Rogue RM8 vs TITAN H-PND

This is a comparison of the Rogue RM8 rack and the TITAN H-PND including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the TITAN H-PND $574

This is an overview of the TITAN H-PND 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 H-PND

The TITAN H-PND is a reverse hyper that is built solid like a tank. With this machine you can attack your lower back and train up the area to improve your deadlift and the squat. The lower back is usually an area of your body that falls short with regular gym machines and barbell training. A reverse hyper like the H-PND can take care of this and make your back figuratively bullet proof. The full list of specifications for this model includes:

- Overall Weight: 250 lbs.

- Overall Height: 44.5-in

- Footprint: 52.25-in x 41-in

- Sleeve Diameter: 2-in

- Loadable Sleeve Length: 10-in

- Step Dimensions: 3-in x 3-in Tubing, 8-in Long.

This is a solid reverse hyper for a solid price. If you need big equipment because you are massive but do not want to pay massive bucks, this is a great option to add a reverse hyper to your training arsenal-

Pros of the TITAN H-PND

The pros of the TITAN H-PND are:

Price
Massive Pad
Massive structure

The price of a reverse hyper this weight and height is unmatched in the industry. As so often with TITAN equipment they undercut the competition from Rogue and Eleiko by almost half.

The pad which you lay on his huge on the TITAN H-PND. This provides comfort and safety for an exercise that can get very uncomfortable and even harmful very quick if it is not set up in the right way.

This thing will go nowhere. It is big and heavy and that is good, if you need one as small people usually do no use this type of equipment that much.

Cons of the TITAN H-PND

The cons of the H-PND are:

Space requirement
Low use

This machine eats up quite bit of space, especially in a home gym. While a lot of powerlifters and weightlifters say that this machine massively helped them to set new personal records and feel less lower back, it still runs a high risk to not be utilized enough. Quite a few home gym owners sell these as they find that they can make better use of their limited space with other equipment.

Alternatives to the TITAN H-PND

The Titan economy H-PND is the cheaper and smaller version of the TITAN H-PND. Especially if you are small yourself and have limited space and budget this might be the better version for you. The TITAN economy also functions as the base for the TITAN Glute and ham combo.

If are not massive and can afford the Glute and hamstring combo from TITAN than this is probably the better buy. You will get more use out of your space buy opting for this variation on the H-PND without giving up too much space. If you are buying for your own home gym, definetly like at this before checking out. In a commercial setting you might want to get two different machines, one glute ham and one reverse hyper. It is only slightly more money than getting the combo but you get the benefit of being able to handle more people at the same time or running circuit training.

The Rogue donkey is the gold standard in the industry for GHDs and Reverse hypers to date. Everything on this machine is in the right place and sturdy. The pad is massive and has a beautiful leather finish that is also practical. With all things which are exceptionally nice, they come at an exceptional price. The Rogue Donkey is no exception and retails at $1.950. Worth it, but only if you are flush with cash.

Conclusion for the TITAN H-PND

The TITAN H-PND is a great budget option for one of the sturdiest reverse hypers you can find in the market. If your goal is to provide a lot of variety to your clients and you have the space, there is not a lot you can do wrong by buying this reverse hyper. If you are challenged for the space you might want to get the combo instead or the Donkey, depending on budget. All in all a Reverse hyper is not the most essential item to training, so you might want to look for other pieces to the puzzle first. A belt squat machine could be such an option.

Overview and review of the Rogue RM8 Power rack

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:

Rhino Belt squat
Loadable weight trolley
Knurled Socket pull up bar
Custom Rogue Nameplate
6 long plate storage pins
4 short plate storage pins
Monster Sandwich J Cups
4 Monster band pegs

The Rhino belt squat is one of the most interesting new developments in the Rogue portfolio. It is especially good to train heavy for squats without putting too much strain on your lower back. An older lifter will appreciate it, you get lifters will be able to get more volume in. The stand-alone version of the Rhino comes in at roughly $2000 and I have already written about the Rhino belt squat it on my blog.

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.