Rogue Air Rhino

I bought this as part of the first release. I've used a variety of belt squats (Exxentric, Voltra, Kratos, the OG Rogue Rhino, Pit Shark), and this is hands-down my favorite. While the footprint is a bit bigger than I would like, it has more than made up for it with the convenience. The unit is incredibly quick to set up when you start working out, and you can rapidly transition from squats to deadlifts, and from light to heavy in seconds. As a dad with limited time to work out (and very limited space to set up weights), I can get a decent leg workout in about 15 minutes. If I need a little more eccentric work, I can easily toss in a set of strongman sandbag exercises or a set of RDLs. What I have found most surprising about the unit is how versatile it is, particularly in terms of speed and power work. Under ideal circumstances, I don't think I could safely work on full ROM jump squats to failure with a barbell, much less be able to do a drop set of them with steadily decreasing weight. With the air rhino, it's basically the default setting - just keep jumping until you run out of gas. There are some small drawbacks. The assembly was a bit of a pain, particularly installing the side legs and back crossbar, which could have benefited from larger countersinks around the pilot holes so that the pieces locked in together better before the screws went in. The unit is a bit wider and deeper than it really needs to be for most people. Until Rogue comes out with a version with a direct drive motor underneath, this is the best game in town.

Set up process took less than an hour and a half for us. Rhino mode is a very noticeable difference in resistance. Overall positive for the use case it is designed for. The belt it comes with is high quality as you would expect from rogue. Being able to feel like you are lifting your one rep max in one go is very nice.

I purchased three Air Rhinos for my personal training facilities. The machines are very well built, which is why I am still leaving five stars but I think others should know about the minimum resistance before buying. Many of our clients are in their mid-to-late 50s and 60s, including people with injuries and joint limitations. Even with Rhino Mode turned off and the damper at its lowest setting, some clients can barely get the cable moving. With Rhino Mode on, most cannot move it at all. One client tried an RDL at the lowest setting and said the force needed to start the movement was hurting her back, so we stopped immediately. The product page describes the Air Rhino as suitable for rehabilitation, but based on our experience, I do not see it being appropriate for many average adults or rehab clients. If I had known how difficult the starting resistance would be, I would have purchased the plate-loaded Rhino instead. I emailed Rogue about these concerns after initially on three machines, but I have not received a response. I am disappointed that no one acknowledged my email or tried to help. The Air Rhino may be a great machine for stronger or more explosive athletes, but buyers who are older adults, beginners, or people with injuries should understand that even the lowest setting may be too difficult for them.

Purchased the air rhino for our gym as I have been looking for a belt squat machine for a long time. When rogue released this version I was excited and purchased right away thinking it was just that a belt squat, man was I wrong!! The air rhino is hands down one of the most unique and versatile pieces of exercise equipment to date. Initially I thought this was going to have a similar feeling to the other erg type machines, however it is different. The fly wheel does not pick up momentum or keep spinning like a regular erg machine, which makes it way more of a workout than expected. 30seconds to a min on the rhino is no joke even with a low damper setting and will blow your legs up. Rhino mode is a freaking monster!! It adds a constant tension that fight back the harder you push the entire ROM and reminds me a lot of the old hydraulic isokinetic machines back in the day. The versatility of this machine is unmatched which I wasn't really even thinking of when I purchased it. You can squat, press, lung, pull and even more. I personally experimented doing thrusters with an empty bar and wall balls on it while standing backwards which gave a whole new level of resistance and coordination requirements to those movements. Instal was super easy and I completed it in just over an hour. Read the instructions and watch the video, it will help a lot. As mentioned do not tighten the fasteners all the way, in fact just get them started and add maybe 1 full turn and that's it until the final step. This will help all of them line up as the tolerances are super tight. I ended up turning the unit on its side in order to get the side rails to sit and line up properly and found this was easier that what the instructions listed. I tightened the large hex bolts all the way on these then backed out one full turn this kept everyone in place nicely so the top plate lined up perfectly. Quality and contraction is on par with all of rogues equipment, it's beefy, but also nimble. The turf wheels and material used make it very mobile and easy to wheel around. Hands down one of the best pieces anyone can buy. We will be purchasing more units.

Amazing product for concentric only autoregulating resistance. If you're a field sport athlete trying to workout in season this is a must have; you can get a really great strength stimulus without the next day soreness. I do wish there was a lower gear for some smaller movements but for most lower body it's a perfect fit. Tolerances were pretty tight during assembly (which is great for a solid final product) but if you wait to tighten until the end you shouldn't have an issue.

I finally received the Air Rhino. Here is my review. The Air Rhino will come in Three Boxes. The small box is the belt, nothing else. There was some slight damage to both of the large boxes which I took photos of before opening. Once opened, I removed all the pieces and inventoried them. All pieces were accounted for and nothing was damaged. The instructions on how to put it together are decent but there are some things left out. First, the tools that come with the Air Rhino are fair at best and will cause frustration during the build. A ratchet with an adaptor that holds the proper bit makes the build much easer and faster. Second. If you try to put this together as it sits on the ground you will likely have difficulties. As I put it together I turned the Air Rhino on it side, or on the back, I found this aligned all the parts with no issue. You have to be gentle with the Rhino when doing this since most of the bolts are loose. This is not the way the instructions show to do it but it worked for me and eliminated any frustration. The part they call the protective tube which is the piece in the very front with Rogue written on it is where your small ratchet will come in handy. The provided tool will make getting those screws in that area very difficult. I also found that once I had the Air Rhino on the side I tightened the front two bolts of the side tube and the Protective tube lines right up. As far as the pulley mechanism goes, just follow the instructions exactly. It's extremely easy. Go Slow and don't take that pin out until the directions tell you to. You will have issues if you do. Plus do not yank or get aggressive with that cord during the built. Pull the cord out as instructed. I had ZERO issues with it. The build went perfect and it took about an hour and a half because I took my time. I see why most of the reviewers on YouTube avoided the Air Rhino during the recent Home Gym Con. This thing will smoke you. The Air Rhino is the real deal. It provides a serious leg workout as well as intense conditioning. Rogue has something here that is indeed A GAME CHANGER.

The Air Rhino is great. I can power through a workout with zero knee pain, I'm 54 years old so that says a lot. I have a genuine request, I'd love to see a functional trainer system with this type of resistance, perhaps something akin to a free motion style machine with air rhino resistance. Being older the ability to train every muscle with this resistance would be spectacular. Also, maybe a bench with leg developer that can dock with the rhino too, basically a whole ecosystem. I tried digital resistance, this is far superior I just want more movements. This could be the future of training for older people or people with joint issues

Perfect gym equipment! Could not ask for anything better to switch up my workouts between weight training and resistance. Assembly was not hard at all and the thing is built like a Rhino! No regrets.