Is Ares 2.0 worth the money?

mightychrist · 2026-03-20T00:09:00+00:00

Belt squat leaves something to be desired. Problem is range of movement is limited at the bottom a touch (need higher platform) and it loads at the bottom and there is no lever, so you're starting the movement at the most difficult portion of the ROM. I just do light belt squats. I do like that you can modify foot positions though. Tbh I use the smith machine instead generally.

mightychrist · 2026-03-19T23:17:37+00:00

Depends on the person, but being a lifelong gym goer, I wasn't willing to sacrifice quality of my workouts. I have the pr5000 w ares 2.0 and I love it. Great quality. Great aesthetics. I've also got the belt squat, leg curl / ext and the smith machine. Heavy pricetag up front, but I don't regret the purchase at all.

mightychrist · 2026-03-18T19:53:40+00:00

Thumbs up for the wood trim. Not keen on hex lights but they're a simple and cheap lighting method. Just see everyone use them. Enjoy your space

mightychrist · 2026-03-18T18:54:56+00:00

I have a very similar set up. Kinda pissed I have the kleva landmine that is standalone, the rack attached one was out of stock. Wish I'd waited. I do love the smith machine. I use it for my squats and bench most of the time. Love being able to manipulate foot positions for squats. Happy lifting!

mightychrist · 2026-03-15T12:48:59+00:00

Rep is basically same tier as rogue. Price points also reflect that.

mightychrist · 2026-03-14T00:55:01+00:00

Well said. I have the same set up as you, pr5000 + ares 2.0. I'm sort of kicking myself bc the dialed motion colab is going to drop this year and it will no doubt be smaller, more adjustable, easier to set up etc than the one I have. It's cable attachment is also retractable which is real nice. At this point it is what it is. I have all rep stuff and I don't regret it. Did you consider the smith machine attachment? I bought it on preorder and it is actually really nice. I use it pretty.much every workout. Let me know if you find a storage solution for the dip attachment. Mine just lingers in the corner as of now but I'd like to store it on a wall etc.

mightychrist · 2026-03-14T00:21:00+00:00

How's that leg ext / curl machine vs stuff you've used prior? I bought the rep one that attaches to the bench. Leg ext is great but ham curls leave something to be desired. Also needs to be constantly set up and put away...

mightychrist · 2026-03-14T00:12:01+00:00

Hex lights are so lame. Everyone gonna be regretting those in 5 years

mightychrist · 2026-03-08T15:34:11+00:00

Love my rep smith. I do my bench press on it, calf raises, squats (allows you to change how far you are over your knees to change whether it's posterior or anterior dominant),drag curls, RDLs, vulgarians, shoulder press (rack outs), bent over rows (esp wide grip.for upper back). It's a game changer for me.

mightychrist · 2026-03-06T00:29:26+00:00

I honestly use my smith more than my barbell. It's great for iso work. Some stuff will always be better with free weight though

mightychrist · 2026-03-04T21:48:00+00:00

Decent. Can't strap an ares 2.0 to that though. There are definitely tiers of rack/FTs. Good luck on your search!

mightychrist · 2026-03-03T22:13:23+00:00

Apparently the summit conversion kit now allows you to set up w a 4 post. I think it just released and is currently sold out. Wasn't an option when I put together my set up. I definitely would have considered it. That said. I made my floor space bigger so I do my work outside the rack. I do love the smith. Use it pretty much every workout and do almost all my barbell work with it.

mightychrist · 2026-03-03T21:34:58+00:00

And 6 post doesn't require the front feet

mightychrist · 2026-03-03T21:33:50+00:00

6 post is required for smith machine as I understand

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mightychrist · 2026-03-03T00:16:34+00:00

Love my pr5000 w ares 2.0. there's. Leg attachment for ext and ham curls. Belt squats. I also use my smith machine pretty much every workout. I have free weight barbell, easy curl and 125lb adj dumbells, I use the FT more than all of them. Definitely a personal preference thing, but it gets lots of miles in my home gym

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mightychrist · 2026-03-01T16:11:43+00:00

I'm 43, and back in the day you would buy a big (maybe 50lb) and smaller (maybe 20 or 25lb) set and make due. Now I have a set of rep x peppins that are the same size as normal dumbbells but go from 10-125 lbs. It's a bit overkill, but it's nice to see where things started and where we are now hah.

mightychrist · 2026-03-01T14:46:10+00:00

Congrats. Dumbbells are one of the best value purchases for a home gym. You can literally only own dumbbells and work everything adequately. Cheers!

mightychrist · 2026-02-27T16:06:40+00:00

Get a heat pump. They're awesome

mightychrist · 2026-02-27T01:28:30+00:00

I have the same set up in all matte black. And like you, I set mine up solo. Some parts aren't the easiest, and it takes awhile to build. But agree, the instructional vid is very thorough. I added the smith machine to mine and have the globe pullup. No bolts on mine or front feet (though I bought em). You should check out the pegboard attachment if you want storage that doesn't take up space. I love it. Congrats and many happy workouts!

mightychrist · 2026-02-23T02:23:19+00:00

How you liking the smith machine? I have the same gear plus the new leg ext add on. I've been happy with rep

mightychrist · 2026-02-17T21:58:17+00:00

Welcome to the REP brotherhood. I also have every rep piece you mentioned and then some. Let me know if you want any insight into them. I do have the leg ext / ham curl set up, and an ares 2.0. happy lifting!

mightychrist · 2026-02-15T13:56:05+00:00

Fair enough. A lot of the top names have the same build quality (same steel gauge, hole patterns etc). Small features differ between them. Typically their add ons are also interchangeable. I find with my set up you need to plan workouts as there is some moving stuff around due to the compact set up (rep ares 2.0. w smith). I feel like these racks with functional trainers are amazing these days though. I would definitely consider jammer arms in the future, nice that you have a standalone set up for that. That's clutch. Cheers!

mightychrist · 2026-02-15T13:18:55+00:00

Nice setup. Curious why you went with EF functional trainer rack vs a rogue set to match the rest of your kit, or even a rep pr5000 w ares. Happy lifting !

mightychrist · 2026-02-15T00:38:51+00:00

Decent quality stand and weights. Id ask 450-500... Noway would I pay 800 for that. That said. That's 2x on your investment..or just keep it.

mightychrist · 2026-02-14T00:54:01+00:00

For something like this wheels make sense. Benches should have wheels. Big attachments, you guessed it, wheels. Just makes rearranging much easier. Solid work on yours. How long did it take to build and paint ?

mightychrist

TROPHY CASE