good addition. I especially like the snatch and push movements which can not be performed with a barbell in this way. The uniqueness is the ease of adjusting height without using a wrench.
The lever arms are available for the Monster and Monster lifelines from Rogue. The monster version has a stainless steel finish, while the Monster lite version is powder-coated. There are two versions in 48” and 35” length. Be aware that you can only use the short arms inside a 43” rack. The specs are:
The package includes
If you want to hold your plates in place you will need to purchase some axle collars as regular spring and HG collars will not work with this setup.
Pros of the LT1 50 cal lever arms
The LT 1 cal lever arms are a great addition to a home gym, especially if you are a bodybuilder. With the help of these arms, you can recreate most of the isolated machine exercises in your home gym without increasing its footprint. It will also add some interesting push variations to your repertoire of you play football or rugby.
Cons of the LT1 50 cal lever arms
As with all Rogue innovations, the price is usually a hump to get over. With $995 you have some alternatives you can get instead to simulate some of the activities. But there will be no full replacement and these items will take up more space in your gym.
Alternatives to the LT1 50 cal lever arms
These are the alternatives for the
LT1 out of the Rogue portfolio.
If you are mainly interested in the
LT1 to keep deadlifts safer for beginners you can also use a trap bar. Rogue has updated its trap bar design and there are two different designs available.
If you find the
LT1 appealing to create a monolift for bench presses you can also get the adjustable monolift kit for a third of the price.
If you want the
LT1 and you have the spare change in your first Rogue order you might as well go for the rolls Royce of Racks from Rogue. The
RM8 includes the lever arms and the
Rhino belt squat with a Cerakote finish. If you only want the best, that is your place to go.
Summary for the LT1 50 cal Lever arms
The
LT1 is probably the most versatile attachment you can get for the Monster and Monster Lite series as long as you are willing to pay the price of a full rack for them. The
RM4 fortis and the
LT1 are almost the same price. The
LT1 will probably not be your first purchase unless you go for the
RM8 which includes the lever arms.
Overview and review of the Rogue Monster Lat pull down stand alone
Price: 2.950
This review was originally posted in the longer article "Which strength equipment to buy from rogue" in which you can read about 25 products of Rogue which cost more than 1.000$. The Rogue Monster lat pull down will create more bats in your gym. See the details in this article.
Related articles
Overview of the Rogue Monster Lat pull down
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
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.
- 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.