editors-pick

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 …]

Best Rucking Accessories for GORUCK

May 18, 2022 Tim Comments Off

Now that you’ve picked out your ideal GORUCK rucking backpack you should look at some rucking gear that helps you get the best packing and storage efficiency out of that GR1 or Rucker backpack. We’re going to review the best rucksack accessories for the GR1 – or any GORUCK bag. These choices have been vetted by rucking enthusiasts – so consider them the “best of the best”. Whether you are using a GR1, or other rucking backpack – all of these items are great aftermarket rucking gear. MOLLE Accessories We’re going to mention “MOLLE” a lot in this article. MOLLE, or Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, is the military’s solution for versatile equipment loading and accessories. The most important feature of [Read more …]

An air bike (also called an assault bike) workout in a CrossFit box.

28 Awesome Assault Bike Workouts

July 30, 2023 Tim 7

The assault bike (also commonly called an air bike, or fan bike) is an awesome, calorie-burning workout. Why? Because it’s a total body effort – you push, pull, and pedal against resistance that gets more intense the more you go. The faster and harder you go, the more resistance there is. The assault bike has earned it’s nickname: Satan’s Tricycle The assault bike can be used for steady state cardio or super-efficient interval style workouts. In this article, we’ll bring you a round up of 28 of the best air bike workout ideas. Find out why people have a love-hate relationship with this burn inducing, hard hitting workout device. But why workout easy when you can workout hard? These all [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 …]

The Rogue Echo Bike combines heavy-duty steel, precision engineering, and convenient customization to forge a stronger, sturdier fan bike.

Guide to the Best Air Bikes for Fitness

July 4, 2022 Tim 3

Let’s talk about the best air bike (AirBike or Assault Bike) for 2022. We’ve got details on all the popular models. The Rogue Echo Bike is our top pick for 2022, and is shown here as an example. Let’s dive right in, by first explaining what the best air bike would look like – and how it is used. Here’s the air bikes we’ll be reviewing in this article. Be sure to read the entire article to understand the pros and cons of each. What is an Air Bike (Assault Bike)? An air bike, also called a fan bike, is an upright, stationary bicycle for indoor fitness use. They can also be called assault bikes, but that is usually referring [Read more …]

Prilepin's Chart (or table) shows the optimal intensity (% of 1RM) and volume (total numer of reps) for Olympic weightlifting training as observed by AS Prilepin - who was a junior and national weightlifting coach for the Soviet Union.

Prilepin’s Chart Explained

November 2, 2022 Tim Comments Off

NEW FOR 2022! Check out Black Friday Gym Sales 2022. Prilepin’s Chart is a table of optimal Olympic weight lifting rep ranges to be used for training. It was created by A.S. Prilepin, a Soviet era sports scientist. The chart was created by reviewing the training journals of thousands of weightlifting athletes. It is meant to portray the optimal number of reps per set, and total rep count (volume) for power training required for the Olympic lifts (the Snatch, and Clean and Jerk). The chart, also called Prilepin’s Table, is as follows: The first column shows the training intensity – the percentage of 1RM (1 Repetition Maximum) being used. The second column lists the number of reps per set observed [Read more …]

Rogue Color Kg Training 2.0 Plates - high quality bumper plates for training in the garage or home gym

Why Do Olympic Weight Plates Have Colors?

November 2, 2022 Tim Comments Off

NEW FOR 2022! Check out Black Friday Sales for 2022 – Rogue, Rep, and more!. The Olympic bumper plates used in competition weightlifting are colorful – and this is no accident. This isn’t just so they look nice – these colors serve a useful purpose. The colors allow someone to quickly and easily visually identify the amount of weight loaded on the bar. Who sets the standards for these colors? The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) sets the specifications and rules for the equipment used in all Olympic weightlifting competition. The International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) requires a similar color code. And this is where we get the weight plate color coding required by the IWF: Red = 25 kg (55.1 lbs) [Read more …]

Rogue GH-1 GHD - Glute Ham Developer bench from Rogue Fitness

Glute Ham Developer – Guide to the Best GHD For Your Home Gym

December 22, 2021 Tim Comments Off

Let’s talk about the Glute Ham Developer or GHD, also known as the Glute Ham Bench. What is a GHD? It’s a piece of strength and conditioning equipment that lets you perform very potent posterior chain and core exercises including the Glute Ham Raise (GHR), the abdominal destroying GHD Situp, and even a poor man’s version of the reverse hyperextension. The model shown here is the Rogue Abram 2.0 GHD (Rogue: ) – and it’s excellent example of the features of a great GHD. Looking for Black Friday 2019 deals on Glute Ham Devices? Check back here for our recommended Black Friday deals on GHDs. Black Friday is the best time of the year to buy fitness equipment. A GHD [Read more …]

An omelette can be part of the ketogenic diet - it's low carb, high fat and protein content fits within the guidelines for ketosis

What is the Keto Diet?

January 29, 2019 Tim 1

What is the Ketogenic diet? It’s a high-fat, low-carb diet that sends your body into a state of ketosis, during which it primarily uses dietary fat and body fat for energy instead of glucose from carbs. Ketone bodies, which are the by-product of the metabolism of fat, rise to elevated levels in the blood. Ketosis is generally recognized to occur when ketone levels rise to 0.5 mmol/L or more. This can happen about 2 days after starting severe carb restrictions – which means eating less than 20-35 grams of carbs per day. However, it can take 4-6 weeks before the body is fully adapted to ketosis. Keto, as the ketogenic diet is known, is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that forces [Read more …]