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Rogue Monster Lite Rig 2.0 vs TITAN vertical leg press

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Jan 6, 2021 5:00:00 PM

 Rogue Monster Lite Rig 2.0 vs TITAN vertical leg press

This is a comparison between the Rogue Monster Lite rig and the TITAN vertical leg press including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

 

Overview and review of the TITAN Vertical leg press $349

This is an overview of the TITAN vertical leg press 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 vertical leg press

 
The vertical leg press is a low budget approach on a barbell squat or leg press machine. IT uses two uprights to and three plate pins to deliver something similar to the classic leg press machine you see in every gym. It also has a smaller footprint than most other machines which train the legs. The full specifications of the TITAN vertical leg press are:
 
- Takes the stress off of your back and isolates your lower body.
- Three weight posts for plenty of room to add weight.
- Adjustable footplate starting height to suite different size athletes.
- High quality steel construction and pads for a solid, comfortable design. 
- Dual post design lets you feel the weight on either leg. 
 
- Footprint: 48" x 38"
- Footplate Starting Height(s): 26.5", 32", 35", 38".
- Full Extension Height: 52.5" 
- Footplate Dimensions: 21.5" x 5"
- Back Pad Dimensions: 32" x 15"
- Head Rest Dimensions: 10" x 6"
- Weight Post Length: 8.75"
- Weight Post Diameter: 1.95"
- Weight Capacity: 400 LB
- Weight: 94 LB
 
This is a great machine if you want to save some space and money. It has its little flaws and I would not recommend it if you are massive yourself.
 

Pros of the TITAN vertical leg press

 
The pros of the TITAN vertical leg press are:
 
  • Small foot print
  • Small price
  • Easy to transport
 
This leg press does not cost much and also saves space in your gym. For any home gym that is pressed for space this can be a good solution to still get a leg press into a crammed space. If you take it apart there is also not a lot to transport. This makes it a good option for someone who moves around a lot and wants to take their gym with them.
 

Cons of the TITAN vertical leg press

 
The cons of the TITAN vertical leg press are:
 
  • Small footplate
  • Small area to lie on
  • No security pin
 
This machine has all kinds of issues of you are the type of person that leg presses several hundred kilos of plates.  Even though the position is less advantageous than in other leg presses, the small design without any security stops can be scary. I would not recommend this machine to anyone who already barbell back squats north of 150kg for repetitions as this machine has too many options to harm yourself in a serious way if the weight is too heavy.
 

Alternatives to the TITAN vertical leg press

 
 
The TITAN smith machine is another option in the TITAN portfolio to do squats and other exercises. While this machine comes in at a much higher price than the vertical leg press, you can also store plates on it and do more than just squats. I am personally not a huge fan of smith machines as I think that a rack with a barbell does the job better and safer once you learned how to use it properly.
 
The titan hack leg press is a good option for a home gym with a bit of space as it doubles up as two machines. The design is also closer to the common leg press machines which you see all over the world. While it is still a bit flimsy compared to other leg presses in the market, i would recommend it over the vertical leg press, if you have the space for it.
 
If you are considering a leg press machine mainly to get more squat volume in, than a TITAN belt squat machine might be the better option for you. This machine also puts less pressure on your spine than a regular barbell squat, but you are still standing on your won feet rather than laying on the ground. This is a great option for anyone who want s to blow their quads.
 
The Rogue Rhino is the current gold standard in the fitness industry for belt squat machines. This is the best you can get in terms of build and functionality if you want to get a leg machine. That also comes with a bigger price tag as the Rogue Rhino is very close to the $2000 mark which plays in a completely different league than the TITAN vertical leg press.
 
The Rogue leg press is a $4000 dollar monster of a leg press machine that even Ronnie Coleman could not break.  In addition to the large weight capacity and the amount of metal you would need to build a car it also offers the option to train each leg separately. The footplate can be unlocked in the middle and each platform runs on its own lever system.
 

Conclusion for the TITAN Vertical leg press

 
The TITAN vertical leg press is a good machine for a crammed space at home to get a leg press. Be careful when you use and do not load it up too much. It only weighs 94lbs so you might not want to put 1000lbs on top of it when all that separates you and the floor is your legs.

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.

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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:
 
 
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.
 
 
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.