In this review of the REP Leg Roller, I’ll tell you what this versatile power rack attachment can do, how well it works, and if it’s worth purchasing for your home gym.
| Model | Pros & Cons | Rating |
|---|---|---|
Pros:
| Rated 4.7 out of 5 |
This REP Leg Rollers review will go in-depth on the features, benefits, and negatives. However, if you’re in a rush and looking for a quick answer, I’ve written a summary for you:
SUMMARY: The REP Leg Roller enhances home gyms with its versatility, easy storage, and affordability. Designed for the REP PR-5000 rack but compatible with all 3” x 3” one-inch hole racks, this attachment supports a range of exercises from Bulgarian split squats to lat pulldowns to preacher curls and more. Despite having some play and minimal metal-on-metal contact, the quick adjustability, sturdy construction, and grippy surface offer great functionality. At $49.99 per roller, it presents an exceptional value, making it a solid choice for those seeking to broaden their exercise options without requiring a lot of space or money.
Why should you listen to what I have to say? I’ve got several years of experience reviewing home gym equipment. Plus, I’ve extensively tested these leg rollers for the past few months on my new power rack.
Table of Contents
Overview
If you have the REP Ares cable attachment for your REP power rack, then you’ll be using these leg rollers to hold your legs in place during lat pulldowns.
However, that’s just one of the many possible applications. You can also the leg rollers for many exercises from Bulgarian split squats to Nordic curls and many more – I’ll talk about the exercise possibilities in a bit.
There is a version of this leg roller attachment available for both the REP PR-5000 and PR-4000 power racks.
This review is focused on the PR-5000 version. That’s the one I have. It will work on any 3” x 3” rack with 1” holes. It doesn’t matter if it’s a true (imperial) 3” x 3” one-inch hole rack (e.g. Rogue Monster rack) or a metric 3” x 3” (actually 2.95” x 2.95”) rack like the REP PR-5000.
The PR-4000 version is significantly different because it uses a bracket to attach to the rack and has an extension that puts it in the center of the rack so you can use it to hold your legs on lat pulldowns. This was a necessary design change to ensure it was strong enough to use with smaller ⅝” rack holes instead of the 1” holes on the PR-5000.
You can do a lot of the same stuff with the PR-4000 version. But the setup time is slightly longer and it requires more space to use and store. That’s all I’ll say about it since I haven’t used it.
Specs
- Total Length: 20.1”
- Pad Length: 15” (claimed length is 15.4”)
- Pad Diameter: 4.8”
- Weight: 6.0 lbs Per Roller (claimed weight is 4.4 lbs; a likely misprint)
- Weight Capacity: 600 lbs
- Price: $49.99 Per Roller
My Experience Using the REP Leg Rollers
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how useful the REP Leg Rollers have been in my workouts since getting them with my PR-5000 power rack.
I use them the most for Bulgarian split squats and they work incredibly well. I much prefer using the rollers vs a bench because I can select a specific height. Plus the rotation facilitates a smooth motion. And the grippy vinyl keeps my foot from slipping.
I don’t have my REP Ares cable system installed yet. But when I do, I’ll be using the leg rollers even more frequently to hold my legs down during lat pulldowns.
For review purposes, I emulated how well the rollers work for lat pulldowns even though I don’t have the Ares lat pulldown installed yet:
They work quite well in keeping me planted. But I noticed that there is some play between the pin and the hole. When I push my thighs into the rollers, it will move up. However, it only goes up so far before stopping, at which point I’m secure during the exercise.
It’d be nicer if the pin was a bit thicker so there’s less movement. However, there is an unintended benefit of the wiggle room for lat pulldowns — it allows some flexibility in finding a more precise fit on top of your thighs.
The pad itself feels great. The density is similar to the REP FB-5000 Flat Bench, which is firm but not hard. In other words, it gives me good support while still being comfortable when pressing my leg or other body part against it.
I also use the rollers somewhat frequently for other exercise applications, including:
- As a leg holder Incline push-ups with feet elevated on the rollers
- As a head support for bent over later raises
- As a pad for dumbbell preacher curls
Many other exercises are possible, and I’ve tested a lot of them out for this review. I’ll discuss those in the section on versatility later.
One of the most valuable parts of the REP Leg Roller attachment is how fast and easy it is to install/adjust it. You simply pull out the lynchpin, insert the attachment in the desired rack hole, and then put the lynchpin back in. It takes just a few seconds.
At least for me, the easier an attachment is to install, the more often I’ll actually use it.
Construction Quality
Considering the low price point of these leg rollers, I’ve been absolutely impressed with the build quality.
These things are super sturdy, with a hefty 6 lb weight per roller.
Most of the weight comes from the 20” long solid steel rod with a one-inch diameter that constitutes its core. It’s the reason for the crazy 600 lb weight capacity!
There’s a circular steel guard welded near the base of the rod, which separates the foam portion of the attachment from the part that inserts into the power rack upright.
On the back of this circular guard, there’s a plastic disc that protects the rack upright from damage. The plastic disc is stuck on with adhesive. All indications are that it’s stuck on very well.
There’s a PVC pipe around the rod, which the foam goes directly on top of. It allows the foam to rotate and the quality of the rotation is smooth.
The foam itself is a black high-density foam. It’s not “hard” like the foam you’ll find on some decline bench leg holder attachments.
It’s more similar to the foam on a weight bench with a fat pad like the FB-5000, which is firm with a little give. Thus far, I’ve noticed no signs of premature wear.
The foam is covered by grippy vinyl upholstery, which has quality stitching along its seams. It’s secured over both ends of the foam with drawstrings.
On the far end of the attachment, the foam is secured by a shaft collar, which has remained secure throughout my testing. If it ever loosens, I can tighten the set screw.
The entire construction is tight with virtually no side-to-side wiggle room of the foam on the rod shaft.
The cheapest part of the entire construction is the lynchpin, which keeps the leg roller in the rack hole. It’s basic but it does its job. I’ve heard a couple of others say theirs has fallen out, but I’m guessing they got a bad lynchpin because I haven’t been able to replicate that.
Versatility
Versatility is where this attachment shines! It’s all the more impressive because you get this versatility from such a small and easily storable piece of equipment. That’s the name of the game for home gyms where space is scarce.
The leg roller typically acts as a prop for positioning your body so you can do certain exercises.
You can put the roller anywhere on the rack and use multiple rollers if needed. This gives you a lot of exercise applications, including:
- To support your rear leg on Bulgarian split squats
- As a foot holder for sit-ups
- To keep your legs planted on lat pulldowns
- To elevate your feet on incline push-ups
- To hold your legs in position for sissy squats
- As a pad for dumbbell preacher curls
- In conjunction with your weight bench to hold your legs on Nordic curls
- As a foot holder on decline crunches/sit-ups (if your adjustable bench lacks a decline attachment)
- To support your forearm on dumbbell wrist curls
- A head support for certain bent-over exercises
I only use my REP Leg Rollers regularly in my routine for a few of the above exercises. However, I did make sure to test out all of these options in my product testing for this review.
The quality of these exercises was surprisingly good. It didn’t feel like I was using a half-baked solution — with the exception of the decline crunch setup, which felt a bit awkward.
I’m sure there are other creative uses of the leg rollers that I haven’t even considered. Be sure to let me know if you have any other ideas in the comments.
Design Features
The REP Leg Roller Attachment has the following key design features:
Grippy Vinyl
The leg rollers feature the same type of vinyl used on most of REP’s benches pre-2023. That is, it has divots in it rather than the newer CleanGrip style.
In any case, it’s very grippy, which is what you want to help keep your feet or other body parts from sliding on it during use. I prefer this over the smoother vinyl used on Rogue’s leg rollers, which provide less traction.
However, because the vinyl has divots, it’s harder to clean than the CleanGrip vinyl on REP’s new benches. This is more of a nitpick since you won’t have to clean these as often as a bench.
Compact & Easy to Store
The REP Leg Rollers are small as far as attachments go. This is great if you’re a home gym owner with limited room.
Not only are they small, but they’re incredibly easy to store out of the way. You can easily attach them to one of your power rack holes that’s out of the way.
I usually attach mine horizontally on my Rogue Monster Mass Storage Rack, which is out of the way of my usual workout space.
However, you can take up even less usable space by storing them vertically on an unused portion of your rack. Or you can put them out of the way on the top of your rack.
Good Rack Protection But Room for Improvement
I really appreciate the plastic disc on the outside of the steel guard. It provides excellent protection to prevent scratching the upright.
However, there is not 100% protection for the rack upright. The lynchpin is a point where there can be metal-on-metal contact. Granted, it’s a very small point of contact, but nonetheless, this may cause small scratches to the upright over time.
Quick Adjustments With Lynchpin
I’m a big believer that the easier an attachment is to set up, the more likely you are to use it a lot. The lynchpin adjustment mechanism allows for just that.
It’s super easy to pull out and reinsert the pin. Changing the roller from one to another takes less than five seconds.
Compare this to Rogue’s Monster Leg Roller, which features a premium knurled screw-in knob. While the screw-in knob is amazing for stability, the trade-off is that adjustments take longer because you have to take the time to twist the knob on and off.
Smooth Rotation
There’s not much to say about the rotation other than it works fine and it doesn’t catch. There’s nothing special about the mechanism of rotation – it’s just the foam on top of a PVC pipe that spins around the axis of the steel rod.
The rotation helps with exercises like Bulgarian split squats to facilitate proper range of motion.
Stability & Fit
The stability/fit is the only category where the REP Leg Rollers have notable room for improvement.
There’s a little bit of space between the steel rod and the power rack holes. It’s secured with just a simple lynchpin so you have a loose fit.
As such, the leg roller will naturally angle slightly down.
If you’re putting your legs underneath the leg rollers for lat pulldowns, you’ll find that the roller lifts up.
The good news is that when you have your weight against the roller during exercise – whether it’s upward, downward, or sideways pressure – you don’t feel the roller moving around, at least not during most exercise applications.
Still, more stability would certainly be welcome – though, hopefully that wouldn’t come at the expense of fast adjustments.
Finish & Aesthetics
The REP Leg Roller Attachment looks fine, but there’s nothing particularly striking about it.
It has a chrome finish on the rod and the shaft screw is likely also chrome plated. The lynchpin appears to be yellow zinc coated. The vinyl is black.
I prefer the look of the Rogue Leg Rollers since they have a cool blacked-out look from the vinyl and shaft to the hardware.
That said, this is not a piece of equipment where people are picky about the looks.
Price & Value
At just $49.99 for a single roller or $99.99 for a pair, I’d argue that this is the best value attachment REP offers when considering its price relative to how small AND versatile it is.
That price includes free shipping as well.
Compare this to its main competitor, the Rogue Monster Single Leg Roller, which costs more than double at $120 for a single roller or $240 for a pair – plus shipping.
The Rogue version may be more premium in terms of its stability and looks, but it’s hard to justify paying SO much more when the practical utility is comparable.
Warranty
There is a lifetime warranty for the leg rollers, but that only covers the steel rod, and particularly its welds (i.e. the guard portion).
The foam and vinyl are considered wear-and-tear items. So if these eventually break down over time, you’ll have to replace them on your own.
Critiques
You can tell from reading this review so far that there’s a lot to love with this attachment.
But, as I’ve touched upon already, there are a couple of issues areas with room for improvement:
- The fit between the rod and the hole isn’t perfect so there’s some play.
- There’s slight metal-on-metal contact between the lynchpin and the upright.
Shipping
Each REP Leg Roller comes in a single box, pre-assembled, well-packed, and wrapped in bubble wrap for protection.
Shipping is free, as with any product from REP Fitness.
When I got my leg rollers, they came with my REP PR-5000 power rack and Ares cable attachment. Everything came on two pallets with freight shipping.
However, if you buy the leg rollers on their own, they’ll come in via regular parcel shipping from UPS or FedEx.
Shipping is fast. My (large) order came in just two days, though I’m sure there is some variance based on destination and mode of transport.
Is the REP Leg Roller Worth It?
The REP Leg Roller Attachment is worth it for most people with a REP PR-5000 or any 3” x 3” rack with one-inch holes.
In fact, it’s a must-have if you have the REP Ares attachment on your rack, since two rollers are required to keep your legs planted during lat pulldowns.
Outside of that use, it’s easily the best value leg roller on the market at $49.99 shipped per roller. You’ll gain a lot of versatility without sacrificing usable space.
The only reasons not to buy one for your rack are:
- If you don’t want a leg roller attachment at all.
- If you want your roller to sit perfectly straight and be as stable as possible, in which case you should choose the Rogue Monster Single Leg Roller.
Alternatives to the REP Leg Roller
The Rogue Monster Single Leg Roller, which I’ve mentioned throughout this review, is the main alternative on the market to the REP Leg Roller.
The primary benefit of the Rogue leg roller is that it has excellent stability. And it sticks straight out instead of angling slightly downward.
This is because it has a screw-in knob to prevent it from wiggling around. The screw-in knob has an acetal plastic insert and washer that protects the opposite side of the upright better than the lynchpin that REP uses.
The downside of this knob is that it increases the adjustment time compared to REP. Changing the roller position takes several more seconds because you have to twist the knob off and then back on.
This shouldn’t be a deal breaker, but it’s still a noteworthy difference.
The bigger factor that might turn you away from the Rogue leg roller is its price. One leg roller costs $120 plus shipping compared to just $49.99 with free shipping for REP’s version.
For most people, the REP Leg Roller is the smart choice because it has such an attractive price while still performing great even with its less-than-ideal fit and stability.
Conclusion
The REP Leg Roller Attachment offers a combination of versatility, quality, small size, easy storage, and value that’s hard to beat for home gym owners with a 3” x 3” one-inch hole rack.
While not without its flaws, such as the play between the pin and rack hole and the potential for metal-on-metal contact with the lynchpin, the overall performance and utility of these rollers are impressive, especially given their affordable price point.
The ease of installation and adjustment make it easy to seamlessly integrate the roller into your training, whether you’re using it for Bulgarian split squats, lat pulldowns, preacher curls, Nordic curls, or any of the numerous exercise applications mentioned in this review.
If you’re ready to get a single roller, or a pair, use the link below:
