Rogue RM4 rack vs TITAN functional trainer

This is a comparison between the Rogue RM4 rack and the TITAN functional trainer including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Rogue fitness vs TITAN fitness

Rogue Fitness is the current market leader when it comes to a functional home gym and commercial gym equipment. They have one of the widest portfolios including racks, barbells, benches, dumbbells, and apparel for the weekend warrior and dedicated athlete. The biggest downside of Rogue Fitness is their comparatively high prices to the competition.

TITAN Fitness is the clear cost leader when you want to build a home gym on a budget that is still similar to what Rogue offers in function, look, and feel. While you will save about half on the sticker price you will run a higher risk of inconsistencies in quality compared to a purchase from Rogue. The equipment will be safe but is more likely to have blemishes, quality issues with welds or that pieces will not easily fit into place. That makes TITAN a good option for a DIY enthusiast who does not mind tinkering with their equipment, but not the first choice to get the best equipment and treat yourself.

Overview and review of the TITAN Functional trainer $1.999

This is an overview of the TITAN functional trainer including pros, cons and alternatives. This article with originally posted in Which gym machine to get from TITAN. Follow the links for additional information.

Overview of the TITAN Functional trainer

The TITAN functional trainer is an all in one training solution for the home. It can also be used in commercial spaces which want to offer a maximum variety of resistance training on a small footprint. The design uses two vertical plate towers which range from 10lbs to 200lbs. The weight is moved by pulleys which can be adjusted in height separately. This makes the TITAN functional trainer a versatile machine, especially when your main training goals are toning and definition. It is not a replacement for free weight training, especially when you are aiming to build big muscles and compete in power lifting and strongman. Here the functional trainer can be a good central space in your gym for most of your accessory movements to train all of the minor muscle groups and areas which are otherwise easily left out. The full specifications of the TITAN functional trainer are:

- Comprehensive pulley options including lat, row, and pulldown

- Comes with tons of accessory options right out of the box

- Tough steel construction will last for years to come

- Sleek black and silver design

- Titan Fitness faceplate included

- Overall Height: 82-in.

- Overall Width: 64-in.

- Overall Depth: 44-in.

- Long Bar Length: 49-in.

- Short Bar Length: 15.5-in.

- Pulley Grip Length: 4.5-in.

- Pulley Ratio: 2:1

- Product Weight: 672 lb.

This is a good option when you and your family are the only ones training on the machine. It is also good when most of your clients are working out for leisure and rehabilitation. In a power gym or other facility where serious athletes who want to win medals train, this will be not the main training station but one where they go to for accessory rehab or work through specific weak points in their physique.

Pros of the TITAN functional trainer

The pros of the TITAN functional trainer are:

Price
Size
Full range of equipment
Versatility

As with all TITAN fitness products the price point of the functional trainer is very competitive. Functional trainers like this come in many forms and shapes ranging from $1000 to $5000. On the higher end you usually find more technological gadgets in the machine itself to track your fitness levels and workouts. The same goes for the mechanics which become more comprehensive the more you pay. I personally used most of them and a simple machine will almost always give you the same results as a complex machine will. Therefore the main reason to buy something in the higher price class is the design which might fit your high end home better than the rough and ready basement look of this machine. At the lower end you will find the machines you can buy via Amazon. Often these are produced in China or are independent companies that run fitness month / week like TESCO or Walmart. While these are cheaper, they usually have less warranty and no customer service when something goes wrong. If you buy a functional trainer like this used, you usually need to touch up the pulley and / or cables. This places the TITAN functional trainer in the middle, ticking all of the boxes at a reasonable price while delivering customer support and warranty.

For a fully functioning gym including multiple directions of work this machine is quite small. If you are a hotel, local sports club or leisure center that wants to offer their clients some extra fitness, this is a great option. If you have a home gym in your two car garage, basement or attic this can also be a good use of your space. There are some designs which are more space efficient, but they often do not address both arms or legs at the same time.

Another great add on is that this machine comes pre-packaged with a range of handles and pulleys. If you buy these separately you can easily end up with another $500 out of your pocket as these range from $20 - $50, sometimes even $100 a piece. It is also practical that these items ship together and you can get started right away after assembly.

A big bonus of this machine is that you can simulate almost any resistance exercise you will find in most fitness books with this. There is nothing you can really not simulate. Whether a pulley is always the best form of resistance for your training goals is another question. For having everything in one place it is versatile and has everything you need.

Cons of the TITAN functional trainer

Plate stacks and pulley
Price
Space requirements
Leg exercises
2:1 ratio

Generally speaking plate stacks and pulley are prone to break. This is not just true for TITAN functional trainer, but for any kind of plate stack machine. One major error area are the holes and the pins. The pins can get easily get lost or broken. The holes can be misaligned on production and not run smooth. The same goes for the pulley mechanics. There is a lot that can break in any pulley mechanic and it need mores attention than simple free weights. As you are buying this item from a vendor who needs to cut corners to stay competitive in price and makes no secret about that low price is their strategy, you are entering a risk area. If you are good at DIY, unscrewing and oiling things, this is not a big issue. But if you are not a handyman some breakage in the machine usually means that it will not be revived or at least not used for months on end. You will not run into this problem with kettlebells, dumbbells and barbells.

While the price is great value for money for a fully functioning gym with all the bells and whistles, $2000 is still a lot of money if you compare it to a yoga mat and some little free weights. If you do not want to define and shape yourself to the highest standards and only lose weight, a yoga mat, a good pair of runners and kettlebells will often do. This can be had for $500 and you will get some of the best shoes, kettlebells and yoga mats within this budget.

The TITAN functional trainer is a great use of your space if you compare it to a full gym with 10 - 20 different machines. You might need be able to go as high in weight on each single exercise compared to a dedicated, but this is more than made up for the space you save. Compared to a pair of kettlebells and shoes, which can be stored under a bed or in a closet, you will need a dedicated corner somewhere in your house, where this rack lives.

Functional trainers biggest weakness is the amount of resistance you can put on your legs and the TITAN functional trainer is no exception. Even though it is advertised to be used for front squats and lunges, the setup with the pulleys is usually terrible. Heavy squats, deadlifts and bench presses can not be simulated on a machine like this. The same goes for heavy dumbbells work. If you want to become the next superstar lineman or rugby player this machine will not be enough for your home gym.

The last challenge with pulleys is that the weight you put on it usually does not translate 1 to 1 to resistance. In this case it is a 2:1 ration so if you go full stack on this machine you will be effectively training with 100lbs per rep on each pulley. Currently the gold standard for 1 to 1 weight transition has been set by the Rogue Rhino, if the reviews are to be believed.

Alternatives to the TITAN functional trainer

The TITAN plate loaded functional trainer only costs around $700 and saves you $1300 to effectively offer a very similar training experience. If you are building a gym for yourself and also get a rack, barbell and weights, this is a strong option to consider. Especially if you are young and fit and do not mind to o an occasional repair on the pulleys. If you already have plates or consider to outfit an entire garage I would save the money and go for the plate loaded option. I would not recommend the plate loaded version for a commercial setting or in a home where multiple generations will use the functional trainer.

If you are buying for your home gym and you do not have the space for a functional trainer and a rack you might want to consider getting a rack instead. For $2000 it is possible to source a rack, barbell, and plates from TITAN. You will also be able to get the better variations on the items . If you train mainly heavy in the gym and have to decide between a rack or a functional trainer, you might want to build a metal den instead.

If your main interest is to look pretty and get toned, you might consider the outdoor power tower. You do not need to give up any space in your home and will still get results. It is amazing what you can achieve with calisthenics and the Titan Outdoor power tower delivers all the basics for this form of training at about $400.

Conclusion for the TITAN functional trainer

The TITAN functional trainer is a great option for the home, if you train regularly with resistance to support your main sport. This sport might be track and field, martial arts or soccer. If you are mainly into bodybuilding, powerlifting or heavy impact sports like football & rugby you will need some free weights in addition to complete your training schedule in your home. If you run a spa, hotel or retirement home, this can also be a good option. If you need a high polished design to match the rest of your interior to impress your affluent you might want to invest around $4.000 to $5.000 in a similar machine which comes with an in built instructor, screen and looks better. Might even save you on staff cost. If you own a gym full of Jarheads who lift heavy, grunt and like to throw stuff, you need a sturdier machine like the Rogue lat pull machine. I personally managed to break two of these functional trainers in gyms and I am not even that big.

Overview and review of the Rogue RM-4 Monster Rack

Price: 1.300 - 1765$

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 RM4 rack gives a cage for your powerlifting needs without providing a lot of storage options. See the details in this article.

Overview of the RM4

The RM4 is the core of the Rogue Monster rack series. This is the full rack that can be built onto in many ways. As it is part of the Monster series you can choose between 90'', 100'' and 108'' in height. The RM4 is 49'' long and wide. The overall footprint comes to 53''x53''. You get westside spacing and a multitude of colors to choose from. These are:

Bright Blue
Bright Green
Burnt Orange
Dark Blue
Gun Metal
Light Gray
Rogue Red
White
Satin Clear
Satin Black

With the MOnster rack, you are entering Rogue's flagship series of construction. This protects your investment for the future. You can choose from multiple options like Flip down safeties and 2'' Monster Sandwich J cups for your own comfort.

How many clients should the Rogue RM4 Monster Rack bring you?

If you think that the Rogue RM4 will bring you 5 new clients who pay you 50$ on a 1-year retainer it is worth the investment. This will yield 3.000$ net new revenue against an investment of 1.300$. Adjust the numbers for your own gym accordingly.

Pros of the Rogue RM4

This is a rack that can be upgraded easily while still being in the Monster series of Rogue. This is one of the most cost-effective options to get into the Monster portfolio with a relatively standard product to build upon. There are less costly options in the Monster series, but they are specialty racks which might lead to challenges when upgrading.

Cons of the Rogue RM4

The biggest con for the Monster series is the price tag. You can get a lot more rack for the same price out of the Infinity series.

Alternatives to the Rogue RM4

Here are some alternatives within the Rogue portfolio based on a budget of 1.300$

1x Rogue RML 490C @1.075$

With the Rogue RML 490C, you basically get the same amount of rack space at a lower space. The Monster Lite series is built a bit less sturdy than the Monster series. Some of the bigger machines also do not attach to the Monster Lite series. Apart from this, you save 300$ for more or less the same effect.

1x Metal jerk Blocks @ 1.150$

If you are considering to upgrade your existing gym you might want to consider metal jerk blocks instead. This will help to attract professional weightlifters to your gym who usually pay more and stay for longer. This is only an option when you have the basics already covered. #

Conclusion

The RM4 is a bit friendlier on your purse than its big brother the RM6. You still get a good option out of the Monster series to do your workouts in. Be mindful of where to store your plates when you buy the RM4 as it is very unlikely that there will be enough room on the rack itself