Rogue RM8 vs TITAN functional plate loadable trainer
This is a comparison of the Rogue RM8 rack and the TITAN functional plate loadable 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 plate loadable functional trainer $749
This is an overview of the TITAN plate loadable functional trainer 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 for the TITAN Plate loaded functional trainer
The
TITAN plate loaded functional trainer is a great budget option to get a multi directional
functional trainer into your home. Especially if you have already a
rack and
barbell setup at home and just not to reuse the
plates for this machine.
Functional trainers are great to pack a lot of exercises in one space. With this machine from TITAN you can get in your rows, vertical pulls,
flyes, and even use it for deadlifts and squats. All the needed handles and accessories are included in the shipping. The full list of features includes:
- Comprehensive pulley options including lat, row, and pulldown
- Two 9 1/4” Olympic plate sleeves
- Tough steel design will last for years to come
- Pull-up bar installed at the top
- Sleek black and silver design
- Titan Fitness faceplate included
- Max user load: 390 LB
- Overall Footprint: 61” Width x 53” Depth
- Loadable Sleeve Length: 9 1/4”
- Overall height: 81”
- Side handle length: 5”
- Side handle diameter: 1”
- Row handle length: 14 1/4”
- Row grip length: 5” (each)
- Row handle diameter: 1”
- Lat pulldown handle length: 37 1/2”
- Lat pulldown grip length: 5”
- Lat pulldown handle diameter: 1”
This is a great budget option for a functional trainer for home gym use. In a commercial setting there might be too many moving parts.
Pros of the TITAN Plate loaded functional trainer
The best thing about the
TITAN plate loaded functional trainer is the low price.
Functional trainers can cost up to $5000 depending on the make, quality, and mechanics used. With this you can have an entire gym in your basement for $700 assuming you already own
plates. If you do not a set of TITAN
plates can be had for $375. TITAN is already budget orientated as a manufacturer and this is a budget design. If you are strapped for cash, this is a good investment.
The pulley system on this
functional trainer works in many directions. You can pull up, down, and also use the machine for horizontal pulls. You get everything you need to build muscle and build an attractive physique. It goes above and beyond home trainers that only use your body weight as you can use the
plates to continuously get stronger.
If you look at how many exercises you can do in small space, this machine is also great. It takes up the same space as a
leg press machine, but you can do so many more exercises on it. This makes it a good choice for rehab centers, yoga instructors and other lifestyle and health out fits that want to add some gentle strength training to their services.
Cons of the TITAN Plate loaded functional trainer
-
Plate loaded
-
Makeshift
-
Many moving parts
The fact that the
plate loaded functional trainer is
plate loaded makes it cheaper, but also means that you have to have
plates and storage for them first. Also handling the
plates can be a pain, as you need to fit them onto the pins and get them off. If you like to "run the rack" in your exercises, this machine is more of a pain than a gain. The many
plates can also be a hindrance when you are working with a client and create a trip hazard.
The hole construction has a bit of a makeshift feel about it. This is often the case when the exercise machine is majorly a combination of pulley which have been connected on a frame. That is the entire idea of this machine, but it doesn't make it something that I want to use on a regular basis. If you are not strapped for cash, you might want to opt for the
functional trainer from TITAN that includes to weight stacks. If your commercial gym wants to convey a slick and hip image to your clients this might also not be the right choice. This model screams iron den.
The many moving parts also make the assembly of the
TITAN plate loaded functional trainer complex. TITA is known for bad manuals and occasional missing out in small parts in the shipping. If you are missing a small part in your shipment it is next to impossible to source it separately from the vendor. You will either end up with more big parts to just get one small part or at your local DIY store.
Alternatives to the TITAN Plate loaded functional trainer
The
TITAN functional trainer is the big brother of the
plate loaded functional trainer. It ships with two 200lbs weight stacks. While these can have their own challenges, this is the cleaner and more stable installation once it is set up. If you buy a
functional trainer as an addition to a health/spa or yoga gym, this is the better choice. This is also the better choice in a gym with high footfall as it creates fewer opportunities to break the machine while loading the
plates. The only disadvantage is that you have to fork out about $1300 more to get this version of the
functional trainer.
The
TITAN lat tower is a great addition to any home gym that means business. Usually you will already have a couple of
kettlebells,
dumbbells, and a
rack with
plates and a
barbell before considering this. As a second purchase to add a sizable machine to your home gym the
lat tower is a better choice than the
plate load able functional trainer. The quality of the pulleys is better, you can load it with up to 300lbs, and it will provide a weight stack to your for a different form of training for you.
The
TITAN hack squat leg press is also slightly more expensive, but provides a good focus on your legs. If you have the space and prefer dedicated machines over multi functional machines in your training, than you can consider the hack squat
leg press machine as a 2 in 1 for your home gym. For commercial gyms this is not necessarily the best option as 2 for 1 always means you need more instructions for the machine or higher injury risk due to using it incorrectly.
Conclusion for the TITAN Plate loaded functional trainer
The
TITAN plate loaded functional trainer is a great solution for a dorm basement where everyone chips in. Especially if there are already some
plates available. If you are building a garage gym in your home and you have the spare change I would lean more towards the
TITAN functional trainer or the
lat tower as an addition to your already existing
rack or as a training station for the entire family.
The Rogue RM8 power rack is the new flagship of the rogue rack portfolio for $7.350. It combines the new LT1, Rhino Belt and RM6 into the Rolls Royce of racks.Here are the pros and cons and alternatives to this beast.
Overview of the RM8
The
RM8 is the newest edition to the Rogue Monster line up. After publishing the 50cal, Rhino belt squat and a multitude of new bar designs using the Cerakote finish Rogue out it all together and went even bigger. This is the ultimate station to get stronger, especially for anyone who wants to squat heavy up until older age.
As part of the Rogue monster series, you will get the 3x3 Gauge steel with the big bolts. The finish is currently only Cerakote black also I am quite positive that this will change in the foreseeable future. The
RM8 has the following dimensions:
-
Length 10’6”
-
Width 6’4”
-
Width Rack inside 43”
-
Height 100.375”
-
Footprint 10’6” x 53”
You will basically get an RM6 on steroids with all the plate storage you need and extra functionality to attack your muscles from every angle. Here is the list of items:
-
-
-
Knurled Socket pull up bar
-
Custom Rogue Nameplate
-
6 long plate storage pins
-
4 short plate storage pins
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Monster Sandwich J Cups
-
4 Monster band pegs
The
loadable weight trolleys are two lever arms with the
50cal mechanism. Again Rogue has shown innovation on these. They revised that the original lever arms were cumbersome to adjust and can up with these. Footballers and Rugby players will appreciate the tackling training which can be done with them. Strongman athletes will have a good piece of equipment to simulate car deadlifts or uneven loads. Bodybuilders will have options to simulate all kinds of rowing and pressing machines when combined with an adjustable bench. Finally, powerlifters can use the setup to create a mini monolift.
The pull-up bar with knurling gives you extra grip. It is one of the newer additions to the rack options of Rogue. Still, it is a bar, not a lot to be said about it.
The custom rogue nameplates look cool, but that is about it. It’s a pity that Rogue does not allow the configuration to be changed to a simple cross member. The nameplate renders the beam almost unusable for any attachments. Still, it looks dang cool.
That plate pins are great as they safe you the extra hassle and cost to provide for plate storage. If you have children in your home I recommend getting spring collars to make the plates safe. Some like to put the plate pins as high as possible. I would not do that as the plates will drop from a height into anything below if they come off the rack. Most children won’t be able to move the spring collars, so at least you have some safety.
The band legs can be used to train with the west side method. You attach bands to the pegs and barbell for added resistance. You can see an example of how that works in the two videos below.
Pros of the RM8
The
RM8 is the one-stop-shop for the latest and greatest that Rogue has to offer. The
Rhino belt squat will give you many variations to train while keeping your lower back safe. You can switch from resisted jumps to band assisted squats. The potential is limitless. It is really great to see that products can still be made better in a market which you thought was saturated. If you have the money the Banshee won’t disappoint.
Cons of the RM8
$7000 is a big price tag for a rack. You can get 7
Fortis racks for this price if you were to equip a commercial gym. Another option would be a
monkey rig which gives many more options to run classes of them. This beast is aimed at in e or two people. Of course, you can have more people train at it, but this is definitely the ultimate celebrity or athlete home gym, not the commercial option. Unless you are an NFL team and do not care about multiplying out the 7000 over half the numbers of players you have.
Another con is that for the biggest price tag you get no color option. That is a shame and hopefully changes soon. They probably assemble it by hand and coat it as they don’t have a production line for the
RM8 yet. Stay tuned in this space.
Alternatives to the RM8
There are no alternatives if you want all the best toys of Rogue in one rack. But not everyone has 7000 to spend on a rack. Here are some alternatives to spend your hard-earned money on excellent Rogue equipment:
If you have the same amount of money to spend but also think about how to make that money back in a professional gym setup the
monkey Rig or a monster rig might be a better choice. A Rig leaves you with more options for circuit training and positing people up. You can read more about rigs in my
monkey and
monster rig articles.
If you want to spend money on a very good rack for your home gym you can go for the
RM6 instead. The
RM6 comes with different height and color options and leaves you with more choice rather than the take it or leave it approach of the banshee. If you were to come to money at after stage you can still upgrade with the
Rhino Drop in and the
50cal trolley arms separately. You can learn about the
RM6 in my review.
The
RM4 fortis is the best rack option from Rogue under 1.000. If you wanted to equip a commercial gym with seven racks rather than one rolls Royce that is the option to go for. The
RM4 is still a great rack and your customers will be happy.
3WC is a rack option which can fold in and be snug against the wall. This way it is an ideal setup for a garage gym when you still want to park your car. It also comes in at around $500.
Summary of the RM8
The
RM8 is the best to be had from Rogue. You can use the
Rhino when your lower back is at you or do resisted pull-ups while the rest of the rack offers everything for plate storage to a pull-up station. Of course, it is over the top, but that’s the whole point.