Rogue Bolt-Together R-3

Rogue Bolt-Together R-3

The Rogue Bolt-Together R-3 is, in my opinion, one of the best four-post racks on the market. I started my home gym with this very rack and it treated me very well. This rack is easy to assemble, it offers Westside hole spacing, and it has a 47″ width.

You can purchase the rack with a 24″ depth or with a 30″ depth. I recommend the 30″ depth for most users because it offers a more comfortable space to lift in.

The Bolt-Together version differs from the regular Rogue R-3 in that the regular R-3 is welded and it only offers a 24″ height.

Read more below.

Features & Highlights

• Steel Size – The R-3BT rack from Rogue is a part of their R-series (formerly known as the Infinity Series) family. It’s constructed with 2×3 11-gauge steel and it’s easily assembled with a bolt-together design. 2×3 steel is very sturdy and it’s capable of handling virtually anything you can throw at it.
• 4-Post Design – As a 4-post rack, you’ll save some space compared to a 6-post rack. There are two other differences worth considering: plate storage and stability. On a 4-post rack, while you can store plates on the back upright, you may find that the plates can interfere with your setup when lifting inside the rack. This is particularly true on the bench press. The workaround is to bench press from the inside of the opposite upright. In terms of stability, this rack will need to be bolted into the ground or onto a platform. I had mine Bolt Together R-3 bolted to a platform and it was as solid as a rock.
• Hole/Hardware Sizing – This rack uses 5/8″ hardware, which is one of the most common hardware sizes used on power racks. The rack will accommodate all of Rogue’s Infinity Attachments/Accessories as well as some from other companies (read more in the compatibility section below).
• Hole Spacing – The R-3 Bolt Together offers Westside hole spacing, which is a popular feature on 5/8″ racks. The holes are spaced 1″ apart through the bench zone, allowing for finer adjustments on your J-cups and safeties. This can be useful for people who are “in-between” sizes. Above and below the Westside section are holes with standard 2″ spacing between them.
• Exterior Rack Dimensions – This rack can be purchased in two sizes: 24″ or 30″ interior depth. The total footprint of both, including the footplates, is 34″ deep x 53″ wide or 40″ deep x 53″ wide, respectively. In terms of the uprights themselves, the dimensions are 30″ or 36″ deep and 47″ wide. One of the main benefits of a 2×3 rack is the 47″ width. This gives you more room to cleanly un-rack and re-rack your bar without concern of clipping the uprights with the plates on the bar. For instance, Rogue’s 3×3 racks have a 49″ outside upright width, which makes a bar sit 2″ tighter to the uprights. The uprights stand 90″ tall, but with the footplates, the total height is slightly higher at 90 3/8.”
• Interior Rack Dimensions – The interior lifting area measures 24″ or 30″ deep. I recommend the 30″ depth for piece of mind. 24″ is enough space, but some might find it to feel too constrained.
• Safety Options – This rack includes pin & pipe safeties as standard, which are common for this style of rack. This safety system is a bit cumbersome to set up and it has a powder-coated exterior, which isn’t great for barbell protection. Rogue does not offer full interior safeties with UHMW lining (more protection) for their R-series racks. They do, however, offer safety arms with UHMW for the front of the rack.
• No Color Options – One of the downsides to the R-series lineup is that they only come in standard black powder coat. If you want something with color, you’ll need to upgrade to the RML-490C or the RM-4.
• Made in America – The R-3BT is made in Ohio.

What’s Included in the Box

The Rogue Bolt-Together R-3 includes several attachments as standard:

• (2) Infinity J-Cups
• (2) Pin & Pip Safeties
• (4) Band Pegs
• (1) Fat (2″ diameter)/Skinny (1.25″) Pull-Up Bar
• (4) 24″ OR 30″ Crossmembers
• (4) 90″ Uprights

Optionally, you can add a concrete anchor kit (bolting required). You can also add from a selection of barbells (includes HG collars), benches, and plates right on the product page to save on shipping and build out a complete setup.

Attachment Compatibility

The Bolt-Together R-3 is constructed with 2×3 steel and 5/8″ hardware, which is compatible with Rogue’s Infinity Attachments.

Here you can add additional accessories to your rack or you can upgrade the ones that come standard with the R-3. Some attachments that I think are worthy of considering include the Rogue Matador, the Rogue Landmine, and the Safety Spotter Arms.

The Matador allows for a portable dip station, the landmines open up a ton of barbell movement versatility, and the safety spotters are better than Pin & Pipes and they allow for outside rack lifting.

As for attachment compatibility outside of Rogue Fitness, two notable places to look are Titan Fitness and Fringe Sport. Both companies offer attachments that will fit 2×3 and 5/8″ hardware. One thing to keep in mind is that imported racks use the metric system vs. the imperial system on USA-made racks. This means that hole spacing will be slightly shorter. If you find an attachment that has two pins (or a single pin with a second hitch pin) then it may not fit properly. Single-pin attachments tend to work fine.

What They’re Saying at Rogue Fitness

The Rogue Bolt-Together R-3 receives very positive feedback from users. With an average rating of 4.9/5, here are some of the things people have said at roguefitness.com.

Positive

• “Did a ton of research before choosing the R-3 rack. Now that I have it set up I definitely know that I made the best choice. I have it bolted to 3 sheets of 3/4 inch plywood (using 3/8 inch x 2 1/2 inch lag bolts) and it’s rock solid. I don’t think that a higher quality rack exists at anywhere near this price point. Buy this rack, you won’t regret it!”
• “I purchased this rack about two months ago and I can honestly say its worth the extra money vs its competitors such as the similar Titan fitness t3. Its quality materials and excellent finish really show. It was very easy to install and I went for the bolt together version for two reasons. 1- I got the longer length option and that gives you plenty of space to do any sort of squats, chest, anything inside the rack. And 2- due to the height of my Garage it gave me more options to adjust how hight the pull up bar/supports could Be placed. Definitely anchor it into the ground it can move a bit with a decent amount of weight such as when re racking heavy squats but once i bolted it down it was solid. I can tell this rack is going to last the tests of time. I am extremely happy with this purchase and recommend it to everyone!”
• “Bought this about a month ago for my 8’x12’ garage gym and couldn’t be happier with it. I got the 30” depth which is plenty of room for everything I’d need to do in it. Easy to bolt together, and managed to cut away horse stall mats and secure the feet to the concrete without too much hassle. The rack is solid as a rock now, and I can’t wait to start adding accessories on to it. This is more than enough for most home gyms, and I really can’t recommend it enough. The quality is extremely good, and I am SO glad I didn’t try to settle for a less reputable brand… Don’t be cheap, buy this rack and you’ll never regret it.”
  
• “Purchased for my home basement gym and mounted to a wooden platform I built. Rack is solid and clearly well built. Everything assembled easily and fit together perfectly. I debated between the bolt together and regular. The bolt together worked really well for me as I had to move the components down to the basement alone and around a fairly tight corner. One person can assemble this rack with a step stool and a little patience. Highly recommend!”
• “My garage has an 8 foot ceiling height which made me put a lot of thought into my rack selection. If you want to be able to do pull-ups in your rack and not want to smash your head into the ceiling, I reccomend the bolt together r-3 over the regular one because it gives you the ability to adjust the pull-up bar height. I am 6’1 with longer than average length arms. With my 8 foot ceiling and my rack on top of a .75″ stall mat, I have my pull-up bar bolted one hole space down from the standard height. This makes it high enough so my knees don’t touch the ground, but also low enough that just my hair touches the ceiling at the absolute highest part of a chin-up.”
• “Purchased this rack for my home gym. Couldn’t have been simpler/easier to get into the basement and assemble for use the same day. Extremely solid once bolted to the floor, and plenty of room to move around in. Shipping was quick and easy and customer service is unbeatable.”

Critical

• None noted

Garage Gym Lab Review

Garage Gym Lab has owned and reviewed the Rogue Bolt-Together R-3. You can also view the synopsis below:

[letsreview postid=”1409″]

Other Options

The below racks were picked as alternatives to the Rogue Bolt-Together R-3.