Which Rogue Energy Rack Ought to You Purchase? (2022)

Up to date 2022 with present rack options and to emphasise the Monster Lite collection.

Rogue has so many fashions of energy racks and squat stands that selecting between them is overwhelming at first. I’ll be narrowing it right down to just some racks that in my view are the correct alternative for 90% of individuals.

Why Rogue

Rogue has a wonderful repute for construct high quality, customer support, and total reliability. Their merchandise are well-designed and examined. They make all racks of their large facility in Ohio whereas different corporations principally import from China.

Out of all manufacturers, Rogue simply has the very best resale worth. It’s essentially the most acknowledged top-tier model of rack within the shopper market. A Rogue rack you may have the ability to resell after a number of years for 80% of its retail worth if it’s in nice form.

They've innovated dozens of recent equipment so as to add to energy racks. Different producers have copied Rogue’s rack sizing to be appropriate with their equipment, however generally there are slight incompatibilities. If you get a Rogue rack you realize you’ll be in a great scenario for including equipment afterward.

All of Rogue’s energy racks are a “walk-through design”, that means constructed with out a decrease rear stabilizer bar that will solely get in the best way of the correct positioning of a weight bench.

Their vary of rack fashions is intensive, to the purpose of being overwhelming for those who don’t know what to search for. It additionally means you will get precisely the correct rack for you whenever you get some good recommendation (which hopefully you’ll get right here!).

Squat Stands and Wall-Mounted Folding Racks

See my prolonged information on selecting between energy racks and squat stands.

I’ll in all probability write an article quickly about Rogue’s a number of squat stands.

Additionally see the folding wall-mounted racks information going over Rogue and different corporations.

Rogue’s Energy Rack Traces

The very first thing it's best to know is the distinction between their Echo, R Sequence, Monster Lite, and Monster racks, in order that I can information you thru eliminating a great chunk of them as potentialities and make it clearer what your finest choose is.

The principle technical distinction between the 4 traces is their tubing measurement and {hardware} measurement (ie: bolt thickness).

Whereas Rogue does point out the above someplace on their website, I’ll inform you the actual causes it's best to select one over the others. Greater isn’t all the time higher right here.

The R-Sequence had been Rogue’s first racks. 2×3 racks had been frequent earlier than Rogue, and that’s what they went with. It’s a great tubing measurement for lowering wobble, and it makes for fairly heavy racks that keep in place. This collection is being phased out, and newer attachments aren't obtainable.

Echo is the funds possibility that Rogue has for a number of different classes of apparatus. These racks are almost just like the Amazon and eBay off-brands of racks, with the distinction being that Rogue’s design and consistency is superb, USA-made, with out silly design flaws that hit you unexpectedly, and the 11 gauge metal used on Echo racks is a notably good spec.

Greater tubing within the Monster Lite means a extra heavy responsibility rack total. You get much less wobble in all instructions and fewer danger of tipping with the added weight. Nice issues. On the draw back, you’re paying extra, and also you’ll be paying extra on the again finish with costlier attachments.

The Monster goes a step past the Monster Lite with larger 1″ {hardware}. Why 1″ {hardware}? Technically that makes it stronger.

Prime Decide: RML-390F

I featured this rack in my Finest Freestanding Energy Racks article.

Rogue makes hardly any freestanding racks like this, that means one which isn’t meant to be bolted to the ground to be steady.

With the RML-390F you don’t have to fret about drilling holes into concrete or making a plywood platform for it. Simply arrange and go. This can be a standard, fundamental rack that you're unlikely to remorse getting.

The soundness of a freestanding rack like this isn’t precisely as a result of “flat foot” design a lot as it's the ft that stretch previous the uprights to create a counter-force towards tipping whenever you re-rack a loaded barbell. With out the prolonged ft, there is no such thing as a counter-force and the rack can simply tip.

On that very same precept, watch out about including entrance spotter arms to this rack. The prolonged ft don't present as a lot of a counter-force to stop tipping when the spotter arms prolong previous them.

This rack does include band peg holes, however with out band pegs. You possibly can inadvertently raise up the rack for those who’re utilizing heavy sufficient bands. Check your bands out rigorously with an empty bar to verify the rack is heavy sufficient to deal with them. Additionally contemplate that the bands are a counter-force to the load of the rack and will trigger the rack to tip whenever you re-rack a loaded bar, as for those who’re utilizing a lighter rack.

Fundamental Ground-Mounted Decide: RML-390C

Based mostly on the ten 12 months basic R-3! An excellent fundamental floor-mounted rack.

The rack comes normal with band pegs and a alternative of colours. Optionally you may add numbered uprights, strap safeties, and concrete anchors.

It has the signature “Westside” gap spacing, which is 1″ gap spacing in a decrease space of the rack for the bench press space, and a couple of″ gap spacing above.

The wall-mount rack kit is a space-efficient strategy to stabilize the RML-390C by mounting it into the wall, do you have to desire that over drilling holes in your concrete flooring. A technique or one other, it needs to be mounted.

If You Have the House: RML-690C

It's important to retailer your plates someplace, and in case your flooring plan permits it, having your plates on the rear of a 6-post rack like that is extra handy than on a plate tree. It’s additionally extra steady.

Technically, this rack is supposed to be bolted down, however the prolonged rear portion of the rack offers a lot counter-force leverage towards a barbell being re-racked, as illustrated, and further body weight (+160lb), that folks have discovered that they'll get away with leaving it freestanding with out situation. On naked concrete it may slide. Rubber flooring holds it in place wonderful.

Just like the RML-390C, the rack comes normal with band pegs and a alternative of colours, and optionally available numbered uprights, strap safeties, and concrete anchors.

Monster Racks

All three of the Monster Lite fashions I like to recommend within the sections above have corresponding Monster fashions: The freestanding RM-390F, the 4-post RM-4, and the 6-post RM-6.

Right here’s what you’re within the Monster series racks over the Monster Lite:

The 1″ {hardware} is made for a tank. Very onerous to justify that logically. Identical with the brilliant zinc {hardware} end possibility. These are glamour options.

The peak choices begin to make sense. You probably have the ceiling room, it’s good to have the ability to do overhead presses contained in the rack with no restriction, and to get a full cling on the pull up bar.

Talking of the pull up bar, the Monster provides you a fats pull up bar possibility for a more difficult grip.

For those who’re going to be getting sandwich J cups or some strap safeties or flip down safeties, they allow you to improve to these with out forcing the usual ones on you the best way they do with the Monster Lite. The value financial savings there barely cuts into the general worth distinction of the rack, nevertheless it’s value a consideration.

Apart from these upgrades whenever you purchase the rack, the attachments will price you a bit extra on the Monster.

It doesn’t look to me like there are any attachments proper now for the Monster that aren’t obtainable in Monster Lite, however I imagine I've seen a Monster model of 1 or two attachments made first, type of a perk for the Monster house owners. If that appeals to you, effectively then go for it.

Tubing Measurement and Security

There's one draw back to three×3 racks. Above is an R-series rack with the two×3 tubing, that means 2″ vast and three″ deep, the portion of the bar shaft that hangs outdoors the rack. On this instance the bar is pulled a bit to 1 facet. With the bar centered the marked house shall be solely about 2.25″.

You do not need to be too far off-center whenever you’re re-racking a heavy barbell. You additionally don’t need the plates to bump towards the upright since you’re off-center. Both one catches you off-guard, you get confused, you attempt to look to the facet to determine what’s occurring, and that’s not a great factor in that precarious scenario. The heavier the load, arguably the extra probably you're to seek out your self off-center in a set of squats.

Now contemplate Rogue’s 3×3 racks. You’ll have much less lateral house. The way in which Rogue designs the three×3 racks, they prolong the width of the tubing outwards. That's to say, whereas the R-series racks are 47″ vast, the Monster Lite racks are 49″ vast. Now your bar solely has 1.125″ of house on either side to maneuver laterally earlier than you’re in hassle! Attempt to use some level on the wall or no matter as a visible spot to maintain issues centered when you re-rack.

A strategy to mitigate that is with sandwich J-cups. Sure, they're costly. Take into consideration getting them afterward, not less than. On this scenario, as a result of they're narrower than common J-cups and stand proud of the uprights, you get extra lateral motion house in your bar, making it as secure as utilizing an R-series rack.

The above is type of a foul illustration of my level as a result of they've the bar slid all the best way to 1 facet to butt the shoulder up towards the J-cup right here for some loopy cause so it appears like you don't have any house, however in regular use the thinner design of this J-cup provides your bar extra lateral wiggle room. I wrote about these extra in my article about J-cups.

Remaining Ideas

Chances are you'll discover that I didn't counsel Echo or R-Sequence fashions.

I’m not a fan of two×2 racks just like the Echo. It’s too wobbly and light-weight for a $600 rack. When you’ve used a 2×3 or 3×3 rack, you’ll by no means need to personal a 2×2 rack once more.

The R-Sequence is type of being phased out. They nonetheless make them, however lots of the newer attachments aren't provided for them. This was a particularly standard collection of racks for years. These days it’s simply that most individuals are preferring 3×3 racks for his or her superior rock-solid really feel.

As I mentioned at first, this text shouldn't be meant to be an exhaustive comparability of all Rogue energy racks. However at this level you perceive the fundamental issues, and if one other mannequin catches your eye you’ll have the ability to put it in the correct context. Don’t spend an excessive amount of time waffling on it when one is sensible to you. They’re all nice racks. Simply get one, and begin lifting!