Rogue Rhino Belt Squat vs the difference striking pad
This is a comparison between the Rogue Rhino belt squat and difference striking pad including pros, cons, and alternatives. The Original was published in which accessory equipment to get for your rogue rack. Follow the links for details

Overview and review of the difference striking pad
The difference striking pad comes in at $950 and helps especially when you specialize in football training. This article was originally published in "which accessory equipment to get for your rogue rack".
What else to consider from Rogue
Overview of the difference striking pad
The
difference striking pad is a training tool specialized for the needs of footballers. It will enforce correct hand placement for striking in a football match with various levels of resistance. The specs of the
striking pad are:
The
difference striking pad comes with four different springs which enable you to adjust the resistance. The options are:
-
Green Spring (Lil Rookie = 15LB – 35LB) – Great for young athletes, introducing technique, rehab, punching.
-
White Spring (Rookie = 35LB – 70LB) Great for Junior High and High School Athletes.
-
Gray Spring (Challenger = 70LB – 105LB) Great for High School, College, and Professional Athletes.
-
Black Spring(Champion = 105LB – 150LB) Great for College and Professional Athletes.
With this, you are sorted for an entire team and different age groups to get them to train their striking skills. You might even attach one of their least favorite persons image to the difference strike pad, but that is just a personal tip from my end.
Pros of the difference striking pad
This is a specific movement which needs to be trained for football players either on the field or in the gym. Preferably this is trained in real-world circumstances, but if you have especially strong or weak players you might want to have them train on
the striking pad. The extremely strong players might wreck your team otherwise while the weak ones just need the extra hours to catch up to the rest of the team. Of course, it is also a good toy to have for the eager beavers to let off some steam after the training session or particularly shoddy away match.
Cons of the difference striking pad
If you are not a footballer, bouncer or coach you have little use for this and are probably better getting a good boxing bag. $950 can even add another rack to your gym.
Alternatives to the difference striking pad
The
LT1 is the better attachment than
the striking pad and I would take it over
the striking pad any day unless I was an institution or NFL Star who do not have to care about cost. I wouldn’t recommend simulating strikes against the
LT1 but you can definitely simulate some of the tackle or a scrum movement and so much more.
If you want to punch something on a regular basis why not do it with your fist. Now I would not recommend doing this with your boss, client or other people. That is what punching bags are for and Rogue has the right attachment for your rack. The
speed bag also only costs $265 and is a bargain compared to the
striking pad.
If you don’t like punching things and belong to the group of gentle giants you might want to squat heavy without a barbell. The
Squat Max MD is for you and it costs only slightly more than the
striking pad.
Th
fortis RM4 is the vest rack from Rogue which you can get for under $1000. This is a solid addition to your gym and if you are a college that is not flush with cash I probably would prefer to add another rack to my gym than the
striking pad.
Summary of the difference striking pad
The
difference striking pad is great for what it was designed for. The application is very niche and probably only suitable for elite athletes or facilities which want to create elite athletes in football. I think the price is fair as you get four metal sponges with it to adjust for different needs. As I am not into football I would spend almost $1000 bucks on something different for my gym. But if you are Tom Brady you probably spend $1000 like i spend $10. It just doesn’t matter and the
striking pad is cool.
Overview and review of the Rogue Monster Rhino Belt Squat
Price: 2.750
his review was originally posted in the longer article "Which strength equipment to buy from rogue" in which you can read about 25 products of Rogue which cost more than 1.000$. 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.