Rogue R3 bolt-down solution

[nerd_power]

I've ordered a Rogue R3 rack for home. I understand it needs to be bolted down, since its footprint isn't deep enough to be all that stable, and since it has no lower cross-members.

Its permanent place will be in my basement, where I will anchor it into the concrete floor. However, for various reasons it has to go in a second-story bedroom for the time being (at least a few months), so I need a different solution that doesn't involve bolting it to the floor.

Has anyone tried using 2x4's? The idea is that you bolt each side down to a 2x4 which is 2' longer than the side panel (gaining you stability by making the footprint 2' deeper), and then you bolt another 2x4 across the first two behind the rack, keeping the sides from splaying out or in.

Has anybody tried this technique? Any reason it doesn't work? Floor space is at a bit of a premium, making me hesitate to build a plywood platform for it. The 2x4 solution seems better for the situation, as long as I know it will be adequate.

Oh, and I don't intend to use bands, so it shouldn't be a problem that the rack isn't held down to the floor, as long as stability and structural questions are addressed.

-Andrew

[nerd_power]

And on a related note, I ordered the monkey-bar cross-member. With the monkey-bar installed in the normal position, is there a smart way to put the regular fat-and-skinny bar cross-member to use as added structural support?

-Andrew

[KBKB]

I've ordered a Rogue R3 rack for home. I understand it needs to be bolted down, since its footprint isn't deep enough to be all that stable, and since it has no lower cross-members.

Its permanent place will be in my basement, where I will anchor it into the concrete floor. However, for various reasons it has to go in a second-story bedroom for the time being (at least a few months), so I need a different solution that doesn't involve bolting it to the floor.

Has anyone tried using 2x4's? The idea is that you bolt each side down to a 2x4 which is 2' longer than the side panel (gaining you stability by making the footprint 2' deeper), and then you bolt another 2x4 across the first two behind the rack, keeping the sides from splaying out or in.

Has anybody tried this technique? Any reason it doesn't work? Floor space is at a bit of a premium, making me hesitate to build a plywood platform for it. The 2x4 solution seems better for the situation, as long as I know it will be adequate.

Oh, and I don't intend to use bands, so it shouldn't be a problem that the rack isn't held down to the floor, as long as stability and structural questions are addressed.

I think this should work. If you try it, I'd like to see photos and hear your impressions of how well it works. (I may want to do the same thing when I get a Rogue R-3.)

[ProtienandIron]

I don't see why this wouldnt work. If you still wanted to use band, you may be able to weight the rack down sufficiently to allow it. With a few extra materials like flanges and small cuts of pipe etc you could make some weight pins that you can load up. That and a few sandbags and you should be ok. Obvoiusly you will have to safely test it to check its alright, but it should work ok.

[nerd_power]

So 2 people think it's an okay idea. Anyone going to disagree? Even better, has anyone actually done this themselves?

-Andrew

[Porphyry]

And on a related note, I ordered the monkey-bar cross-member. With the monkey-bar installed in the normal position, is there a smart way to put the regular fat-and-skinny bar cross-member to use as added structural support?

-Andrew

I'd put the fat/skinny bar on the rear vertical uprights like they have it on the video, with the fat bar on the lower side. I have the monkey bar on the top horizontal bars.

Does it come with a thin single bar too? The video on their site looks like it does but it's not in the product listing. If it does, I'd stick it at the back near the fat skinny/bar then stick the monkey bar at the front.

I have the R4; due to a stuff up they forgot to send me the fat/skinny bar so I only had the single skinny bar at the back originally and the monkey bar, while I was waiting for it to arrive. I think it has noticeably more lateral stability now that I have the fat/skinny bar on the back verticals.

[nerd_power]

I'd put the fat/skinny bar on the rear vertical uprights like they have it on the video, with the fat bar on the lower side. I have the monkey bar on the top horizontal bars.

Does it come with a thin single bar too? The video on their site looks like it does but it's not in the product listing. If it does, I'd stick it at the back near the fat skinny/bar then stick the monkey bar at the front.

I have the R4; due to a stuff up they forgot to send me the fat/skinny bar so I only had the single skinny bar at the back originally and the monkey bar, while I was waiting for it to arrive. I think it has noticeably more lateral stability now that I have the fat/skinny bar on the back verticals.

In looking at the pictures on the website, it looks like there are more holes on the R4 than the R3 in the location you're talking about. It seems unclear whether or not there are enough holes there to attach the fat/skinny cross-member the way you suggest, but if there are, then I think that's what I'll do.

Based on the list of items they told me they're shipping me, it looks like there's one more 43" cross-member in addition to the fat/skinny and the monkey-bar. So I would guess that might be the thin single bar you mention. I guess I may have to wait until it physically arrives to figure out where they fit and how to use them all.

-Andrew

[Porphyry]

In looking at the pictures on the website, it looks like there are more holes on the R4 than the R3 in the location you're talking about. It seems unclear whether or not there are enough holes there to attach the fat/skinny cross-member the way you suggest, but if there are, then I think that's what I'll do.

-Andrew

Yeah, I agree. It's confusing: the pictures definitely look like there's not enough holes for the configuration I described, but their video has it set up exactly like that. If you look at the EliteFTS racks they don't have a lower member either - they just rely on a K-brace which just bolts on the same way we're talking about. I actually think they (Rogue) stuffed up the first design/pics simply by putting the fat/skinny bar up the top instead of on the side.

I guess you could always drill the extra holes yourself.

[Detrus]

Doesn't sound much easier than this kind of setup



It's a single flat board, you would make yours larger. This one says it's 36, yours should be around 46. As I understand what you're describing there are more opportunities to trip and the difficulty of construction is similar.

Rogue should provide a no bolting stability accessory for the R-3. Seems strange to provide a compact rack that people may buy because of space constraints in apartments but then require bolting to floor, which is not possible there.

[Kodokan]

Doesn't sound much easier than this kind of setup



It's a single flat board, you would make yours larger. This one says it's 36, yours should be around 46. As I understand what you're describing there are more opportunities to trip and the difficulty of construction is similar.

Rogue should provide a no bolting stability accessory for the R-3. Seems strange to provide a compact rack that people may buy because of space constraints in apartments but then require bolting to floor, which is not possible there.

I have the rack on the right pictured above. I've heard of guys bolting this thing to a heavy metal plate which you stand on...i wouldn't worry about that tipping while you're squatting obviously, but you're more or less on your own to figure something out which will work for pull-ups as well. In your case personally I'd be thinking about some kind of metal plate to bolt into, although I don't have a size in mind.

My york power rack is bolted into some heavy composite bord-like platform and nestled into a flush plywood/rubber platform...it's not going anywhere. You could always just plywood your whole room and do rubber mats/plywood platform for the whole deal...

[nerd_power]

Yeah, I agree. It's confusing: the pictures definitely look like there's not enough holes for the configuration I described, but their video has it set up exactly like that. If you look at the EliteFTS racks they don't have a lower member either - they just rely on a K-brace which just bolts on the same way we're talking about. I actually think they (Rogue) stuffed up the first design/pics simply by putting the fat/skinny bar up the top instead of on the side.

I guess you could always drill the extra holes yourself.

The rack arrived last night. You were right, there are more holes at the top of the uprights than the pictures led me to believe, so I've got the fat/skinny bar bolted in just like the k-brace is on an EliteFTS rack. It's pretty solid; pullups don't really shake it at all.

Haven't bolted on the 2x4's yet; that's a job for tonight I think.

-Andrew

[KBKB]

Haven't bolted on the 2x4's yet; that's a job for tonight I think.

Looking forward to photos and/or your thoughts on how well it works once you get it set up.

[RBLOCK]

I would probably bolt it to sheets of ply and staple carpeting within the squat area. That would make band use a nonissue and give plenty of stability for pullups.

[Porphyry]

Thanks for the update. It's pretty awesome isn't it?

Did you get a single skinny bar too?

[nerd_power]

Thanks for the update. It's pretty awesome isn't it?

Did you get a single skinny bar too?

It is indeed pretty awesome! Love the 1" hole spacing through the bench area; I can actually place the safeties such that when on the bench with my back arched, I can touch the bar to my chest without touching the safeties, but I can still put the bar down on the safeties and lay flat to get out from under it.

I didn't get a single-bar cross-member, but it's just as well since I wouldn't have had a good place to put it, with the monkey bar up top and the fat/skinny bar on the back.

-Andrew

[nerd_power]

Some pictures:
package as it was delivered off the truck
IMG_0012.JPG
everything unpacked and laid out
IMG_0013.JPG
two pictures of the rack set up
IMG_0014.JPG
IMG_0015.JPG

I'll post some of the 2x4 solution after I build it tonight.

-Andrew

[KBKB]

Some pictures:
package as it was delivered off the truck


everything unpacked and laid out


two pictures of the rack set up




I'll post some of the 2x4 solution after I build it tonight.

-Andrew

(Embedded.)

Looks good.

[ProudMarineDad]

I'll post some of the 2x4 solution after I build it tonight.

-Andrew

Can't wait to see them because this is probably the rack I would upgrade to. Hard to beat the quality and price for this rack.

[ProtienandIron]

That is one sweet rack. When is rogue going to go global and open up a store in the UK?

[Cleveland33]

My york power rack is bolted into some heavy composite bord-like platform and nestled into a flush plywood/rubber platform...it's not going anywhere. You could always just plywood your whole room and do rubber mats/plywood platform for the whole deal...

I love the look of that rack, both the Yorks actually.

I have seen the "portable" one around me a couple times on CL, one currently - but the owners always seem to want an arm and a leg for them or I would seriously consider getting it.

The simplicity of it, the channel, the shallow depth...

[nerd_power]

Bolted down. 2x4's are 54" long for the sides, and 56" long for the cross piece (wanted a little extra room for overlap). Plain old 3/8" hex bolts, nuts, washers.





You can see the foot plates of the rack are 6" wide, making me kind of wish I had gone with 2x6's instead. I doubt it would have made much difference, really. The welds holding the foot plates on are thorough, to say the least; it doesn't worry me to put the 2x4's under the outer bolt-holes, buying a tiny bit more lateral stability and a tiny bit more foot space in the rack.

The back cross piece doesn't interfere with my bench at all, but I can see how it might if it were the type of bench where the more you incline it the further you have to slide it back to position it under the j-hooks. BodyCraft has its advantages.

As far as structural integrity, I think the matter of the legs splaying out is fully addressed by the 2x4's and the way I have the fat/skinny bar bolted in; I can't budge the legs at all with my arms, even pushing at floor level. As far as stability goes, the limiting factor is the compressibility of the carpet, I think; the 2x4's made a little difference but not that much. It's still perfectly good though, since I don't do kipping pullups or band work it's plenty stable for me. At 200 lbs., I wouldn't kip very hard on it without bolting it down to a larger platform (like the concrete floor in my basement where it will eventually reside). Doing reasonable pullups, it doesn't move at all.

I'll be happy to answer more questions about it if anybody has any.

-Andrew

[Northernmoris]

Looks great. How do you like the dip handles?

[twodog]

I love the look of that rack, both the Yorks actually.

I have seen the "portable" one around me a couple times on CL, one currently - but the owners always seem to want an arm and a leg for them or I would seriously consider getting it.

The simplicity of it, the channel, the shallow depth...

There's one on ebay now, and it's in great condition. I've seen it, and know that he would take less for it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/York-Barbell...item43b05a73ab

[nerd_power]

Looks great. How do you like the dip handles?

They're good. I like how they attach at any height you want, I like the thickness of the bars (2") making them much more comfortable on the hands than most dip handles, I like the angle of them so that you can get a little wider spacing by griping out on the ends or narrower by gripping closer in, and I like how easily they attach/detach to/from the rack (just a single pin through any one of the safety-bar holes), since they'd be in the way if I just left them on there all the time.

One thing I'd change if I could is how far they stick out from the rack upright, which you can see clearly in the first picture of the assembled rack in this thread. It's not a big deal, but if that one piece that pins to the rack on one end and is welded to the cross-bar that the handles attach to on the other end were shorter, the handles would exert less leverage on the rack, and it would shake less during more dynamic dips. Also its length makes me nervous about attaching it outside the rack; I think that might be a bit of a tipping hazard, so I think I'll be doing my dips inside the rack. Not really a problem, it just means one more step in the dip process: moving the bench out of the way.

-Andrew

[Porphyry]

They're good. I like how they attach at any height you want, I like the thickness of the bars (2") making them much more comfortable on the hands than most dip handles, I like the angle of them so that you can get a little wider spacing by griping out on the ends or narrower by gripping closer in, and I like how easily they attach/detach to/from the rack (just a single pin through any one of the safety-bar holes), since they'd be in the way if I just left them on there all the time.

One thing I'd change if I could is how far they stick out from the rack upright, which you can see clearly in the first picture of the assembled rack in this thread. It's not a big deal, but if that one piece that pins to the rack on one end and is welded to the cross-bar that the handles attach to on the other end were shorter, the handles would exert less leverage on the rack, and it would shake less during more dynamic dips. Also its length makes me nervous about attaching it outside the rack; I think that might be a bit of a tipping hazard, so I think I'll be doing my dips inside the rack. Not really a problem, it just means one more step in the dip process: moving the bench out of the way.

-Andrew

Another option is to get some of the accessory weight trees. With 500lbs on mine (plus the rack weight + bar) I don't budge the rack even with the dip bar on the outside. Maybe a little, if I attach it really high and do them weighted, with the widest grip.

If you bolt it down it shouldn't be a problem. Or you can do them inside, like you said.

Can you press inside the cage with the X432-M mounted like that? I can see your ceiling is getting in the way.

Also, what kind of bar is that? Is that the Rogue Bar?

[KBKB]

One thing I'd change if I could is how far they stick out from the rack upright, which you can see clearly in the first picture of the assembled rack in this thread. It's not a big deal, but if that one piece that pins to the rack on one end and is welded to the cross-bar that the handles attach to on the other end were shorter, the handles would exert less leverage on the rack, and it would shake less during more dynamic dips. Also its length makes me nervous about attaching it outside the rack; I think that might be a bit of a tipping hazard, so I think I'll be doing my dips inside the rack. Not really a problem, it just means one more step in the dip process: moving the bench out of the way.

Does stability using the dip handles improve if you rack the bar and put some plates on both sides?

Thanks for posting photos using the 2x4s. Looks like a good temporary solution. I hope that you'll post again after you've used it for a while and tell us about any further thoughts you have on the matter.

[nerd_power]

Does stability using the dip handles improve if you rack the bar and put some plates on both sides?

Don't know - my plates are supposed to arrive tomorrow!

Thanks for posting photos using the 2x4s. Looks like a good temporary solution. I hope that you'll post again after you've used it for a while and tell us about any further thoughts you have on the matter.

I will.

-Andrew

[nerd_power]

Can you press inside the cage with the X432-M mounted like that? I can see your ceiling is getting in the way.

Yeah, I've got the X43 mounted off-center by a couple holes (closer to the front than the back), so there's enough space between the X43 and the fat/skinny at the back for standing press.

Also, what kind of bar is that? Is that the Rogue Bar?

Rogue "beater bar". Seemed to be the best deal available in olympic bars which are durable but cheap.

-Andrew

[Cleveland33]

wait a minute, you're 6'2" and have room to OHP inside the rack?

[nerd_power]

wait a minute, you're 6'2" and have room to OHP inside the rack?

Barely, but yes; the R3's pretty tall. Before adding the 2x4's, it was iffy, but now it's okay. I guess I may have to move the OHP's outside the rack once I bolt it down to the concrete, but it's possible that a wider stance will take care of it.

You know, now that I think about it the plates might be a bigger issue than the bar; if I put 135 on the bar the 45's might hit the ceiling. Then I'd need the wide stance (or maybe just switching to seated press) regardless of the rack. We'll have to see once the plates arrive.

-Andrew