TITAN 20-inch Plate loadable Atlas Stone vs Rogue Rhino belt squat
This is a comparison between the TITAN plate loadable Atlas stone and Rogue Rhino belt squat including pros, cons, and alternatives. The Original was published in Which Strongman equipment to get from TITAN. Follow the links for details
Overview and review of the Rogue Monster Rhino Belt Squat
Price: 2.750
his review was originally posted in the longer article "Which strength equipment to buy from rogue" in which you can read about 25 products of Rogue which cost more than 1.000$. The Rogue Monster Rhino Squat belt will create big quads in your gym and keep older athletes healthier. See the details in this article.
What else to consider from Rogue
Overview of the Rhino belt Squat
The
Rhino Belt squat machine is one of the latest additions to the big machine line up of Rogue. The version including a
rack delivers a
half rack including the
Rhino setup to your home. It comes in Rogue black with a length of 51.5'', width of 49'' and height of 100.375''. The unloaded trolley weight is 27.5lb.
Squat belt machines are popular to get more leg work in while putting less stress on the lower back. Especially older athletes tend to get upper body injuries or ailments in the lower back. To take away a bit of the strain created by the
barbell back squat or front squat you can supplement with
Belt squats.
The
Rhino includes the newest pulley system designed by Rogue,
which seem to be living up to the hype. You will get a very versatile machine for this price. This configuration also includes
J cups to be ready to go for squatting inside or outside this
half rack.
Pros of the Rhino belt Squat
This is a
well-built machine which will give you the best pulley system of Rogue to date. If you want to build a home gym that does not take up a lot of space and also allows to train without a
barbell, the
Rhino Belt Squat hits the spot. You get 2 weight posts with 15.75'' loading capacity on each side. The belt can also be used for dips and other exercises.
Cons of the Rhino Belt Squat
This is a
machine that is mainly targeted at clients and athletes who want to lift heavy and can not use a
barbell to do this. Especially powerlifters will like this machine. If your clients are not powerlifters, injured often or just simply do not move heavy weights you might be better off investing your money in
equipment that covers their needs better.
How many clients should the Rhino belt squat bring you?
If you think that the
Rhino Belt with Rack will bring you 10 new clients who pay you 50$ on a 1-year retainer it is worth the investment. This will yield 6.000$ net new revenue against an investment of 2.750$. Adjust the numbers for your own gym accordingly.
Alternatives to the Rhino belt Squat
There are a couple of alternatives to the
Rhino Belt squat from the Rogue Portfolio. These are:
This version saves you a bit of money and even more important than that, floor space. If you already own one or multiple
RM6 racks you should seriously consider this upgrade for your gym. Especially when almost no one is using the
half racks at the back. This is also a great option for home gym owners who are a bit older or get injured often who want to have a backup plan to
barbell squats, without losing too much footprint.
The
squat Standalone version is the right option if you already own one or more racks and have plenty of floor space to fill. This saves you about 1.000$
which you can invest in other
equipment like
barbells and
plates.
This would be the most cost-efficient and versatile option. The jerk blocks can be set up for a belt squat so that the athlete stands on the blocks. You can use the dip belt to attach the weight. This setup usually requires a second person to help out. Otherwise, you have to climb the boxes with the weight attached or do some other wild acrobatics. The pros of this package are that the blocks can also be used for deadlift block pulls, jerk training and even as storage.
Conclusion
The Rhino Belt squat is especially a good investment if your gym is very powerlifting or rehabilitation focused. With this machine you can still train heavy while giving big athlete's lower backs a rest. In case of injuries the belt squat machine can be used to securely progress back to barbell work while not compromising intensity of the workouts.
Overview and review of the TITAN 20-inch Plate loadable Atlas Stone
This is an overview of the TITAN 20-inch plate loadable Atlas stone including pros, cons, and alternatives. The Original was published in Which Strongman equipment to get from TITAN. Follow the links for details.
TITAN 20-Inch Plate loadable Atlas stone $650
Overview of the TITAN 20-inch Plate loadable Atlas stone
The
TITAN 20-inch Atlas stone is a 175-lb shallow steel sphere with an insert so that you can add plates to it to make the weight scale. This makes it an adjustable training tool for beginners and professionals alike, as the maximum load ranges to 500 pounds depending on what type of plates you use. This is a great tool for someone who is serious about their strongman training. The full specifications of this
Atlas stone are:
- The staple of the strongman competition, train with an Atlas Stone
- 20-inch diameter is within competition range (anywhere from 8 to 24-inches)
- Add weight plates to ramp up intensity while you practice your form
- Durable steel construction will last for years with proper use
- Overall Diameter: 20-in.
- Material: Steel
- Weight Capacity: 400 lb.
- Product Weight: 175 lb.
Pros of the TITAN 20-inch plate loadable Atlas stone
-
Ready Made
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Smooth surface
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Stable hull
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Loadable
This
TITAN 20-inch Atlas stone has the big advantage that it already comes as a perfect sphere. This saves you the hassle of making one yourself and the possibility of ending up with an egg rather than with a sphere depending on your craftsmanship. This makes it a time saving purchase, especially when you are not strong in the DIY department. Big
Atlas stones can take up to a week to fully dry and be ready for use if you make them yourself.
Another advantage of the TITAN 20-inch plate loadable
Atlas stone as its smooth surface. This reduces the risk of injury on the hands and brings your training closer to real world competition. Self made
Atlas stones will usually have more gravel on them depending on how you mix the cement. You either live with that and train with it or you have to sand them down. If you do not have the tools for that it will either take a long time using sandpaper or on investment of a couple of hundred dollars / euros in a proper sanding machine to do the job.
Compared to sandbags which are the latest trend in home strongman training the TITAN 20-inch loadable stone has the advantage of a stable hull. This is closer to real world competition as the cement spheres used there are unforgiving on the hands and therefore harder to grip. The sandbags from Rogue are high quality and great if you want to use stones to become more explosive and for cardio training. They still can be formed even if you load them with lead shot. This means that they are easier to grip and therefore not a proper simulation of the actual
Atlas stone strongman event,
Compared to cement stones the
plate loadable 20-inch Atlas stones has the huge advantage of being plate loadable. This means that you can train at different weights while remaining space efficient. Rather than having 6-12 different stones in your home you only have one. This also means that you can better control your progression towards improving you one repetition maximum. Cement stones usually have jumps of 10kg and higher and their weight is also always a little inaccurate. With the loadable stone from TITAN you can be more precise.
Cons of the TITAN 20- inch plate loadable Atlas stone
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Static size
-
Many small parts
-
Higher injury risk
-
Price
-
TITAN finish
The static size of the TITAN plate
loadable 20-inch Atlas stone is not an accurate reflection of competition conditions for strongman. Cement
Atlas stones will vary in size based on their weight and grow in diameter. If you want to truly prepare for a multiple stone to
platform event you will need multiple stones with various diameters as the handling is slightly different.
To make the mechanics of the loading of the sphere work the
TITAN atlas stones comes with separator rings and a handle. These are the type of items that will get lost very quickly in a commercial gym and render a $650 piece of equipment useless, or at least, if you lose the seprators, you might as well just buy
one 175 pound atlas stone and be done with it. This makes it a sub optimal solution for commercial gyms as these are prime items to be lost or stolen on a dare.
Compared to the softer strongman sandbags on the market the injury risk is higher. If you want to use strongman training for conditioning or building bullet proof physiques, rather than for maximum strength and lifts to
platforms, you are better off with the sand bags. They are more forgiving on beginners.
$650 is a big price tag, especially if you are considering a purchase of multiple items for your gym. This is unfortunately not the economic road to travel if you want to train an entire class or have a collection of stones of various weights. For these scenarios you are better of to either buy molds and hone on your cement and sanding skills or go with the sandbags and fill them with a variety of rubber, play sand and lead shot depending on who is attending class. Combined with an Atlas
stone platform you are hitting the $1000 mark for this training set up. For this you can collect a full home gym from TITAN consisting of a
rack, bar and plates.
As with most things from TITAN they are a budget copy of another high end product that is already in the market. In this case TITAN copied the Mike Bartos Atlas stone which is $925 and has a slightly worse finish. TITAN products have the tendency to be that 1mm off or use that slightly inferior steel to make the product to beat the competition on price. That is not the end of the world and it is still usable, just not as nice as the real thing.
Alternatives to the TITAN 20- inch plate loadable Atlas stone
These are the alternatives o the 20-inch loadable Atlas stones:
The
Hybrid molds vary in price from $75 - $140 depending what size you are getting. A full set of these molds from 10" diameter to 19" diameter will cost you the same as the
loadable Atlas stone from TITAN. The advantage of these molds is that you can easily transport them to any site you want to have a competition in and make the stones right there, rather than having to pay for haulage of a couple of tons of stones. The mammoth set will also give you more flexibility to create multiple stones over and over again. This is the better purchase for any one who runs a gym that is focused on strongman competitions with multiple athletes or has the space at home and the time to put into the self made stones. Even if a some breaks, you can remake one and still have the real thing that would be used in competition. A slight disadvantage of the
hybrid mold is that it works with screws and is made of metal. This means that you need to do more preparation when making them compared to a
slater mold and that the mold is also less forgiving for bad craftsmanship.
In my personal opinion the
slater molds are your best bet to make your own stones. They offer a wider range of diameters to make stones ranging from 8" to 24" priced from $50 to $220. They are more forgiving than the
hybrid molds when transported, as the plastic mold will bounce back into shape where the
hybrid does not. They are also lighter. The process of making a stone involves duct tape, cement, the mold and the ring. This also makes it easier and more forgiving to make the stones as you have more freedom to manipulate the cement once it is in the mold. The only downside for the
hybrid and
slater stones is that they are stones and therefore bear a higher injury risk and are a bit of a pain to make. Still only little compares in the world of strength to the satisfaction of lifting a heavy stone on your shoulder.
The
Rogue rubber Atlas stones are Rogue Fitness take on making Atlas stones more palatable for the masses. These stones have an iron core which then gets encapsulated by a rubber outer layer. This reduces the injury risk and is also easier on the floor of the gym compared to the cement stones used in strongman competitions. Another advantage is that these stones are ready to go when delivered and have the right diameter depending on their weight. The
Rogue rubber Atlas stones range from 10" to 18" in diameter and 50lb to 200lb in weight. The prices range from $125 to $360 for an individual stone while a set can be had for $480 or $915 (225lb/450lb set). These stones are great for a commercial gym that wants to offer Atlas stones to their clients without the hassle of making them and possibly being sued by the landlord or the members themselves. The disadvantage of these stones is the rubber outer layer. It is easier to grip then cement and can also get very hot when left in the sun.
The
Rogue Strongman sandbags come in various forms ranging from the tombstone, cube,
husafell, cyclone and cylinder shape. They can be filled with pay sand, lead shot, or rubber to provide a wide range of weights and sizes. When empty they can be easily folded up and stored away. The prices range from $85 to $150 and it depends on you which ones you would like to mix and match for your training. The filling system is sturdy and you will not have any filling on the floor. The only downside is that these are not anything like the real deal of a unforgiving stone. They can be molded and shaped quite a bit by the lifter, maybe even grabbed which makes lifting them a lot easier. These
sandbags will only ever be a simulation of the Atlas stones competition, but in most scenarios that is more than enough and the variety you can get for $650 compared to the loadable titan stone is not to be sneered at.
The
TITAN husafell stone is a simulation of carrying the world famous
husafell stone. This stone weighs 110lbs empty and can be loaded with almost anything you have in the gym. The
husafell stone simulates a carrying event and is therefore different from the
Atlas stone event which goes from the ground to the shoulder. It is still something to be considered, especially when you spread the investment of the
20-inch loadable Atlas stone over several other strongman training items for variety.
Conclusion for the TITAN 20-inch plate loadable Atlas stone
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Already have a gym
-
You are training at home
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Do not have the space to store multiple atlas stones
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Do not have the time or craftsmanship to make your own stones
-
Your training is one rep max focused for stone lifting
For this the
Atlas stone is the absolute perfect match and worth the $650 dollars. If you have the space and want to make your own stones, go for the
slater molds instead. It will be a pain at the start as it will probably take a month or two to get your hole set of stones ready, but once it is, you will never go back. Commercial gyms are probably best advised to go for a collection of
Rogue strongman sandbags of various sizes and shapes. With this you keep the training interesting, can play around a lot and keep the injury risk low. You probably only have one or two people on your roster who are really willing and able to lift proper
Atlas stones so shell out $650 for training a group, rather than one individual.