Rogue Monster Rig 2.0 vs TITAN belt squat machine
This is a comparison of the Rogue Monster Rig and the TITAN belt squat machine including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the TITAN belt squat machine $599
This is an overview of the TITAN belt squat 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.
Overview of the TITAN Belt squat machine
The
TITAN belt squat machine is simple in its design and effective. You will get a metal frame that you can hook
plates and a belt up to to squat away. No fuss, just simple execution.
Belt squat machines are a great option for anyone who wants to build strong legs without risking a lower back or shoulder injury. High workloads on heavy
barbell squats can lead to pain in the shoulders and lower back as you have to carry the weight. With a
belt squat machine you do not have this problem and can train the glutes to failure before your lower back or shoulders fail you. All of this is delivered at a great price compared to other machines in the market which do the same. The full list of features includes:
- Build lower body explosion without stress on your shoulders, spine, and lower back
- (3) weight stopper positions to adjust how deep you squat
- (4) additional weight posts for storage and to counterbalance increasing stability for heavy lifts
- Diamond plated aluminum footplate for superb grip and sleek look
- Heavy-duty steel construction to handle anything you can throw at it
- Includes a weight belt for further back support
- Floor Space Required: 7 FT 6-in Wide x 5 FT Deep
- Overall Width: 83-in.
- Overall Depth: 52-in.
- Overall Height: 38.5-in.
- Footplate Dimensions: 49-in x 24-in.
- Weight Post Length: 16.5-in.
- Storage Weight Post Length: 9.75-in.
- Weight Post Diameter: 1.9-in.
- Inside Lifting Width: 42-in.
- Weight Capacity: 1,000 lb.
- Product Weight: 232 lb.
Pros of the TITAN Belt squat machine
-
Price
-
Simple design
-
High load capacity
As with all TITAN products the price of the
TITAN belt squat is very attractive compared to the competition. Comparable products are usually closer to $1000 or even beyond.
The simple design with a metal stop that is adjustable in height makes this a sturdy machine that anyone can use. No complex pulleys or climbing on a high platform. Load the
plates, click in the belt and put it on and off you go. Big legs in no time.
This machine scales up to 1.000 pounds which is more than enough for most athletes to get to where they want to go.
Cons of the TITAN Belt squat machine
-
Space requirements
-
Weight placement
The
TITAN belt squat is quite wide and also adds on with the
plate storage in the back. You can not fit this machine into a
rack and save some space. It needs a dedicated space and therefore might not be a great option for home gyms.
With this model the weight is around you rather than beneath or in front of you. This creates an effect similar to a trap
bar which is not simulating the real world of a
barbell squat or sumo deadlift to the same extent. This can be fixed by adding extra weight but has a different feel about it than the
rhino from Rogue.
Alternatives to the TITAN belt squat machine
The
TITAN belt squat machine is not the first item you should get for your home gym. It is an accessory and tread it as such. If you do not have a
rack and
barbell yet, start there and build your gym around this center piece. With the X3 range you can start around $200 to $300 for a
rack and add a
barbell and some small
plates to your shopping cart.
Another alternative is the
TITAN hack squat and leg press machine. This machine provides a two in and one and can be loaded with a considerable amount of weight. Generally speaking I would recommend the
belt squat more to powerlifters and weightlifters, while the
leg press might be a better option for bodybuilders. Of course, all of the above is always the best option for building the perfect physique, but you might not have the money or space to pull that off.
The
TITAN smith machine can be a good option if you desperately want to do lunges in a machine. I personally think that
smith machines are a waste of space, money and time but most commercial gyms have one so yu might want to get one just to compete.
The
Rogue Rhino is the current gold standard in the industry for belt squats. This machine can be fitted into the space of a
rack and works with one of the best pulley systems in the business. If you intend to do a lot of belt squats and only want to offer the best experience, this is the one to get. The main differecne to the TITAN model is that the load is not positioned around you, but in front of you. This minimizes the support the metal frame gives you for the lift and simulates
barbell work closer than the
TITAN belt squat. Both will blow up your legs without wrecking your lower back as much as a
barbell though. The gold standard also comes at a gold price of $1.750.
The last machine you might want to consider when you are looking at a belt squat is the Rogue leg press machine. This is probably the biggest machine I have seen in a gym and it costs around $4000. In return you get the mechanics to operate your legs separately and one of the smoothest finishes I have seen on a leg press.
Conclusion for the TITAN belt squat machine
The
TITAN belt squat machine is not sophisticated, but gets the job done. If you want a
belt squat for your home gym and have the space, get one. I think this is especially a better idea than a deadlift platform. With a bit of practive you can do your deadlifts on your
rack. Wherever you would have placed your deadlift platform you can put the
belt squat instead.
Overview and review of the Rogue Monster Rig 2.0
Price: 1.845 - 6.095$
This review was originally posted in the longer article "Which strength equipment to buy from rogue" in in which you can read about 25 products of Rogue which cost more than 1.000$. The Rogue Monster Rig 2.0 can be a good start to build your first commercial gym. See the details in this article.
Related articles
Overview of the Rogue Monster Rig
The concept behind the
rigs is the backbone of any CrossFit "box" gym. This design is genius in its adaptability and flexibility. As with all highly flexible and adaptable systems, this makes the purchase process a bit more complicated. Before you
buy a rig, make sure you have measured your gym, made some reasonable assumptions about your potential clients, or even better asked them directly. You can spend thousands of Dollars on attachments and space, that your clients might not even use and you, therefore, don't need.
The constant factors in the
Monster Rig built are the width, height, steel notes, and built pattern. The
Rogue Monster rig is 6' wide and 9' high. The steel nodes come in 3x3 11- Gauge steel. The
rigs will be built in a 4-6-4 pattern,
which means that the squat/bench stations are 4' wide while there is 6' space between the stations. The main variations are the length and edition of the
Rogue Monster Rig. The editions are from lowest to highest price:
- Base 2.0 Edition
- Standard 2.0 Edition
- Racked 2.0 Edition
The base version has the lowest cost, The construction gets its stability from double
pull up bars. If you have no clients who want to do muscle ups and you do not want options to place rogue accessories up high for climbing exercises this is the way to go. If you want to be able to do muscle ups ask rogue whether you can swap the double bars to
dirty south bars. This provides the double beam while moving the
pull-up bars out to be able to do muscle ups. The standard Edition might be more cost effective for this purpose.
The standard edition comes in at a slightly higher cost. For this, you get the second generation of the
rigs. Rogue changed their
pull up bars so that muscle ups are possible and there's more support where the bars attach to the
beams of the rig. The upper construction has also been optimized that it can take more accessories. This leaves you with more options for upgrades and more stability, as the upper construction is now sturdier. The base and standard edition are optimized for Crossfit as you can move around the ground more freely. For gyms focused on weight training & powerlifting, you might want more stability and beams.
The
Racked Edition of the Rig adds considerable cost. In return, you will get more rack space. Each bench/squat station now basically turns into an
RM6 rack with one full rack in front and a
half rack in the back. The
half racks could be filled with
Rhino belt squat machines. This setup also enables band work in and outside of the
rack and opens more storage options for
plates. The downside is that this setup is suboptimal for CrossFit gyms. There is too much going on on the ground to freely move around.
The Rogue Monster RIg is available in 4 different lengths which are
- 10'
- 2 Squat/Bench Stations
- 6 Pull-up Stations
- 14'
- 4 Squat/Bench stations
- 8 Pull up stations
- 20'
- 4 Squat/Bench Stations
- 12 Pull up Stations
- 24'
- 6 Squat/Bench stations
- 14 Pull up Stations
The more clients you want to serve in parallel the longer
the rig should be. Choose wisely between the setups especially on your first purchase. Remember that you can always buy more at a later stage. You can even make it a business goal to be able to justify to
make your Rig longer based on growing numbers in classes.
Pros of the Rogue Monster Rig
The Rigs are highly modular and versatile. You can find an option for almost any budget and can do a multitude of exercises in them. The general feedback in the market is that Rogue comes in at a higher price and delivers with solid builds. You can also see how Rogue incorporated client feedback and
kept improving their RIgs based on it. Buying anything out of the
Monster series also protects your investment for the future. Most upgrades are first released for
Monster and are only later made available for
Monster lite if it all.
Cons of the Rogue Monster Rig
How many clients should the Monster Rig 2.0 bring you?
Your first
monster Rig purchase will be very important. If you are at this juncture take a really hard look at your business plan.
- How many people live in the area?
- How many people are already on your books?
- What kind of training do they like?
- Are there other gyms in the area?
- What kind of equipment do they have?
- What do you like?
- What do you dislike?
- What kind of equipment do you have yourself?
- Is it compatible with the Rogue Monster Rig?
- How much space do you have?
- Where are the doors?
- Where are major obstructions?
- Where will you store equipment?
Just to name a few. It is easy to get excited about Rogue's great equipment and get carried away. If you are flush with cash have fun. If you are cash-stricken do multiple iterations of the planning process and reflect with others over it to get the optimum for your dime.
If you think that the
Monster Rig will bring you 7 to 21 new clients who pay you 50$ on a 1-year retainer it is worth the investment. This will yield 4.200$ to 12.600$ in net new revenue against an investment of 1.895$ to 6.095$. Adjust the numbers for your own gym accordingly. If this Rogue is being bought for opening the doors also factor in running costs like electricity, insurance, staff education, and labor.
Alternatives to the Monster Monster Rig
For this, I will go with the average between of 1.895 and 6.095 which computes to 4.995$.
This is the minimum configuration of the little brother of the
Monster Rig.
- Base Edition
- Rig length 10'
The main difference are the holes
which have been drilled into the material. This means that usually more accessories work with the
Monster than with the
Monster lite. Most rogue material is overbuilt for the purpose. I would not worry too much about stability and safety between the
Monster Lite and
Monster versions.
Conclusion
The Rogue Monster Rig 2.0 is an uncompromising start to your new gym. Even the biggest athletes will be able to brutalize it without significant impact or movement in the structure. If you have the money and want to build the best of the best, this is the way to go.