Rogue Monster Rhino Belt Squat vs TITAN cable crossover machine
This is a comparison of the Rogue Monster Rhino belt squat and the TITAN cable crossover including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the TITAN cable crossover machine $459
This is an overview of the TITAN cable crossover 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 Cable Crossover machine
The
TITAN cable crossover machine is a take on a classic which you will find in most gyms. Usually this is part of a machine with weight stacks and an included pull up
bar. This machine is great for cable pulls and chopping movements to strengthen your core and back. You can even use it for
chest presses and other pressing exercises, given that you have a bench. The full specifications of this machine are:
- Fits and stores easily in your garage.
- Unit fits in rooms with an 8 ft ceiling.
- High-quality pulleys and cables used.
- 4 Weight plate holders measuring 9.75-in each.
- Includes 2 premium cable handles.
- Footprint: 113-in W x 36-in D.
- Overall Height: 83.5-in.
- Clearance Height: 80.5-in.
- Weight Holder Length: 9.75-in.
- Weight: 110 lb.
This is machine that covers most of your pulley needs in one go if you can fit it into your gym. In my opinion it is still a makeshift and cheap solution to cover this need. If you can afford it, try to go with something more substantial like the TITAN functional trainer or the TITAN lat tower depending on the space you have at your command.
Pros of the TITAN Cable Crossover
This machine is all about getting a pulley system into your gym for a minimal amount of money. Everything about this has been optimized to achieve a low price, while still providing an industrial grate machine. If you want pulleys for your home and do not want to spend a fortune, this is the one to get.
Cons of the TITAN Cable crossover
-
No Pull up bar
-
Low own weight
-
Makeshift solution
Most of the
Cable crossovers you will find in the industry will come with a pull up bar in the middle. That TITAN to choose to ship this one without a pull up bar already shows you how confident they are that this machine will stand by itself. If you are looking to get a fully functioning home gym for the lowest possible price, try to get a
cable crossover machine that includes a pull up bar. If you look for it on Amazon, take a close look into how to anchor it to the ground and how much it weighs.
This stations has a low weight without
plates and the construction is done in a way that it does not stand that well by itself. Be careful and do not climb on this, especially when there are no weights attached. It might fall over.
As with all complex assemblies from TITAN this pulley system makes no exception. The instructions are hard to follow and faulty and the end result does the job, but not very well. This whole station has a bit of a makeshift feeling about it, but you can also not complain a lot for less than $500 for such a big machine.
Alternatives to the TITAN Cable crossover
The
TITAN lat tower is a clone of the Rogue lat pull machine. If you want to mainly use your
cable crossover full vertical and horizontal pulls than this machine delivers it all. A seat, weight stack, beefy installation and proper pulley system. If you have the money and space beside a
rack, this is a great option from TITAN to save money compared to the competition.
The
TITAN wall mounted pulley tower is another option from TITAN for the low budget brigade. I would recommend this over the
cable crossover if you are allowed to drill into the walls of your gym. It costs less, is safer as it is mounted to the wall and you can still use it in a very similar way. The money you save you can invest in a proper pull up station, as this also does not come with this
cable crossover.
Conclusion to the TITAN Cable Crossover
I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of
cable crossovers in general and the TITAN does a poor job of being one on top of it. For the low budget you still get an OK machine, but as it most likely to be used in a home gym you can also go for something smaller and really bolt it down. This saves you space and money, and is more secure. If you love cable work, go for the
plate loaded functional trainer or the mounted pulley tower instead.
Overview and review of the Rogue Monster Rhino Belt Squat
Price: 2.750
his review was originally posted in the longer article "Which strength equipment to buy from rogue" in which you can read about 25 products of Rogue which cost more than 1.000$. The Rogue Monster Rhino Squat belt will create big quads in your gym and keep older athletes healthier. See the details in this article.
What else to consider from Rogue
Overview of the Rhino belt Squat
The
Rhino Belt squat machine is one of the latest additions to the big machine line up of Rogue. The version including a
rack delivers a
half rack including the
Rhino setup to your home. It comes in Rogue black with a length of 51.5'', width of 49'' and height of 100.375''. The unloaded trolley weight is 27.5lb.
Squat belt machines are popular to get more leg work in while putting less stress on the lower back. Especially older athletes tend to get upper body injuries or ailments in the lower back. To take away a bit of the strain created by the
barbell back squat or front squat you can supplement with
Belt squats.
The
Rhino includes the newest pulley system designed by Rogue,
which seem to be living up to the hype. You will get a very versatile machine for this price. This configuration also includes
J cups to be ready to go for squatting inside or outside this
half rack.
Pros of the Rhino belt Squat
This is a
well-built machine which will give you the best pulley system of Rogue to date. If you want to build a home gym that does not take up a lot of space and also allows to train without a
barbell, the
Rhino Belt Squat hits the spot. You get 2 weight posts with 15.75'' loading capacity on each side. The belt can also be used for dips and other exercises.
Cons of the Rhino Belt Squat
This is a
machine that is mainly targeted at clients and athletes who want to lift heavy and can not use a
barbell to do this. Especially powerlifters will like this machine. If your clients are not powerlifters, injured often or just simply do not move heavy weights you might be better off investing your money in
equipment that covers their needs better.
How many clients should the Rhino belt squat bring you?
If you think that the
Rhino Belt with Rack 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 2.750$. Adjust the numbers for your own gym accordingly.
Alternatives to the Rhino belt Squat
There are a couple of alternatives to the
Rhino Belt squat from the Rogue Portfolio. These are:
This version saves you a bit of money and even more important than that, floor space. If you already own one or multiple
RM6 racks you should seriously consider this upgrade for your gym. Especially when almost no one is using the
half racks at the back. This is also a great option for home gym owners who are a bit older or get injured often who want to have a backup plan to
barbell squats, without losing too much footprint.
The
squat Standalone version is the right option if you already own one or more racks and have plenty of floor space to fill. This saves you about 1.000$
which you can invest in other
equipment like
barbells and
plates.
This would be the most cost-efficient and versatile option. The jerk blocks can be set up for a belt squat so that the athlete stands on the blocks. You can use the dip belt to attach the weight. This setup usually requires a second person to help out. Otherwise, you have to climb the boxes with the weight attached or do some other wild acrobatics. The pros of this package are that the blocks can also be used for deadlift block pulls, jerk training and even as storage.
Conclusion
The Rhino Belt squat is especially a good investment if your gym is very powerlifting or rehabilitation focused. With this machine you can still train heavy while giving big athlete's lower backs a rest. In case of injuries the belt squat machine can be used to securely progress back to barbell work while not compromising intensity of the workouts.