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Rogue RM8 vs TITAN seated leg curl machine

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Dec 26, 2020 5:00:00 PM

Rogue RM8 vs TITAN seated leg curl machine

This is a comparison of the Rogue RM8 rack and the TITAN seated leg curl machine including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

 
 

Overview and review of the TITAN seated leg curl machine $469

This is an overview of the TITAN seated leg curl 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 seated leg curl machine

 
The TITAN seated leg curl machine is a simplified version of the seated curl you find in almost any gym across the country. This seat curl is plate loaded instead of weight stack loaded. This drives down the cost of acquisition and keeps more money in your pocket. The Titan seated leg curl machine is a good fit for home gyms with space or a private / commercial gym with a few members who know what they are doing. In large scale commercial setup you might want to invest in a beefier machine including a weights stack. The full specifications of the TITAN seated leg curl are:
 
- Perform leg curls and leg extensions from the same seated position. 
- Adjustable thigh pad design makes getting in and out of the machine much more efficient than the competition's cumbersome tube adjustment design.
- Rotary leg clamp mechanism and pop pins allows for easy adjustment and achieving full reps every time.
- Adjustable seat depth and seat angle positions to suit different size athletes. 
- 4 Bolt down holes for concrete anchors or take advantage of the counter-balance weight post for stability without permanent mounting. 
- High quality steel construction for a solid, long lasting design.
 
- Footprint: 36-in W x 34.5-in L.
- Floor Space Required: 4' W x 5' L.
- Thigh/Foot Roller Diameter: 5-in.
- Thigh/Foot Roller Width: 17-in.
- Seat Depth Positions: 7
- Seat Angle Positions: 3
- Weight Post Diameter: 1.95-in.
- Weight Post Length: 10-in.
- Weight Capacity: 220 lb.
- Product Weight: 117 lb.
 
This is a good addition to a home gym of a bodybuilder who has a barn or two space garage for the gym. A big basement also helps. If you are a commercial gym focused on rough, hard iron this plate loaded machine will use do well with your clients. If you have high footfall and want to appeal to the general population you might want to invest into something a little more upmarket.
 

Pros of the TITAN seated leg curl machine

 
 
  • Price
  • Plate loaded
  • Extension and curl possible
 
As with all TITAN machine the Titan leg curl has been minimized to save cost and keep money in your pocket. Compared to professional grade machines from precor or other vendors you save more than half. Especially when you are the only one using the machines this is a good strategy to follow to keep yourself and the family happy while still training hard at home.
 
The fact that this machine is Plate loaded also saves further cost. You are not paying for weights for each of the machines, as you will reuse the plates you already own. If you do not you can purchase a set of plates from TITAN for $375.
 
This machine also works in both directions for curls and extensions. While this has become an industry wide standard you can still find some machines where you can only do one thing based on how the lever arms are made.
 

Cons of the TITAN seated leg curl machine

 
 
  • Space requirements
  • Plate loaded
  • Build
 
The Titan seated leg curl machine will take up extra space in your gym. In a home gym that might not even be an option or you have to compare it to other smaller machines. These could be a preacher curl machine or calf machine. In a bigger gym you can always find a corner to place a smaller machine like this.
 
While plate loaded is a good approach for home gyms and to save costs it is not ideal for gyms with many clients. If you have high traffic it is better to the weights with the machine permanently to create fewer trip hazards and make the exercises more beginner friendly.
 
This seated leg curl has been built with the average person in mind. It is not overbuilt for massive athletes like the Rogue and Eleiko equipment. If you are 2m talk and weigh more than 125kg you might want to look something more upmarket.
 

Alternatives to the TITAN seated leg curl machine

 
Alternatives to the TITAN seated leg curl machine are:
 
 
The TITAN lying prone leg curl machine is a 2 for 1 machine for leg development. If you can fit it, it might make a better choice for your home gym as the lying prone leg curl I closes the seated curl option.
 
If you have covered all of  your leg requirements already you might want to look into the TITAN tibia Dorsi calf machine. This will also train the calves and not eat up too much into your space as it does not swing like the leg curl machine.
 
The TITAN smith machine is a good option for anyone who does not trust free weights. It provides storage for plates and takes up the footprint of one rack. I am personally not a great fan of smith machines, but if you mainly train for shaping up rather than maximum strength they are an option.
 

Conclusion for the TITAN seated leg curl machine

 
The TITAN seated leg curl machine is a nice small machines for a spacious home gym. The plate loaded design saves cost. The Titan design is also learned back to realize additional savings. In a commercial setting you might want to get something beefier that includes a weight stack.
 

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:
 
 
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. 
 
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