Rogue RH2 Reverse Hyper

Unlike a bench press, which recruits several large muscle groups in your chest, arms, shoulders, and abdominal area, the reverse hyperextension impacts the glutes and hamstrings in near isolation, the way a concentration curl isolates the biceps.

The difference is that the glutes and hamstrings are much larger than the biceps, and they are needed for just about every athletic endeavor including running, Olympic lifting, team sports, cycling, and distance hiking. If your hamstrings especially are underdeveloped, you will lose stamina more quickly and will not be able to perform or play to your full potential.

The other perk of the reverse hyperextension is its ability to loosen the back muscles, strengthening them and easing back pain, all without the spinal pressure you’d get from a barbell squat or the possible loss of form from a lat pulldown or cable crossover. For this reason, the reverse hyper machine can be seen in many physical therapy and rehab clinics.

If there’s a problem with the reverse hyperextension, it’s that the exercise is very hard to do. It involves lying prone across a raised pad while grasping handles to hold your upper body in place. Your glutes and hips rest on the back of the pad, with your legs hanging down off the edge. Your feet are strapped in to a hinge and fulcrum that holds the weight plate resistance. Moving your legs together backward is what lifts the weight. It is an unnatural position, one that leaves your back vulnerable to injury if your form is off or if you have more resistance than you can handle.

We are pretty confident in saying that the RH-2 will never let you down. Its solid construction, singleness of purpose, comfortable ride, and rigid motion control are enough to ensure that. But if something did go wrong, and you felt you weren’t getting an effective workout, you may find yourself shaking your head, saying “RH-2, you had one job.” You wouldn’t be wrong.

This unit lets you perform back hyperextensions safely and effectively. That is all it does. It’s a lot because the back and leg strength you gain will aid you in so many other physical endeavors. But there isn’t room for any component that doesn’t directly support you in doing this one exercise. From the frame design to the padding, every part of the Rogue RH-2 is there to do a job. There are no extra features, and no upgrades unless you count the optional roller attachment that holds your feet and ankles in place and replaces the base strap.

Coming out of the box, the RH-2 will support you in an unusual position, as no other piece of gym equipment can. It will make sure you are protected from any contact with the steel and will enable you to lift as much as 700 pounds. No extras are needed and, in fact, they would get in the way on such a compact frame. In this machine, design, and function mesh perfectly for a machine that performs beautifully, time after time, rep after rep.

The Rogue RH-2 plate rack can hold up to 700 pounds of Olympic plates. That is calculated using the thickness of a standard 45-pound Olympic plate. Most trainers recommend keeping weight light, no more than half of your highest back squat weight. For back resilience and endurance in sport, high reps at a low weight are best. This means that, although the RH-2 can take 700 pounds, most of us will never come close to lifting that much.

Rogue does not specify a user's weight capacity. The unit is designed for both hobbyists and powerlifters, and the frame is the same Ohio-made steel tubing that Rogue uses in their power racks. So we’d place machine user capacity on the high end. It will hold almost any athlete with no problem. Since we aren’t all the same height, the front prone grips are doubled, with two on each side. There is a far grip for taller users and a near grip for shorter users. It is an ingenious way to adjust the machine without any extra pins or accessory parts.

Rogue Fitness prides itself on the strength of its materials, and the RH-2 follows that tradition. The steel comes from Rogue’s steel facility in Ohio. It uses 2X3 inch tubing for the frame and swingarm. The base is 2X2 steel, with two parallel legs forming the base and separated from the floor by hard rubber bumpers. The chest pad is 3-inch thick foam covered in double machine stitched vinyl. The foot strap is of the same caliber as the squat belts you find on some of Rogue’s power racks. If you purchase the roller attachment, you will see it is also made of foam and vinyl, contoured to hold your feet and ankles. The roller revolves around a solid sleeve and core. Both the rollers and strap are durable and provide consistent protection and lockdown.

The RH-2 is also available as part of a rack, and there is a bolt-together option that is better for tight spaces. The bolt-together can be maneuvered down stairs and around tight corners, then assembled and left in place for use in the desired room. No matter which iteration of the machine you use, it will be made of the same high-quality materials Rogue always uses, and able to withstand your hardest workouts over a long period of time without breakdown or excess wear.

One of the reasons the back hyperextension requires a specialized machine is that poor or inattentive form can cause an injury so quickly. Your spinal column is spared the compression of a barbell squat, but your entire back is vulnerable to a motion it isn’t used to. You repeat this motion from a prone position with every rep. Attempting to perform this exercise without the specialty machine could lead to a breakdown in form and serious injury. Rogue avoids all that by locking in your feet with a strap or roller. Rogue also made sure the plate peg wouldn’t allow the plate to migrate or slip. The swingarm is thin enough not to interfere with your hip flexor motion, and the grips are single pieces of steel with textured rubber covers. Motion control is superior on the RH-2 and, if directions are followed, the safety and backup features are infallible. To overcome motion control and use improper form, you would have to deliberately use the machine for something other than a reverse hyperextension.

Since the reverse hyperextension is by nature unnatural, protection during each rep cycle and workout is vital. You are protected from bad form or pulled tendons by the swing arm, strap or roller, and hand grips. The pad protects your chest from contact with the metal. Keeping your chest flush against the pad, and only moving your legs the way the machine allows you to, protects your back from pulled muscles and other injuries. The Rogue RH-2 reverse hyper machine offers superior protection for efficient motion and consistent results.

There is no denying the importance of doing regular reverse hyperextensions as part of an overall lifting, sports, or functional fitness regimen. Its ability to target the glutes and hamstrings is unrivaled. And although it puts your back in a vulnerable position, the reverse hyper also strengthens your back, relieving existing pain while safeguarding against future injuries.

Just as we can’t say enough good things about the reverse hyper, we can’t stress enough how dangerous it can be if performed haphazardly or with the wrong equipment. If you are ready to incorporate this exercise, and prepared for a painful period of growing, breaking in, and adapting to the positioning and movement arc, we believe you can’t do much better than the Rogue Fitness RH-2 for performing reverse hyperextensions.

The Rogue RH-2 Reverse Hyper machine is an expensive piece of specialty equipment for the truly committed home gym enthusiast. It will take your legs and overall level of strength to new levels, but it takes a bit of getting used to it. The exercises themselves are painful and difficult at first, and we strongly suggest starting with minimal weight and carefully following Rogue’s instructions.

Getting down to the nuts and bolts, the RH-2 is solid and dependable. The padded prone hand grips allow for variations. The 3-inch thick foam and vinyl pad keep you comfortable and protected. Construction is solid 2 by 3-inch steel tubing. The four-cornered base, with rubber feet for your floor, is 40 inches wide, 52 inches long, and bedrock solid once the unit is in place. The 44-inch height allows most users a full range of motion, and the foot strap is both secure and comfortable. The plate peg is compatible with any 2-inch Olympic plate.

If you are ready to add hyperextensions to your regular regimen, and you are able to make the initial financial investment, the Rogue RH-2 is one of the best solutions you can find in today’s market.