Rogue Monster Lite Rig 2.0 vs TITAN plate loadable functional trainer

This is a comparison between the Rogue Monster Lite rig and the TITAN plate loadable functional trainer including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the TITAN plate loadable functional trainer $749

This is an overview of the TITAN plate loadable functional trainer including pros, cons and alternatives. This article was originally posted in Which gym machine to get from TITAN. Follow the links for additional information.

Overview for the TITAN Plate loaded functional trainer

The TITAN plate loaded functional trainer is a great budget option to get a multi directional functional trainer into your home. Especially if you have already a rack and barbell setup at home and just not to reuse the plates for this machine. Functional trainers are great to pack a lot of exercises in one space. With this machine from TITAN you can get in your rows, vertical pulls, flyes, and even use it for deadlifts and squats. All the needed handles and accessories are included in the shipping. The full list of features includes:

- Comprehensive pulley options including lat, row, and pulldown

- Two 9 1/4” Olympic plate sleeves

- Tough steel design will last for years to come

- Pull-up bar installed at the top

- Sleek black and silver design

- Titan Fitness faceplate included

- Max user load: 390 LB

- Overall Footprint: 61” Width x 53” Depth

- Loadable Sleeve Length: 9 1/4”

- Overall height: 81”

- Side handle length: 5”

- Side handle diameter: 1”

- Row handle length: 14 1/4”

- Row grip length: 5” (each)

- Row handle diameter: 1”

- Lat pulldown handle length: 37 1/2”

- Lat pulldown grip length: 5”

- Lat pulldown handle diameter: 1”

This is a great budget option for a functional trainer for home gym use. In a commercial setting there might be too many moving parts.

Pros of the TITAN Plate loaded functional trainer

Pros of the TITAN plate loaded functional trainer are:

Price
Multi purpose training
Exercises per square foot

The best thing about the TITAN plate loaded functional trainer is the low price. Functional trainers can cost up to $5000 depending on the make, quality, and mechanics used. With this you can have an entire gym in your basement for $700 assuming you already own plates. If you do not a set of TITAN plates can be had for $375. TITAN is already budget orientated as a manufacturer and this is a budget design. If you are strapped for cash, this is a good investment.

The pulley system on this functional trainer works in many directions. You can pull up, down, and also use the machine for horizontal pulls. You get everything you need to build muscle and build an attractive physique. It goes above and beyond home trainers that only use your body weight as you can use the plates to continuously get stronger.

If you look at how many exercises you can do in small space, this machine is also great. It takes up the same space as a leg press machine, but you can do so many more exercises on it. This makes it a good choice for rehab centers, yoga instructors and other lifestyle and health out fits that want to add some gentle strength training to their services.

Cons of the TITAN Plate loaded functional trainer

The cons of the TITAN plate loaded functional trainer are:

Plate loaded
Makeshift
Many moving parts

The fact that the plate loaded functional trainer is plate loaded makes it cheaper, but also means that you have to have plates and storage for them first. Also handling the plates can be a pain, as you need to fit them onto the pins and get them off. If you like to "run the rack" in your exercises, this machine is more of a pain than a gain. The many plates can also be a hindrance when you are working with a client and create a trip hazard.

The hole construction has a bit of a makeshift feel about it. This is often the case when the exercise machine is majorly a combination of pulley which have been connected on a frame. That is the entire idea of this machine, but it doesn't make it something that I want to use on a regular basis. If you are not strapped for cash, you might want to opt for the functional trainer from TITAN that includes to weight stacks. If your commercial gym wants to convey a slick and hip image to your clients this might also not be the right choice. This model screams iron den.

The many moving parts also make the assembly of the TITAN plate loaded functional trainer complex. TITA is known for bad manuals and occasional missing out in small parts in the shipping. If you are missing a small part in your shipment it is next to impossible to source it separately from the vendor. You will either end up with more big parts to just get one small part or at your local DIY store.

Alternatives to the TITAN Plate loaded functional trainer

Alternatives to the plate loaded functional trainer are:

The TITAN functional trainer is the big brother of the plate loaded functional trainer. It ships with two 200lbs weight stacks. While these can have their own challenges, this is the cleaner and more stable installation once it is set up. If you buy a functional trainer as an addition to a health/spa or yoga gym, this is the better choice. This is also the better choice in a gym with high footfall as it creates fewer opportunities to break the machine while loading the plates. The only disadvantage is that you have to fork out about $1300 more to get this version of the functional trainer.

The TITAN lat tower is a great addition to any home gym that means business. Usually you will already have a couple of kettlebells, dumbbells, and a rack with plates and a barbell before considering this. As a second purchase to add a sizable machine to your home gym the lat tower is a better choice than the plate load able functional trainer. The quality of the pulleys is better, you can load it with up to 300lbs, and it will provide a weight stack to your for a different form of training for you.

The TITAN hack squat leg press is also slightly more expensive, but provides a good focus on your legs. If you have the space and prefer dedicated machines over multi functional machines in your training, than you can consider the hack squat leg press machine as a 2 in 1 for your home gym. For commercial gyms this is not necessarily the best option as 2 for 1 always means you need more instructions for the machine or higher injury risk due to using it incorrectly.

Conclusion for the TITAN Plate loaded functional trainer

The TITAN plate loaded functional trainer is a great solution for a dorm basement where everyone chips in. Especially if there are already some plates available. If you are building a garage gym in your home and you have the spare change I would lean more towards the TITAN functional trainer or the lat tower as an addition to your already existing rack or as a training station for the entire family.

Overview and review of the Rogue Monster Lite Rig 2.0

Price: 1.795$ - 5.095$

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 lite rig is a good start to your home gym or commercial gym targeted at the general public. See the details in this article.

Overview of the Rogue Monster lite rig

The Monster Lite Rig is the little brother of the Monster Rig. The main difference is that the bolts and holes which are used to attach equipment are smaller. Monster lite uses the same 4'-6'-4' pattern as the Monster series. You will get 3x3'' 11-Gauge steel uprights for a solid base to built your gym around.

With the 2.0 upgrade, you are now able to choose different colors for your rig. Rogue also worked on the overall stability of their rigs compared to earlier models including different beams. The double pull up bars have been swapped for single pull up bars to make muscle ups easier to perform. The main ideas of the rigs are that you customize them in many different ways to your personal needs. You will get to choose from three different editions which are:

Base 2.0 Edition
Standard 2.0 Edition
Racked 2.0 edition

which are increasing in price as more material is used in each of these versions.

The base 2.0 edition comes with double pull up bars at the top for stability and to do pull-ups. This version is the most cost-efficient and leaves the most room around the beams to allow free movement. If you are on a budget and do a lot of cardio drills which are mixed with weightlifting and pull-ups. This is great for a gym with members who do are not much interested in powerlifting and whose fitness levels are not very high. The downsides of the base edition are less stability compared to other versions and obstructions when you want to do muscle ups. You also have fewer options to upgrade in the feature as the top beams do not provide holes to attach additional equipment too.

The standard edition mainly changes the top part of your rig. The double pull-up bars are swapped for beams. This frees up space for muscle ups along the rig, gives it more stability and options to attach extra equipment at the top of the rig. Examples can be climbing ropes and the Rogue climbing boards. You still keep the option to move freely around at the bottom. This is the right choice for gyms that have a bit more budget, want more upgrade possibilities while still being able to move around freely. If your members are gradually getting fitter you also might consider changing a base model to standard model.

The racked edition gives you the most amount of metal for the Monster Lite rig. You will create half racks at the back of each squat/bench station. This also provides more options for storage and more stability to the entire rig. If you have a lot of big football players around who move heavy weight and do little to no pull-ups or running around in the gym, this is the configuration to get. The downside of the racked edition is that any kind of running inside the rig for circuit training is not possible. You will also have a harder time to maximize the number of people doing pull-ups in parallel.

The Rig is available in 10', 14', 20', and 24' from Rogue. It can be prolonged to whichever length you want based on your available space. The combination of the edition and length will determine the price. The longer the Rig and the more material is used, the higher the price tag will be. With these various lengths you can create the following stations for your gym:

10'
- 2 Squat/Bench stations
- 5 pull up stations
14'
- 4 Squat/Bench stations
- 6 Pull up stations
20'
- 4 Squat/Bench stations
- 9 Pull up stations
24'
- 6 Squat/Bench stations
- 10 pull up stations

The more clients you have in the same session, the longer the rig should be.

Take some time to think about what you are planning in advance.

How many clients should the Monster lite Rig bring you

If you think that the Monster lite Rig will bring you 6 -17 new clients who pay you 50$ on a 1-year retainer it is worth the investment. This will yield 3590$ - 10.190$ net new revenue against an investment of 1.795 - 5095$. Adjust the numbers for your own gym accordingly.

Pros of the Rogue Monster Lite Rig

The monster lite rig gives you the freedom to play with many different configurations. It also comes in at a lower price than the Monster series Rig which can help if you want to save costs. Most of the accessories for rigs also cost slightly less in the Monster Lite version than the monster version. It will be easier to transport and disassemble than the Monster rig if you have to that often.

Cons of the Rogue Monster lite Rig

The Monster Lite rig is not compatible with all Rogue equipment. As Rogue is pushing into the machines space now expect that most of the heavy machinery will be only or firstly available for the more stable monster construction. Also, some of the accessories you can get for the Monster series might not be available. If you exactly know what your gym should look like and you will have no needs for future upgrades, go for Monster Lite to optimize your price. If you are unsure how your gym and client base will develop, go with Monster to leave you with more options.

Alternatives to the Monster lite series

Here are some alternatives to the Monster lite series which you can consider:

1x Monster Rig low end @ 1845$

This is the minimum configuration of the big brother of the Monster lite series which includes:

Base edition
Rig length of 10'

You get the same rig, just a bit more sturdy and with more upgrade options for the future. I am always a fan of overengineering when possible. Especially when you do not buy a long rig this upgrade makes sense as you only spend about 100$ more. The longer the rig gets, the more it hurts your purse to go for Monster.

1x Monster Rig High End @ 6.095$

This is the maximum you can go to on the Monster Rig. As you can see the difference in price between the maximum config for Monster Lite and Monster is 1.000$. Pay special attention to these economies of scale when you are outfitting a very big gym. You also might want to consider buying separate RM6 racks instead of a Rig, when you already see a need for so many heavy duty squat/bench stations. That leaves you with more options to utilize your space as you are probably not going to run around a lot in this config anyway.

1x RM6 @ 2.000$

The rogue RM 6 might be an alternative for home gym owner. Think about how likely it will actually be that all of the family will train at the same time in the garage or basement gym. It is probably a lot less than you think. In this case, it might be a better alternative to get an RM6 instead of a 14' Rig to accommodate the needs of your family. If you run your personal trainer business from home ask your self how many clients will you have at the same time and what are their needs. You can get up to three people on an RM6 to train in parallel and save some depth in your basement.

Conclusion

The Rogue Monster lite Rig is still a very sturdy build, even though it has a bigger brother with the Monster Series. When you want to build a very long rig this might be the better option than the Monster series. This is the go to option for mere mortals who do not weigh 140kg and deadlift 900 pounds.