Rogue Trolley Arm Update - Additional Info

[@mmcrorey]

Thanks for sharing the cons to the trolly arms. I am in the process of purchasing these and you are the first to bring up anything about the difficulties. I like your gym setup, mine is coming along nicely due to the pandemic. Going to see what other videos you have now.

[@mram7714]

That adding a plate to assist with moving up the arms is a gonna be so helpful for my wife. Didn’t even think to do that and you are correct in saying those things are pretty dang heavy.

[@JasonCloseOK]

We also put a resistance band around the top. It helps to take 5-10lbs off each one. Glad to help.

[@williamcarter6374]

Thanks for the video. My arms just arrived today, and I hadn’t even thought of the issues you mention here. I expect things to get a little scratched, but that level of damage would have flat pissed me off!

[@JasonCloseOK]

I originally had wrist straps laid across the top of the stops, and the arms are so heavy that they eventually chopped the wrist straps in half. The rubber hose solution we did really works great. I recommend doing something like that to protect things.

[@meisdetermined]

Jason if you haven’t heard of Vendetta strength snd athletics you gotta look at their adjustment brackets. They are currently working on a version one for the Rogue Monster arms. You might think about grinding the arms down to the shorter length or close to it and using those brackets/arms for all kinds of exercises. I think they are going to revolutionize the jammer arm industry with their invention.

[@Alan1234x]

Cute dog! Looks like dumbbell heaven (I’m jealous)

[@jkhristov]

Great video. Exactly what I wanted to know about

[@mitchelk2589]

love your boxer! had a few myself.... thx for the review. its helping me decide. training with my 15yo son. so probably the longer arms will be too long.... leaning towards short arms now i think.... many thanks

[@joseluis7808]

You should check out how coop from garage gym reviews setup his rhino to his squat rack opened up the rhino to a whole new level.

[@JasonCloseOK]

I watched this after you recommended it. It's a very cool setup. Fortunately, I'm not quite so limited on space. But had I seen that earlier, I may have tried to incorporate it into our setup. Also, we have 2-4 people working out at a time due to this being a shared, family gym. So we all need a little room to spread out, which is why we bought this particular rack.

[@smokeeater695]

I don't know if you eventually address this, but using chains(instead of spotter arms) to hold up the trolley arms alleviates a lot of the issues your having. I do love that weight hack

[@JasonCloseOK]

I didn't think about chains. That would be an interesting idea. I would need to research what people have come up with.

[@illestdomer2005]

Glad you pointed this out. All the marketing makes them seem “effortless” to move, but they drop like a rock. They’re not bad within normal working range, but as you pointed out, taking them very high (e.g., 108” rack) or low is a bear. I was going to say put a plate on though for your solution lol. How difficult are they to move from post to post though? I figured the 35” might make sense if you wanted to go inside the rack or outside. I had thought about using safety spotters like you did here but didn’t think about the scratching issue. Really interested to see someone review the new ISO arms from Rep Fitness. They appear to be a bit more versatile and less than half the price.

[@JasonCloseOK]

I'm sorry I never saw and replied to this. They would be very time consuming to move from post to post. They are held on by a few nuts, and as heavy as they are, they are not easy to get on/off. Once you put them on a post, they are going to tend to stay on that post.

[@drsoftballcatcher18]

Can you make a video of diff usage of them

[@J1WOWW]

I’m not too sure if anyone else commented on this but don’t forget you can adjust the actual handle to be move up and won’t maybe scratch as much because the rubber will hit the spotter arm.

[@JasonCloseOK]

Yes. You are correct. But the point of having a longer arm is to be able to use the entire arm. And, those handles are not simple to move. They take 1-2 minutes a piece to move.

[@ryankraze]

Jason, try using jerk blocks or plyo boxes instead of the stops

[@JasonCloseOK]

That's a good idea for a few things, but there are a few problems with that approach. The obvious one is that I would need to buy and store those things, where I already have stops. But considering the height in which we use these, that's not too feasible. One of our favorite exercises is to use these for a standing press, and building plyo boxes that high would not be smart. The stops are working as intended. The issue was fixing the 'rub' problem, which I think would be good for Rogue to do anyway in order to prevent scratching. Plyos would work well for a flat bench or a low row. But for incline bench or anything higher, they would be unstable.

[@codythrive5154]

rage2571 I said the same thing. Easy solution.

[@robinstephens6889]

Brilliant

[@applejm3370]

I want the spotter arms

[@blakeogeris2494]

Nice info bro. I pulled the trigger and bought a rm-4 rack, rhino machine, and the lever arms. Because of your video, I decided to get the 35" one. I was like why not get the longer one, especially it being the same price but watching your video and coop from garage gyms mentioned getting the shorter one. Thanks for the info! Hows that rhino machine treating you?

[@JasonCloseOK]

It's worth the money. We use it for legs, curls, front raises...

[@davidmaron9961]

Hey Jason, I'm on the fence getting a pair of theses. Not sure if I'l go with Rogue or Rep or Sorinex. I have the Monster RM4 rack which would allow me to use the shorter (35") pair inside or outside. I'm concerned about the range of motion and if I could still do deadlifts and such or would I be better to just go with the longer pairs. They seem like more trouble than they are worth. Thank you for your time and review on this product.

[@JasonCloseOK]

If you're worried, you can always get the longer ones and move the handles up a foot. This essentially turns them into the smaller version. The issue is the weight, as they are heavy. And, the longer ones add in another foot on the radius, which makes the footprint larger. With these, I would say they are a niche thing. I might use ours once a week. They are great for deadlifts, as you can get your hands in a comfortable position and you won't skin your knees. I don't do deadlifts much anymore, but I've done them with these and they work great.

[@davidmaron9961]

@@JasonCloseOK Thank you.

[@jessetaylor3354]

Awsome gym ! Im thinking of purchasing those and was wondering if yoy still regret not getting 35 instead ? Do you think you still can deadlift with the 35 if they are installed outside of the rack or range of motion will be off .. ?

[@JasonCloseOK]

Yes. I still regret not getting the 35" arms. You can definitely still deadlift with the 35" ones, and you'll probably prefer it. The 48" have a huge amount of 'play' to them because of their length, and that makes them feel less stable. It is hard to describe just how long the 48" arms really are. If you're truly nervous, you can get the 48", and then just move the handles up a foot, which will give the exact same 'feel' as the 35s. But what you will retain is the weight, and these things are very heavy. When they are so heavy, it can discourage you from using them because of the effort it takes to get them set into place.

[@jessetaylor3354]

@@JasonCloseOK awsome thx ill take your word and go for 35 inches , keep the good reviews coming :)

[@JasonCloseOK]

@@jessetaylor3354 I will try. I've actually got a bad injury right now. I haven't been able to do upper body in a month, which is the longest I've gone in 20 years. I'm still waiting on imaging and stuff to see if I need surgery or what. Hopefully, I can start rehabbing soon.

[@jessetaylor3354]

@@JasonCloseOK i really appreaciate your time and wish you a quick recovery ! I have a last question .. I seen people using the arms as a leg press using the utility seat i was wondering if you ever tried it ? Btw just order the 35 inches today im pretty sure it will be a perfect fit thanks again!

[@JasonCloseOK]

@@jessetaylor3354 No problem. Thanks for the kind words. I actually have tried to leg press. I could not get it to work right, but I did not put too much effort. When I tried, my seat kept scooting back. And if you try these from a seated position, the weight is just dangling with the arm, so there's no real resistance. You'd want to do it from an incline position, or maybe on your back, where gravity is pulling those weights down. If you're just seated, and the arms are hanging, then the pivot point is holding all of the weight, and you're not actually fighting gravity. You'd need a resistance band. I tried to leg press these from the floor, but it just wasn't comfortable, and I didn't feel like I was going to get anything more out of them than doing a different type of squat or lunge. My main use of the trolleys is for arm, back, and chest days. But even then, I might only use them every 2-3 weeks. My favorite 2 exercises for the trolleys are for bent over rows, and standing shoulder press. Using them for bent over rows gives you the same feel as a barbell in terms of your body position and leverage, but it allows you to change your grip. And because there's no bar to hit you in the stomach, you can increase your range of motion (like on a bent over dumbbell row). For shoulder presses, I love to get them set up on the stops, at shoulder level. Then, I do a set of 20 standing presses as a superset from my dumbbell side delt raises. Every shoulder day, my primary is standing barbell press. So if I did low volume and high weight, I can get a good pump as a superset on these. I have actually done curls with these, which was hard to figure out, but boy, were they hard and did they give a pump! Let me know how you like them and what you do with them. I'm interested to learn.

[@scottkleinknecht2507]

Awaiting mine as we speak, I ordered the long arms as well. Has anyone tried dipping the ends of the spotter arms in liquid rubber like flex seal?

[@JasonCloseOK]

Remember, if you increase the size of the spotter arms, the handles won't fit over it. They are very snug.

[@codythrive5154]

In the rogue video with Cole sagar they never used safety spotter arms to rest the hammer arms. A better alternative would be to use oly plyo boxes.

[@JasonCloseOK]

I agree that plyo boxes will work for many exercises. The issue is that it's an extra expense (if you don't have them), and for something like incline press, or standing press, stacking plyo boxes 3+ feet high would be cumbersome and unstable. For deadlifts, bent over rows, and possibly bench press, boxes would not be an issue. But those account for around 1/2 of the usage of these arms for us, as we tend to use them for standing press and incline a lot. In a home gym, just the storage of enough plyo boxes to support those exercises would be asking a lot, as space can be tight.

[@codythrive5154]

Jason Close you could consider literally everything an extra expense lol.

[@JasonCloseOK]

@@codythrive5154 Agree. Have you priced out the cost of plyo boxes versus spotter arms?

[@JasonCloseOK]

@@codythrive5154 I created a $20 fix for equipment I already had. A fix that also protects my bars from scratching, as Rogue doesn't carry the plastic protector (that runs down the arm )over the lip. I actually purchased similar plastic in order to see if I could replicate Rogue's design. It's kinda like the stuff that cutting boards are made of. But my dad came up with the hose concept, and it works great. So a $20 fix to a problem that could've also been fixed by over a thousand dollars in plyo boxes. Even if I ran a gym, I would've done the same thing. Spending $20 to accomplish the same as $1k, and not having to deal with storing a ton of plyo boxes I'll rarely use, sounds like a win to me.

[@codythrive5154]

Jason Close if you’re broke you can build boxes. They’re worth the money tho. Anyone who pays $1000 on hammer arms should be able to afford boxes.

[@sulu7390]

Hi, when you try to move trolly arm up and down, have you ever try to remove the grip first then attach them on the arm once you adjust the height to the right spot? Because I am thinking of the grip handle must be very heavy, it seems to be at least a 20lb thing.

[@JasonCloseOK]

It is heavy, but those grips are not easily/quickly moved. They take a few minutes to take out and put back in. These things are neat, but I don't know if they are truly worth the money.

[@marvellstarks2434]

They figured most people would move the safeties before they slide the arm.. the arms come out much later

[@erniehefferon9144]

Why are you using you spotter arms with the Trolley system?

[@JasonCloseOK]

For bench press or standing shoulder press exercises.

[@sqd8r]

Seems like free weight workouts are the point of having a cage so getting machine-like attachments makes zero sense to me esp. when these movements can be done with free weights. Great review

[@JasonCloseOK]

True. These are supplemental. But they do allow for a few different exercises that can't really be done with free weights. There's are very few "machines" that I think are necessary or appropriate, especially in a home gym. A lot of gym equipment is fluff, meant to appease the rookie gym user, who is easily impressed with quantity/variety.

[@thatsasakilife3415]

I have a Body Solid Power Rack GPR378. Do you know if theres any Lever Arms out there that would work with that Rack?

[@JasonCloseOK]

No clue. Check the dimensions. For instance, Rogue Monster stuff is 3"X3". As long as the dimensions fit and the hole size is standard, you should be able to find something. These have screws to tighten/loosen them, so I imagine you have an 1/8 inch of wiggle room.

[@thatsasakilife3415]

@@JasonCloseOK kool I will do that thanks

[@thatsasakilife3415]

@@JasonCloseOK Thanx I will look into it.

[@tylerwagoner378]

Do your trolley’s have side to side wobble? For the life of me I can’t get mine to not wobble side to side

[@JasonCloseOK]

Yes. I do have lateral movement. It's another reason I wish I had gotten the shorter arms. I feel like the shorter ones would have less of a fulcrum impact of having the handles so far away from the base.

[@Arcie7887]

Thanks for the idea! I just ordered a set of “hammer arms” from a competitor and will apply the bumper stops to the safety arms. Also, in doing my research to buy my own equipment, I found that Rogue and their competitors buy stock items and just private label them and have their own brand colors used for their inventory...so...unless the actual manufacturer de ides to change them, we’ll all have to live with the design and make our own adjustments

[@jaboutt]

Which hammer arms did you go with?

[@JasonCloseOK]

Glad to help. Rogue does both in terms of manufacturing and labelling. Definitely stay away from their dumbbells, which are normal octogonal dummies with their name stamped on them. Unless you buy their new ones that turn your dumbbells into mini barbells. The trolley arms are nice. Definitely last on the things to buy, considering they don't get used daily.

[@davidmaron9961]

Hello A R , Been looking really hard at getting a pair of these, but they are always out of stock. Which brand did you go with and are you happy with them? These $1K trolley arms are an investment and I've read that they are more trouble than they are worth. Thank you

[@jaimerodriguez6177]

Can you add this to the sml2

[@JasonCloseOK]

No clue.

[@tawaitai]

News Flash! The Spotter Arms weren’t designed for the 50 Cal TROLLEY arms, to say it’s a bad design is misleading, now if Rogue said it’s an accessory to the 50 Cal Trolley then you have an honest complaint.

[@JasonCloseOK]

I don't think so. I think that we, as consumers, are allowed to use the equipment as we see fit. Considering Rogue does not make any sort of stops for the trolley arms, the only option we have is to use what is available. This isn't necessarily a bad design. It's an incompatibility. But a $2 fix makes these compatible.

[@jrfty1]

Why is everyone being such a d*ck to you in the comments? I thought the video was interesting and helpful and I don't even own or intend on buying these trolley arms. I still learnt from your quick fixes though. Thanks for posting. Ignore the haters

[@JasonCloseOK]

I don't take it personally. It's the nature of the Internet.

[@stevenrobare6668]

Metal on metal scratches and chips the arms, common sense would tell you that you should have put something on the safety arms from the beginning to avoid this...

[@JasonCloseOK]

I agree and disagree. There's metal on metal all the time in the gym, and things don't chip. Sometimes, we just don't think/predict stuff like this, because we don't know how well things are sprayed/baked on. There are a lot of comments of people on this very video who are saying "I didn't think of that". The promotional videos from Rogue didn't show how people may want to use this stuff in a home gym. I could have been more forward thinking. But I don't think I'm stupid for not seeing it ahead of time.

[@ianlendrum8901]

Mi5 Hoist..

[@robd7934]

Takeaway: don't buy the long trolley arms.

[@The_Fit_ness_monster]

So petty🤦‍♂️

[@codythrive5154]

The Fit_Ness_Monster seriously lol

[@The_Fit_ness_monster]

Yeah, talking about people complaining about GYM equipment scratching.... so petty.

[@codythrive5154]

The Fit_Ness_Monster I mean he’s literally using it wrong. Spotter arms aren’t made for jammer arm support. They’re there to spot you on squat or bench.

[@The_Fit_ness_monster]

Cody Thrive I agree hence why it’s even more ridiculous he’s complaining about scratches

[@JasonCloseOK]

@@The_Fit_ness_monster I don't believe this is a petty concern. Have you used these or do you own them? I can attest that video and in person is a very different experience. If you are performing an incline press, you are talking about stacking 3 feet of plyo boxes to support the arms. Also, we do standing shoulder press on these nearly every shoulder workout. They really work the shoulders well. I'm 6'2". So you'd be talking 4 to 5 feet of boxes. Even a seated shoulder press would need a lot of box. I feel like the goal of these arms is to simulate Hammer Strength type of equipment. For anything pulling off or near the floor, you're right. Boxes are no biggie. But if you are trying to work in an incline position or standing, boxes are a pain. And, from a home gym perspective, you get a lot more bang for your buck by having the stop-arms versus buying 6 stackable plyo boxes. If you have these arms and have figured out a plyo method of using them in higher positions, I'm all ears and would absolutely watch the video. This was the best solution we could find. And softening the edge of the stop-arms didn't seem like an unreasonable mod.