The difference striking pad vs Rogue Monster Slinger

This is a comparison between the difference strike pad and Rogue Monster Slinger including pros, cons, and alternatives. The Original was published in which accessory equipment to get for your rogue rack. Follow the links for details

Overview and review Monster Slinger

The Rogue Monster Slinger is a compromise between a full lat pull or a makeshift solution for your Rogue rack.

The Rogue slinger is an attachment to turn your existing rogue into a lat pulldown and ranges from $225 to $290 depending on which version you are getting. The slinger can be used with a resistance band or plate loaded option. This is an item where you have to pay special attention to the details to get the right fit. The specifications are:

(2) Slinger Mounting Plates
(2) 6" Cable Pulleys
(1) 1/4" MIL Spec Cable with Rogue made hardware
(1) Slinger Extension Strap - for 100” and 108” units
(1) Slinger Band Sheath - 1000D Cordura
(2) Carabiners
(2) Black Zinc 1" Monster Bolt Assemblies
(2) Rubber Grommets for protecting the cable

This is a cost-efficient solution for a lat pulldown which is not completely makeshift. Rogue was smart by marketing its pulley system as a separate product while they are working on a bigger range of machines with a reflex for commercial gyms. Keep in mind that this is not as tidy a solution as a proper lat pull and will have some downsides when you use it.

Pros of the Rogue Slinger

The pros of the Rogue slinger are

The price
Space
The value for money

The Rogue slingers price and space requirements are superior to a full lat pull machine which is ten times the cost. If you already have a rogue rack, the slinger is an easy addition to add pulley work to your exercise regimen without breaking the bank or a wall in your home gym.

Cons of the Rogue Slinger

Cons of the Rogue slinger are:

Limited weight options
Storage when not used
Exposed mechanics

The Rogue slinger is better than bands for resistance, but will not beat a traditional weight stack in terms of ease of use and amount of resistance provided.

The slinger can be annoying when you are not using it. Rogue did not think about where the cables while going when you are not using the slinger. A cheaper pulley system will be easier to remove and get out of the way fast, but also be less stable when used. Rogue has the Spud Inc. pulley system in its shop which would fit that bill.

Alternatives to the slinger

The Rogue lat pull-down will put you back around $2000. With this, you get a full stand-alone lat pull and rowing machine including the weights. The Rogue lat pull is available as an attachment to Rogue Monster racks or stand-alone. The weight stacks and mechanics are quite exposed, but storing nothing will get in the way. Compared to the slinger it is a lot more space and money to be invested for faster and more convenient training at higher resistance.

The Rogue LP2 is the next generation of Rogue lat pull machines which combines the pulley from the slinger with the components from the lat pull down from Rogue. This machine will put you back around $3000 and will be the right choice for a commercial setting as it exposes the weight stacks and mechanics less compared to the lat pull. For any home gym, you would be overshooting the target in my opinion with this machine.

The spud inc pulley system is a little cheaper than the slinger. It is easier to install and remove from the rack than the slinger but therefore also less stable. The spud inc is the right choice of you want o transport your lat pull often or get it out if the way faster. In return, you will not go crazy on weights with this one.

Summary of the slinger

The Rogue slinger is a good solution if you already own a rogue rack. If you do not have space or money for a lat pull go for the slinger. Otherwise, invest in a proper lat pull to be proud and train without annoying cables in your way.

Overview and review of the difference striking pad

The difference striking pad comes in at $950 and helps especially when you specialize in football training. This article was originally published in "which accessory equipment to get for your rogue rack".

What else to consider from Rogue

Overview of the difference striking pad

The difference striking pad is a training tool specialized for the needs of footballers. It will enforce correct hand placement for striking in a football match with various levels of resistance. The specs of the striking pad are:

Made in the USA
Color: Black
Length: 18.5”
Width: 3”
Height: 18.5”
Distance from rig or rack 19”
0.1875” steel nodes

The difference striking pad comes with four different springs which enable you to adjust the resistance. The options are:

Green Spring (Lil Rookie = 15LB – 35LB) – Great for young athletes, introducing technique, rehab, punching.
White Spring (Rookie = 35LB – 70LB) Great for Junior High and High School Athletes.
Gray Spring (Challenger = 70LB – 105LB) Great for High School, College, and Professional Athletes.
Black Spring(Champion = 105LB – 150LB) Great for College and Professional Athletes.

With this, you are sorted for an entire team and different age groups to get them to train their striking skills. You might even attach one of their least favorite persons image to the difference strike pad, but that is just a personal tip from my end.

Pros of the difference striking pad

This is a specific movement which needs to be trained for football players either on the field or in the gym. Preferably this is trained in real-world circumstances, but if you have especially strong or weak players you might want to have them train on the striking pad. The extremely strong players might wreck your team otherwise while the weak ones just need the extra hours to catch up to the rest of the team. Of course, it is also a good toy to have for the eager beavers to let off some steam after the training session or particularly shoddy away match.

Cons of the difference striking pad

If you are not a footballer, bouncer or coach you have little use for this and are probably better getting a good boxing bag. $950 can even add another rack to your gym.

Alternatives to the difference striking pad

Alternatives to the difference striking pad are:

The LT1 is the better attachment than the striking pad and I would take it over the striking pad any day unless I was an institution or NFL Star who do not have to care about cost. I wouldn’t recommend simulating strikes against the LT1 but you can definitely simulate some of the tackle or a scrum movement and so much more.

If you want to punch something on a regular basis why not do it with your fist. Now I would not recommend doing this with your boss, client or other people. That is what punching bags are for and Rogue has the right attachment for your rack. The speed bag also only costs $265 and is a bargain compared to the striking pad.

If you don’t like punching things and belong to the group of gentle giants you might want to squat heavy without a barbell. The Squat Max MD is for you and it costs only slightly more than the striking pad.

Th fortis RM4 is the vest rack from Rogue which you can get for under $1000. This is a solid addition to your gym and if you are a college that is not flush with cash I probably would prefer to add another rack to my gym than the striking pad.

Summary of the difference striking pad

The difference striking pad is great for what it was designed for. The application is very niche and probably only suitable for elite athletes or facilities which want to create elite athletes in football. I think the price is fair as you get four metal sponges with it to adjust for different needs. As I am not into football I would spend almost $1000 bucks on something different for my gym. But if you are Tom Brady you probably spend $1000 like i spend $10. It just doesn’t matter and the striking pad is cool.