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Rogue Monster Rig 2.0 vs TITAN leverage squat machine

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Dec 22, 2020 5:00:00 PM

Rogue Monster Rig 2.0 vs TITAN leverage squat machine

This is a comparison of the Rogue Monster Rig and the TITAN leverage squat machine including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

 
 

Overview and review of the TITAN Leverage Squat machine $549

This is an overview of the TITAN Leverage 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.

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Overview of the TITAN Leverage Squat machine

 
The TITAN Leverage squat machine is a good approach to squats for anyone who lacks the ankle mobility for low squats. The bottom plate is angled so that it is easier to go deep in the squat with less strain on the hips and feet. The full list of specifications includes:
 
- Add more intensity to your squats by loading up on Olympic weight plates
- Store extra plates on the base pegs to help organize your gym area & add stability
- Use the angled footplate to get leverage with your squats and calf raises
- Powder-coated steel is durable, lasts for years, and is scratch / rust resistant
- Spotter handle allows easy exit and re-entry after use
- 1,000 lbs. weight capacity
 
- Overall height: 62”
- Footprint: 58” x 44”
- Top sleeve length: 13 1/2”
- Bottom peg length: 8”
- Shoulder pad gap: 8”
- Weight: 200 lbs.
 
This is a machine for a spacious gym that has all of the other angles covered. If you want to ease people into squatting low this can be a good machine to use.
 

Pros of the TITAN leverage squat machine

 
The pros of the TITAN leverage squat machine are:
 
  • Angled foot plate
  • Price
 
The main reason to get this machine is to squat against an angled plate. This can be especially helpful for rehab or anyone lacking ankle and hip mobility to still squat deep.
 
As with all TITAN products the price you pay for a full machine as quite low. If you want to build a big arsenal of different fitness machines TITAN is one of the best places to go as your money will stretch further.
 

Cons of the TITAN leverage squat machine

 
The cons of the TITAN leverage squat machine are:
 
  • Limited use cases
  • Space requirements
 
The main disadvantage of the leverage squat machine is that it has not a lot o use cases. This is a common challenge with isolated machines that try to make things easier on the user. If you are strapped for cash and space the leverage squat machine is not a smart choice. If you want to buy something to train your legs you probably wantto go for a rack, squat belt machine, or hack squat instead depending on your budget and preferences.
 
In addition to the limited use cases the TITAN leverage squat machine also takes up considerable footprint in your gym. It will eat up the same amount of space as a squat rack would. So if you only have space for a rack or a leverage squat machine it is pretty clear what you need to do.
 

Alternatives to the TITAN leverage squat machine

 
Alternatives to the TITAN leverage squat machine are:
 
 
The TITAN hack squat leg press is the better option for a home gym owner looking into a squat machine from TITAN. While it costs a little more it doubles up as 2 machines in the frame of one. You will be able to do reasonably heavy leg presses and hack squats  which provides more bang for your space and buck compared to the leverage squat machine. Especially if you buy a squat machine as an addition to a home gym with an already existing rack. For a commercial gym the TITAN hack squat leg press might not be the right choice, as a 2:1 solution for a broader audience usually means to higher cost of instructing people how to use it or higher injury risk and insurance liabilities.
 
The TITAN belt squat machine is another alternative to the leverage squat machine. It is also closer in price to the Leverage squat machine than the TITAN hack squat leg press. The TITAN belt squat is a great option for powerlifters and weightlifters who want to get more squat volume in. The belt squat will take off some load from your lower back and shoulders so that you can focus on blowing up your quads and glutes without risking injury. Belt squats are very popular with seasoned lifters who go through a lot of volume to give themselves a break. In a commercial setting a belt squat makes sense when your clients are more into heavy lifting and the iron game. If your clients are more into machines, the leverage squat machine is the better choice.
 
The TITAN smith machine is another alternative to the Leverage squat machine. If you are getting the leverage squat machine to appeal to beginners than the TITAN smith machine might be the better choice. A smith machine also makes squatting easier and less scary for those who are not proficient in the movement pattern. In addition the smith machine can also be used as plate storage and for other exercises than squatting. I am personally not a huge fan of smith machines due to the cumbersome raking system they provide, but I do think they are still a better option for most gyms than a leverage squat machine.
 
The Rogue Rhino is the gold standard in belt squat machines currently available on the market. Compared to the TITAN belt squat there was more thought put in to the engineering as it works with a pulley system. This makes the lifting experience closer to the actual barbell workload as the weight is not on a frame which wraps around you. Compared to the TITAN leverage squat machine it makes squatting easier, but provides this result in very different way.
 
The Rogue leg press machine is the current gold standard for leg  press machines in the market. If you need to provide facilities for a bunch of NFL linemen and you worried about that they might shred any other equipment you could buy from TITAN, than the Rogue Leg press machine will get the job done. Apart from being build like a tank you can also move the platform for each leg separately. All exciting things come also at an exciting price and the Rogue Leg press is no exception. It retails for around $4000 and is therefore not suitable for most home gym environments.
 

Conclusion for the TITAN leverage squat machine

 
The TITAN leverage squat machine is an addition to the arsenal of professional gym that already has all of the other major machines in their arsenal. These include a rack, leg press, prone curl and lat tower. Get those machines first before even thinking about a leverage squat machine in my opinion. In a home gym this machine will be just be a waste of space unless you live in a mega mansion. Some bodybuilders like the idea of being able to attack their muscles from every angle that is humanly possible. Apart from this I do not so a lot of use cases for this machine.

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.

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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

Some clients might be put off by the open design of the Rigs. It all depends on whom you are targeting. Exercising in a Rig means that others are very near to you. If you expect to have clients which want to be more private go for separate racks, rather than connected setups with rigs. 
 
 

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$.
 
1 x Monster lite Rig Low end @ 1795$
 
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.
 
1x Monster Lite High End @ 5.095$
 
This is the maximum configuration of the rogue Monster Lite Rig. Same applies as for the minimum edition at 1.000$ less than Monster. The longer the Rig you want to build, the more financial sense it makes to go with Monster Lite.  
 

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.