Earlier this week, the first Hot or Not of 2022 went live on Instagram. All results are below, but here are some highlights:
- The Rogue LP-2 was the winner, but not by a ton. A similar product from Titan was just behind it, which isn’t too shabby being half the cost. The LP-2 also takes 24-32 weeks to ship right now, which seems crazy! The other single pulley stack weight system from Fray (pictured below) wasn’t too far behind either.
- 2 out of the 3 functional trainers (Rep FT-5000 and Red Functional Trainer via Fray) scored above 75% with the Nemesis Functional Trainer scoring below 50%.
- The Plate Loadable Lat Tower from Titan beat out a similar piece from Crandall.
- The Cable Crossover ended up being right in the middle with about 62% voting hot.
| Rank | Item | Hot🔥 | Not🥶 | % 🔥 |
| 1 | Rogue LP-2 | 2,841 | 670 | 80.92% |
| 2 | Titan 300 lb stack | 2,463 | 693 | 78.04% |
| 3 | Rep FT-5000 | 2551 | 777 | 76.65% |
| 4 | Savage Series Lat Pulldown/Low Row with 300 LB Stack | 2,536 | 810 | 75.79% |
| 5 | Red Functional Trainer | 2,153 | 713 | 75.12% |
| 6 | White Fray Fitness Cable Crossover | 1,910 | 1,160 | 62.21% |
| 7 | Plate Loadable Lat Tower from Titan | 1,717 | 1,330 | 56.35% |
| 8 | Crandall High/Low Pulley | 1,557 | 1,417 | 52.35% |
| 9 | Titan Plate Loaded Functional Trainer | 1,664 | 1,660 | 50.06% |
| 10 | Nemesis Functional Trainer | 1,971 | 1,972 | 49.99% |
These products were all asked about in 2021. The average score did drop from 68% to 66%.
- The Nemesis Functional Trainer was surveyed about soon after its release in 2021. It would win the most approved award here, moving up about 14%.
- The Titan 300 lb stack shined as well improving 7%.
- All three of the plate loaded options dropped at least 14% from the prior year.
| Item | 2022 | 2021 | %Δ |
| Nemesis Functional Trainer | 49.99% | 43.96% | 14% |
| Titan 300 lb stack | 78.04% | 73.12% | 7% |
| Rep FT-5000 | 76.65% | 73.40% | 4% |
| Red Functional Trainer | 75.12% | 73.08% | 3% |
| Savage Series Lat Pulldown/Low Row with 300 LB Stack | 75.79% | 75.12% | 1% |
| Rogue LP-2 | 80.9% | 82.51% | -2% |
| White Fray Fitness Cable Crossover | 62.2% | 63.79% | -2% |
| Plate Loadable Lat Tower from Titan | 56.4% | 65.79% | -14% |
| Titan Plate Loaded Functional Trainer | 50.1% | 61.26% | -18% |
| Crandall High/Low Pulley | 52.4% | 68.47% | -24% |
Nevertheless, all hail the winner!
Archon dual pulley. It’s $400, takes us 2 square feet, bolts to the floor and to the wall at the top and bottom, 2 handles, and 17 positions, plate loaded. Its not quite a functional trainer (its ok for flies – the only real downside) and it isn’t quite a lat pulldown b/c you pull down at an angle BUT I say its better, overall. For one thing, do pull ups on your rack. Use a band if you need one. This thing gives you LOTS of options and a great range of motion with 2 independent pulley cables. Low/mid/high whatever rows, cable curls, tris, etc.