Rogue Strongman throw bag vs Atlas stones

This is a comparison between the Rogue Strongman throw bag and the Rogue rubber Atlas stones including pros, cons, and alternatives. It was published first under which rogue sandbag to get. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the Rogue Atlas stones

This is an overview of the Rogue Ruber Atlas stones including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview of the Rogue Rubber Atlas stones

Price $125 - $915

The Rogue Rubber Atlas stones are another take on Rogue's team to make hardcore strength equipment more accessible for the mainstream. These Atlas stones are basically big medicine balls with a rubber mold and an iron core. This makes them more accessible for beginners and easier to maintain than concrete Atlas stones. The specifications of these Atlas stones are:

Construction - Overmolded Rubber, Cast-Iron Core
Sold a la carte or in full sets (225 LB or 450 LB)
5 Available Weight Increments: 50, 75, 100, 150, 200 LBS
Embossed Weight Indication and Rogue logos on one side
Recessed edges to prevent rollaway
Color: Black

The different models are available in:

50 LB (10" diameter)
75 LB (12" diameter)
100 LB (14" diameter)
150 LB (16" diameter)
200 LB (18" diameter)

and can be purchased in two different sets. One is lightweight up to 100lb while the other is heavyweight up to 200LB. These are great tools if you do a lot of Atlas stone movements and you are getting fed up with remolding the ones you break on a constant basis.

Pros of the Atlas Rubber stones

The pros of the Atlas rubber stones are:

Easy to maintain
Lower injury risk
Ready-made

Compared to concrete Atlas stones this is a step forward to make Atlas stones a mass marketable product. In the past, you would get a concrete mold and make the stones yourself with cement and/or concrete. Not everyone is familiar with this process and the quality of the result can suffer. In addition, concrete is very unforgiving on the hands and anything you drop it on. Therefore the injury risk is higher. Concrete Stones also take less abuse, especially if you drop them directly on the floor. You usually need to pair them with some gymnastic mat which makes the setup cumbersome. The rubber Atlas stones take care of this problem.

Cons of the rubber Atlas stones

The cons of the rubber Atlas stones are:

Not an official strongman competition tool
Get hot in the sun
Can not be changed in weight
Storage

If you are a strongman who is looking to prepare for competition, there is no way around using actual stones rather than rubber. The handling of a concrete ball is different from getting a grip on rubber. If you have a home gym and just want to simulate strongman training, these are a great option. If you are a strongman who wants to compete, get a mold.

As these stones are black rubber they can be a problem in the hot Californian sun. They have a big surface to soak up the heat and you might burn your hands if they are left outside for too long. Of course, you have the same problem with all equipment, but as these are likely to stay outside for a long time because they are hard to store and the fact they are black does not help.

Compared to other options for a home gym that just wants to simulate strongman training, rather than create competition like conditions, the rubber Atlas stones have the disadvantage that they can not be loaded with different material. If you buy a set of different strongman sandbags from Rogue it leaves you with a lot more options to play around with the weight. They are also easier to store after use if you can dispose of the sand or led you filled them with.

The last disadvantage of Atlas stones is that they are hard to store. Most racks and storage options offered by Rogue or you already have will not fit them. Therefore you will most likely keep them on the ground and they are not small. Combine that with the fact that they are more often than not a gimmick rather than the main staple of your daily training, this can get annoying. Unless you throw them about every single day.

Alternatives to the rubber atlas stones

The alternatives to the Rubber Atlas stones are:

Slater stone molds
Rogue Strongman sandbags

The Slater stone molds range from 8" - 24" in diameter, 23lbs to 586lbs in weight, and $50 to $220 in price. With these molds, you can make your own stones for use in your gym or anywhere in the world for competition purposes. Usually, it is cheaper and easier to make the stones for a competition on the spot, rather than transporting the heavy stones across the country. If you do not know your way around mixing concrete and pouring it into a mold, this might not be for you. There are good instructions out there, but it is a DIY job.

The Rogue Strongman sandbags come in various shapes and sizes in price ranges from $85 to $155. Thes bags have the advantage that they can be filled with different materials to get different training results. You can use Play sand, Crumb rubber, and lead shot to get weights ranging from 40lb to 2000lb. The lifting experience is not the same as with stones, as you are onto military grade fabric. These bags are also more likely to deform during the lift making the structure more challenging or forgiving depending on whether it hits you or you want to wrap yourself around the bag.

Conclusion for the Atlas Rubber stones

If you are a strongman who needs to work on speed on small Atlas stone weights, then this is worth the investment. It will make the setup a lot easier, you do not have to worry as much about an injury or the stones deforming. For your maximum attempts or heavy lifts to shoulder, i think there is no way around a concrete stone to do competition justice. If you are a home gym owner who is just starting their home gym I think that these combined with boxes of various heights are a better option than a dumbbell rack. If you have the space for a dumbbell rack, you have the space for a small Atlas stone ladder. Get the loadable dumbbells from Rogue and use the saved space for the rubber stone setup. That is what I will do when I upgrade my space that currently only houses a power rack and a bench.

Overview and review of the Rogue Strongman throw bag

This is an overview of the Rogue Strongman throw bag including pros, cons, and alternatives. It was published first under which rogue sandbag to get. Follow the links for more details.

Overview of the strongman throw bag

Price: $145

The Rogue Strongman throw bag is a design taken from the Arnold classic and brought to the home gym. They come in one size fits all and can be loaded up to 75lbs with sand and 30 lbs with crumb rubber. Another option is to fill them with lead shot. The full specifications are:

Made in the USA - Patent Pending
As Seen at the 2017 and 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic
1000D and 500D Cordura construction
12" diameter, 13" length
Sold Unfilled
Approx. Max Loading Weight (with sand): 75LB
Funnel Filler Technology for quick, clean, custom weight adjustments
Rubber Handle: 10" long x 1-0.375" diameter three pieces of 1.5" wide nylon webbing fed through it
MIL spec criss-cross webbing for extra reinforcement
Color: Black
Rogue logo in white on both ends

What makes these bags special is their great finish and the solid handle. This makes it a great product to throw about and have fun with.

Pros of the strongman throw bag

The pros of the strongman throw bag are:

Adjustable
Robust
Easy to handle

As with most Rogue products they have carefully thought about the design of these bags. The ideas from Slater for the cyclone and regular sandbags have been replicated in this bag design to make filling it seamlessly. The added handle has thorough stitches and does not come apart unless you go at it with the specific intent of severing the connection. Compared to kettlebells or iron weights with a handle you have at least the option to change the weight, even though most sandbags will be filled once and used until they break or the novelty wears off.

Cons of the strongman throw bag

The cons of the Rogue strongman throw bag are:

Weight lock-in
Handles are not detachable
Price

For a simple bag to throw around $145 is a big ask. You might be able to build a sturdy bag with a handle yourself for fat less money, but the finish will most likely not be nearly as good. Even though you can swap around the weight, in practice it is very unlikely that you will regularly change the filling of the bag. If you want throw bags with the different weight it will be more practical to get two and fill them with different media. The last con is that you can not detach the handle. This is great for the build of a bag that can be filled up to 100lb and thrown. It is bad if you want to use it for something else than throws. it is a tool designed for one purpose.

Alternatives to the strongman throw bag

Alternatives to the Rogue strongman throw bag are:

The cyclone bag from Rogue is made of the same fabric and has the same funnel to fill the throw bag. The main difference is that the top part is wider in diameter than the bottom which creates a t shaped cylinder when the bag is filled. The different sizes go from 100lb to 250lb when filled with sand. This is a good bag to get when you want to simulate front carries.

The rogue strongman sandbags were the first in the Rogue line up to be brought to market. These bags range from 100lb to 400lb. They are a cylinder that grows longer, the heavier the bag gets. The smaller bags can be used for simulating Atlas stone events. The bigger bags can be tried for team events.

The Rogue rubber atlas stones take the classic atlas stone and make it more accessible for a home gym. They are available from 50lb to 200lb. Their build rests on an iron core that has been encapsulated by rubber. This design gives you the shape and handling of an atlas stone while being less likely to wreck your floor when dropped.

Conclusion for the strongman throw bag

The strongman throw bag from Rogue is a high-quality build. The handle will not come off, they are easy to fill and the fabric is outstanding. They won’t be a very versatile tool in your gym as the handle will get in the way for most other strongman events. But if you want to prove that you can fling a very heavyweight very high, this is the equipment to get.