Total gym GTS vs Rogue RM8

This is a comparison between the Total Gym GTS and Rogue RM8. Both are the Rolls Royce of each manufacturer. The RM8 is about twice the cost of the GTS excluding a barbell and weights. Follow the links for more details.

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.

Overview and review of the Total gym GTS

This is an overview of the features and alternatives to the Total Gym GTS. This article was originally published under "which total gym to get". Follow the links for more details.

Total Gym GTS $3.700 - $4.666

The total gym GTS is the flagship of the total gym generation which can be directly sold to customers. This is the top-end product with all bells and whistles included and therefore also comes with the biggest price tag of $3.700. These are the features you will be getting with the Total Gym GTS:

FREE streaming workouts with Total Gym TV Basic.
22 Levels of Resistance
Workout DVD included
Over 200 Exercises on One Home Elite Gym
650lb User Weight Capacity
Hydraulic rail lift assists with level changes & easy two-step folding.
5-year Warranty on Frame, 1-year Warranty on Parts & Upholstery, 90-day Warranty on Foam & Rubber

In addition to this, you will get a multitude of addons that lets you emulate any machine you could possibly imagine in a professional commercial gym. If you want to use this machine all day around and do not have space for a full circuit of machines, this is the machine to get.

Pros of the Total GYM GTS

The total gym GTS comes with a lot of attachments and even lets you add free weights to it so you can increase the resistance even further on certain exercises. The extended warranty and sturdiness of the 650lb capacity give it good protection against break downs under heavy use. Read this 650lb not just as a maximum capacity, but also an indication of how long the machine will last. The sturdier the material the less likely it is to break. This is the right total gym to use around the clock with many clients of different needs. If you have a rehab clinic that wants to cover from old people to recovering high performing athletes, this is a good pick.

Cons of the TOTAL GYM GTS

For this price tag, it is not really a feasible option for most home users, which is a shame as it provides the most variety of exercises. If you have space in your facility you can also seriously consider building a full gym instead of getting just one Total Gym GTS. YOu may have fewer warranties on each individual item, but more variety and the possibility to train more people in parallel.

Alternatives to the TOTAL Gym GTS

For the price of a TOTAL Gym GTS you can also get:

True form Trainer $3995
5x Rogue Echo bike $3875
Full free weight section $3530

The true form trainer is a self-propelled treadmill that will fit the needs of the top-performing athlete. It works with a slight arch to soften the impact of your feet. As it is set up with bearing it becomes easier to run at top speeds and do interval training compared to conventional treadmills. You will also not need as much power and there is no motor that can break down and needs to be maintained or replaced.

If you have space and wanted to run spinning classes you can also get 5x Rogue Echo bikes for the price of one Total Gym GTS. Admittedly you will not have the same range of exercises to build strength and tone, but if you are looking for indoor cardio you can either save yourself a lot of money or make more customers happy at the same time.

For $4.000 you can also get a top-end free weight section from a leading supplier like Rogue fitness. An example configuration can be:

Total: $3530

This will provide a full gym with weights to go into every direction. The shipping will be free with Rogue for this package. The tax might push it over $4000 depending on the country you buy from. Still, A great alternative if you have space and like to lift heavy compared to the Total Gym GTS.