Exercise Equipment

REP AB-5000 Adjustable FID Bench - the best FID bench for home gym or garage gym.

REP AB-5000 ZERO GAP Adjustable Bench Review

December 22, 2021 Tim Comments Off

New for 2019, Rep Fitness has launched their latest product – the REP AB-5000 Zero Gap Adjustable Bench (Rep Fitness). This adjustable bench is our top pick for a full FID (Flat, Incline, Decline) bench for home and garage gyms. This article will serve as our comprehensive review of this versatile piece of strength equipment. Long term review update: This is a great bench – tough, versatile, incline adjustments are a breeze, and while it is a tad on the heavy side (because it is so beefy) it’s easy enough to move when you need to. It has worked out as well as I’d hoped – and I highly recommend this bench as the most robust, versatile heavy duty bench [Read more …]

You need a good workout bench or weight bench for exercises like the bench press - one of the best upper body strength building exercises.

Weight Bench Buyer’s Guide

December 22, 2021 Tim Comments Off

Let’s talk about weight benches, also sometimes called workout benches. We are also going to look at adjustable weight benches – because they are the most versatile. Having a stable, comfortable weight bench is an essential for a variety of exercises including the mighty bench press. And while it’s true that the bench press has fallen out of favor in recent years because it’s not a “functional exercise”, it’s still a huge mass and strength builder without equal. Take that, CrossFit. (Actually, recently the bench press made a rare appearance in a CrossFit WOD – so maybe they’ve come to their senses.) Let’s look at what makes the best weight bench – whether for your home gym, garage gym, or [Read more …]

Rogue Fitness Echo Bike - The best assault bike for CrossFit and metcon workouts. "Overbuilt" is a good adjective to describe this contraption.

Rogue Echo Bike Assembly

October 21, 2020 Tim 8

Let’s take a look at the simple assembly steps for the best air bike available right now: the Rogue Echo Bike from Rogue Fitness. Rogue Fitness entered the fan bike market recently with this model – and what they’ve built is one solid, smooth belt driven fan bike. How hard is to assemble this thing? It’s a piece of cake – there are actually only a handful of bolts, washers, and screws. The instructions are excellent – easy to follow, and complete. You can assemble the Rogue Echo bike in about 20 minutes, and it includes all the tools required. Rogue Echo Bike Packaging and Assembly This overview is meant to give you an idea of how easy it is [Read more …]

An indoor rower such as the Concept2 Model D Rower is an excellent way to get a low-impact, full body workout. Concept2 rowers are very popular in CrossFit WODs.

Concept 2 Model D Indoor Rower – Buyer’s Guide

July 18, 2020 Tim 1

Indoor Rowing is excellent exercise – full body but low-impact. And it can be used for steady state cardio or interval training such as HIIT. To row indoors you will need an indoor rower. We recommend the Concept 2 Model D Rower – it’s the one you see at the CrossFit box. Why? Concept 2 is the gold standard for indoor rowing machines. They have over 40 years experience designing and building exercise equipment that can be used by the novice, a world-class athlete, or anybody in between. Therefore we think this is the best indoor rower. It’s our recommended model for use at your home or in the garage. It’s compact (requires only 9 x 4 feet of space), [Read more …]

Rogue Fitness offers the ZEUS Custom Build-A-Bar option - choose custom colors, text, and even images for your Rogue Ohio Bar or Bella Bar 2.0

Rogue ZEUS Build-A-Bar – Custom Barbell Design

August 31, 2019 Tim 2

Rogue Fitness makes the best Olympic barbells for CrossFit and powerlifting training. And now, you can choose a variety of custom colors and design options on these barbells thanks to their new ZEUS | Custom Build-A-Bar ordering page. How do you get the Ohio Bar or Bella Bar 2.0 of your dreams? Click to See ZEUS Build-A-Bar Options on the Rogue Website How does this work? First of all, they start with two of the most versatile and popular bars – the Rogue Ohio Bar and the Bella Bar 2.0. Need the ideal Olympic Barbell? Read our Olympic Barbell guide to find out which barbell is right for you. The Ohio Bar is a rugged bushing bar that is equally [Read more …]

Rogue Fitness SR-343 Mach Speed Rope - Rogue's most advanced jump rope

Speed Ropes

January 30, 2021 Tim Comments Off

Let’s talk about speed ropes – a variation on the jump rope or skipping rope that spins much faster than a regular rope. Why a speed rope? The increased speed helps improve coordination and timing. The super fast spin makes some moves easier – such as the double under or triple under. But you’ll be turning the rope (it’s a cable really) more, and jumping more – so a speed rope can also be a great improvement on the endurance building aspects of jumping rope. In a nutshell it makes jumping rope that much more of an intense (and therefore effective) workout. We’ll look at some options from Rogue Fitness – they have the widest range of speed rope options [Read more …]

An athlete using the Victory Multi-Grip functional trainer

Functional Trainer Cable Machines

April 10, 2022 Tim Comments Off

Let’s talk about functional trainers, also called cable machines. What’s a functional trainer? Here’s an example – the Victory FT-5000 Multi-Grip Functional Trainer from Rep Fitness. This is our top pick for an affordable functional trainer for your home gym or garage gym in the year 2022. A Functional Trainer is a cable machine that uses two independent weight stacks, pulleys, and cables (with handles) to provide unique workout benefits. Here’s the functional trainer cable machines that we will cover: FT 5000 Victory Multi-Grip Functional Trainer This functional trainer from Rep Fitness has everything we’d look for – two 220 lb weight stacks, height adjustable handles, pull-up handles, and plenty of attachment options. All that – and a great price. [Read more …]

Best Women’s Olympic Barbell

April 28, 2020 Tim Comments Off

Let’s look at some options for the best women’s Olympic barbell for CrossFit. First of all – do women need a special barbell for weightlifting? Short answer – they don’t. But, women’s barbells have a shaft diameter of only 25 mm. Compare this to the 28 or 29 mm diameter of a men’s bar. It is 10% less diameter. And that means it’s easier to grip for those with smaller hands. Here’s the barbells we are going to review today. Read on to find out about the important qualities of the best women’s barbell. Rogue Bella Bar 2.0 15kg women’s bushing bar – A multipurpose bar, made in the USA with 190K tensile strength steel. Outstanding Rogue Fitness quality. (Rogue [Read more …]

Hoisting a kettlebell overhead - great single limb workout that builds strength, power, balance, and stability

Best Kettlebells – the Buyer’s Guide to Kettlebells

September 18, 2021 Tim 2

Rogue E-Coat Kettlebells – Made in the USA Rogue Fitness now has a new line of made in the USA kettlebells – with their glossy and tough “e-coat” coating – available now. Let’s talk about the best kettlebells– the versatile hand held weight that resembles a cannon ball with a handle. We’re going to explain why you should add kettlebell lifts to your workout, and what the best kettlebells look like. In this article, we’re going to highlight some of the best kettlebell brands around – those from: Kettlebell Kings, Rogue Fitness, and Fringe Sport. Black Friday Kettlebell Sales Looking for Black Friday (and Cyber Monday) kettlebell sales? Check back here – we’ll have all the details as soon as [Read more …]

Weight Vests vs Plate Carriers

May 11, 2021 Tim 3

What’s the best way to add weight for the murph wod: Weight vest or plate carrier? What’s the difference in terms of using these workout implements for health and fitness? What is the best weighted vest for CrossFit? That’s what we’ll review here. At first glance, they seem similar – they both provide a way to add additional resistance to a variety of exercises. But there are important differences. And, you’ve probably seen plate carriers in use at the CrossFit games. Let’s compare plate carriers to weighted vests, and determine which is best for your workout. We’ll copmare the 5.11 TacTec Plate Carrier, the Condor Plate Carrier, and Box weighted vests, and other options too. Box Weight Vest This weight [Read more …]