Rogue Fitness

Last updated
Rogue Fitness
Company type Private
Industry Strength & conditioning equipment manufacturer
Founded2007 (2007) [1]
FounderBill Henniger [2]
Headquarters
Columbus, Ohio
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
OwnerBill Henniger
Number of employees
850 (2020)
Divisions Rogue Supply Co.
Subsidiaries Rogue Europe
Rogue Australia
Website roguefitness.com

Rogue Fitness (legally named Coulter Ventures, LLC, [3] often branded and referred to as Rogue) is an American manufacturer and distributor of gym equipment based in Columbus, Ohio. [2] It produces strength and conditioning equipment such as weightlifting barbells, [4] plates and racks, kettlebells, [5] as well as a range of fitness related equipment for CrossFit boxes, [6] home gyms, [7] military, collegiate, and professional sports teams. [8] [9]

Contents

History

We started as a garage gym in the CrossFit community. Rogue began by selling jump ropes and boxes out of a small space. We were at the 2008 CrossFit Games and it was there when we knew how we wanted to contribute to the CrossFit Community. We've done so ever since. CrossFit was and is crucial to Rogue Fitness's success.

Bill Henniger, [10]

Rogue originally started in 2007 in Toledo, Ohio, by Bill Henniger when he had difficulty finding the necessary equipment for his new gym, a CrossFit affiliate. He set up an e-commerce one-stop site roguefitness.com, with the intention of selling all the equipment necessary for a CrossFit gym. [2] Initially, Rogue only sold other manufacturers' equipment through its website, but there were still issues with customers having to deal with multiple manufacturers and their own shipping fees and schedules, as well as equipment not entirely suitable for CrossFit. [11] In order to resolve the issues and speed up the delivery, the company started warehousing the equipment and eventually building some of the equipment itself. The company relies primarily on local and U.S. manufacturing to allow it to respond quicker to demand. [11] [12]

The company grew into a 5,000 square foot (460 m2) facility in Columbus that was next to a CrossFit box that Henniger also owned. Rogue began offering more products and also started manufacturing more of them. [1] [10] It had a 175,000 square foot (16,300 m2) manufacturing facility by 2014. [11] It produces a variety of strength training equipment, such as barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells and medicine balls, [13] and as well as other exercise products, such as its Echo Bike. [14]

Rogue Europe launched in Finland in January 2014 with Juha Puonti and 2009 CrossFit Games male champion Mikko Salo. [11] It opened a branch in Belgium for its European customers. [12]

In 2018, Rogue moved into a 600,000 square foot (56,000 m2) building on 30 acres (12  ha ), a former Timken Company property located on the southwest corner of East Fifth and Cleveland avenues in Columbus. [15] [16] The new building consolidated their administrative, manufacturing, distribution, and retail operations. [8] It includes two gyms and showroom. [17] [18] It acquired a series of other fitness-related companies, including Nebula Fitness in 2012, [6] Pendlay, OSO Barbell and Reflex Fitness Products in 2018, [19] [20] and powerlifting equipment manufacturer Ghost Strong in 2022. [21]

Rogue was a contender for Inc.'s 2018 Company of the Year. [12]

Rogue Fitness had 200 employees in 2014, [11] increasing to 600 in 2019, [18] and 850 in 2020. [22] It has 1,400 employees worldwide as of 2022. [23]

Activities

Rogue has been associated with CrossFit from its beginning. Rogue is one of the primary suppliers for equipment for CrossFit boxes (gyms) around the world. [11] [10] [15] It started supplying equipment for the CrossFit Games in 2009, before becoming the sole provider to the Games and regional events in 2010. [24] Fifteen semi-trucks of equipment were needed to supply the 2013 CrossFit Games at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, [11] up from nine trucks used to supply the 2011 CrossFit Games. [25] Rogue often creates new or unusual equipment specially for the Games. [26] [27] [28] It organizes Rogue Invitational, one of the most significant competitions for CrossFit athletes. [29] [30] The Invitational features the biggest prize purse for CrossFit athletes outside of the Games, and it is the only CrossFit competition that pays out to all athletes competing including airfare and accommodation. [31] [32] The company briefly cut off its ties with CrossFit after controversial statements made by CrossFit founder Greg Glassman in 2020, but has resumed their association after Glassman resigned. [33] [34] [35]

Rogue has also expanded into building equipment for strongman, powerlifting, and Olympic weightlifting. [10] It became the official supplier of USA Weightlifting, [36] the Arnold Strongman Classic, and the World's Strongest Man in 2017. [37] [38] It also created implements used in competitions, such as the largest implement ever created specifically for a strongman competition, the "Wheel of Pain" inspired by the film Conan the Barbarian used in the Arnold Classic. [39] It has staged a series of events since 2015 for those who wish to set weightlifting records titled Rogue Record Breakers at festivals such as Arnold Sports Classic, and it also introduced the Rogue Challenge for various sports starting December 2020. [40] Rogue Invitational also expanded to include a strongman contest since 2021. [41] [42]

The company sponsors numerous CrossFit athletes around the world, such as Rich Froning Jr., Ben Smith, Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, Mat Fraser, Katrín Davíðsdóttir, Jason Khalipa and Justin Medeiros. [10] [43] One of the first sponsored athletes was Henniger's future wife and 2008 CrossFit Games female champion, Caity Matter Henniger. [44] [11] Rogue also sponsors Strongman athletes such as Brian Shaw and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. [45] [46]

Rogue started manufacturing medical equipment such as ventilators and personal protective equipment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. [47] [48] It also increased its production of gym equipment due to increasing demand from home gyms during lockdown that led to shortages. [49] [50] [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbell</span> Type of exercise equipment

A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting and strongman, consisting of a long bar, usually with weights attached at each end.

Strongman is someone who exhibits strength through strength athletics. Strength athletics, also known as strongman competitions, are composed of a variety of events in which competitors have to move the highest weights possible, the winner being the one having the highest tally across all events. In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or similar circus performers who performed feats of strength.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exercise equipment</span> Consists of one or more items and is used for applying a sport

Exercise equipment is any apparatus or device used during physical activity to enhance the strength or conditioning effects of that exercise by providing either fixed or adjustable amounts of resistance, or to otherwise enhance the experience or outcome of an exercise routine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CrossFit</span> Branded fitness regimen

CrossFit is a branded fitness regimen that involves constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. The method was developed by Greg Glassman, who founded CrossFit with Lauren Jenai in 2000, with CrossFit its registered trademark. The company forms what has been described as the biggest fitness chain in the world, with around 12,000 affiliated gyms in over 150 countries as of 2022, under half of which are located in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnold Strongman Classic</span> International strongman competition

The Arnold Strongman Classic is an annual competition featuring strength athletes from all over the world, determining who is the Strongest Man in the World. Created by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Lorimer and Terry Todd, it is an offshoot of the Arnold Sports Festival which takes place annually in Columbus, Ohio, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weightlifting</span> Sport or exercise

Weightlifting or weight lifting generally refers to physical exercises and sports in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People engage in weightlifting for a variety of different reasons. These can include: developing physical strength; promoting health and fitness; competing in weightlifting sports; and developing a muscular and aesthetic physique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CrossFit Games</span> Annual athletic competition in America

The CrossFit Games is an annual athletic competition owned and operated by CrossFit, LLC. Athletes compete in a series of events at the Games, which may be various standard CrossFit workouts consisting of metabolic conditioning exercises, weightlifting, and gymnastics movements, as well as a range of activities from other sports such as swimming, road cycling and strongman. The events generally are not revealed before the Games, can include unexpected elements to challenge the athletes' readiness to compete, and they are designed to test the athletes' fitness using CrossFit's own criteria. Winners of the CrossFit Games earn cash prizes and the title of "Fittest on Earth."

Katrín Tanja Davíðsdóttir is an Icelandic CrossFit athlete known for her eight appearances at the CrossFit Games. She is the women's champion of the 2015 and 2016 CrossFit Games. Katrin is the second woman to repeat as champion, following in the footsteps of her countrywoman, 2011 and 2012 CrossFit Games champion Annie Thorisdottir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mat Fraser (athlete)</span> Canadian-American professional CrossFit athlete

Mathew Edward Fraser is a retired Canadian-American professional CrossFit athlete, competing from 2014 to 2020. Fraser is the first athlete to have won five CrossFit Games titles, winning the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 CrossFit Games consecutively. He is widely considered to be the most dominant and successful individual male athlete in the sport of CrossFit.

Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr is an Australian weightlifter and CrossFit Games athlete. After winning her sixth consecutive title at the 2022 CrossFit Games, Toomey has more title wins than any other athlete in the history of the sport. She also won the gold medal in the women's 58 kg (128 lb) event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weight plate</span>

A weight plate is a flat, heavy object, usually made of cast iron, that is used in combination with barbells or dumbbells to produce a bar with a desired total weight for the purpose of physical exercise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 CrossFit Games</span>

The 2019 CrossFit Games was the 13th iteration of the annual competition in the sport CrossFit held from August 1–4, 2019, at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. The men's competition was won by Mat Fraser, the women's by Tia-Clair Toomey, and CrossFit Mayhem Freedom won the Team competition, all of whom also won the 2018 games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martins Licis</span> Latvian strongman

Martins Licis is a Latvian-American professional strongman, notable for winning 2019 World's Strongest Man, 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic, and 2021 Rogue Invitational strongman championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rogue Invitational</span>

The Rogue Invitational is an annual sporting event that includes a CrossFit competition and a strongman competition. The event, organized by Rogue, started in 2019 as a CrossFit sanctioned competition, but has since become a major competition for CrossFit athletes. A contest for strongmen that featured the largest prize purse in the history of strongman competition was added in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wodapalooza</span> Annual fitness festival in Miami, Florida

Wodapalooza Fitness Festival (WZA) is an annual four-day functional fitness festival held in Miami centered on a CrossFit competition. The event was first established in 2012 and has since developed into one of the largest fitness festival in the world and a major CrossFit competition with thousands of athletes from around the world competing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 CrossFit Games</span> 16th iteration of the annual competition in the sport of CrossFit held in Madison, Wisconsin

The 2022 CrossFit Games is the 16th iteration of the annual competition in the sport of CrossFit held from August 3 to August 7, 2022, in Madison, Wisconsin. Both Justin Medeiros and Tia-Clair Toomey repeated their 2021 win in their respective men's and women's competitions, while CrossFit Mayhem Freedom won the team competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 CrossFit Games</span> 17th competition in the sport of CrossFit held in Madison, Wisconsin

The 2023 CrossFit Games is the 17th edition of the premier competition in the sport of CrossFit held from August 1 to August 6, 2023, in Madison, Wisconsin. The winners were Laura Horvath for the women's competition, Jeffrey Adler for the men's, and CrossFit Invictus for the team's.

Laura Horváth is a Hungarian professional CrossFit athlete. She won the 2023 CrossFit Games, earning the title "the fittest woman on earth". She has also won two silver medals in 2018 and 2021, and a bronze in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Rogue Invitational</span> Athletic competition

The 2023 Rogue Invitational is the fifth annual competition in CrossFit organized by Rogue Fitness and the 3rd to feature a strongman competition. It was held at the Dell Diamond in Austin, Texas from 26 to 29 October 2023. The Rogue Invitational also featured a Rogue Record Breaker event and a Legends competition for CrossFit veterans. The winners are Patrick Vellner for the CrossFit men's competition, Laura Horvath for the women's, and Mitchell Hooper for the strongman.

Emma Lawson is a Canadian CrossFit athlete known for her achievements in the CrossFit Games, since her first appearance at the 2019 Games where she achieved a third-place podium finish in the Girls (14–15) division. In 2020 she placed 1st worldwide in the Girls (14–15) quarterfinals, but no Teens event was held at the games that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After winning first-place in the Girls (16–17) division in 2021, she has competed in adult Women category, achieving sixth-place in 2022 and a second-place podium finish in 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 "FACT SHEET JUNE 2015 COULTER VENTURES, LLC DBA ROGUE FITNESS". Rogue Fitness. 13 May 2015: 1–3. Retrieved 27 July 2016.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. 1 2 3 Foster, Tom (November 8, 2019). "How Rogue Fitness Founder Bill Henniger Built His Company". Men's Health.
  3. ↑ "Company Overview of Coulter Ventures, LLC". Bloomberg . Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "Rogue barbell review: What to know?". Medical News Today.
  5. ↑ Shultz, Alex (April 7, 2020). "Inside the Great Kettlebell Shortage of 2020". GQ Magazine.
  6. 1 2 "Rogue's Under-The-Radar Dominance". Fitt Insider.
  7. 1 2 Wolff-Mann, Ethan (April 28, 2020). "Coronavirus has caused a home gym boom, sending companies scrambling". Yahoo! Finance.
  8. 1 2 Warren, Brent (23 April 2016). "Massive Rogue Fitness Facility Starting to Take Shape in Milo-Grogan". Columbus Underground. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  9. ↑ "2015 CrossFit Liftoff, Powered by Rogue, Awards $100,000 to Olympic Weightlifters and CrossFit Athletes". Business Wire. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Huntley, Tim. "Rogue Fitness: A Start-up Success Story". myathleticlife.com. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "The Equipment Outlaw". The Box. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 Crino, Tim (10 December 2018). "How This Air Force Vet Capitalized on Crossfit". Inc. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  13. ↑ Porcaro, Gabrielle (October 25, 2023). "The 6 Best Gym Equipment Brands of 2023". Livestrong.
  14. ↑ Spin, Brian (December 27, 2017). "Rogue Fitness Releases Its Own Fan Bike". The Barbell Spin.
  15. 1 2 RODIO, MICHAEL (26 April 2016). "Fit Fix: the Rock Is Seriously Bulking up for 'Fast 8'". Men's Fitness. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  16. ↑ Hall, Brian R. (1 June 2015). "Fitness equipment provider up for city incentives for $36M project". Columbus Business First . Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  17. ↑ Sullivan, Lucas (19 February 2015). "Coleman closing in on tenant for Timken site". The Columbus Dispatch . Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  18. 1 2 Foster, Tom (8 November 2019). "The Man of Steel Behind CrossFit's Favorite Gym Equipment". Men's Health . Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  19. ↑ English, Nick (January 9, 2018). "Rogue Fitness Acquires OSO Barbell". BarBend.
  20. ↑ "Rogue Fitness Announces Acquisition of Reflex Fitness Products". Rogue Fitness. November 30, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Rogue Fitness Acquires Ghost Strong". Rogue Fitness.
  22. ↑ Naveau, Jim (May 1, 2020). "Caity Matter Henniger built Hall of Fame career". limaohio.com.
  23. ↑ "Powerhouse strength training partners rogue fitness and kabuki strength expand manufacturing and distribution deal with Kabuki's Kadillac bar". PR Newswire. May 9, 2022.
  24. ↑ Koenig, John. "Talking With Bill Henniger of Rogue Fitness". johnkoenig.squarespace.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  25. ↑ CERIZO, KEHAULANI (7 August 2011). "Willpower & work". The Maui News. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  26. ↑ Bric, John Michael. "Rogue's Latest CrossFit Equipment". The RX Review.
  27. ↑ "The Rogue Pig 2.0 for CrossFit". Fitness Gizmo. September 10, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Rogue To Sell Equipment Used By Your Favorite Athletes From The CrossFit Games". BarBend. July 27, 2016.
  29. ↑ Kyllmann, Caro (June 15, 2020). "How Much Money Did Athletes Win at the Rogue Invitational?". BoxRox.
  30. ↑ Friend, Brian (June 11, 2020). "CrossFit: Rogue Invitational kicks off this weekend with star power amid uncertain future for sport". South China Morning Post.
  31. ↑ Kyllmann, Caro (August 5, 2021). "Rogue Invitational Announces $1,250,000 Uncapped Prize Purse, Paid Party in Bitcoin". BoxRox.
  32. ↑ Newby, John (August 25, 2021). "Rogue Increases Travel Stipend to Support Athletes' Travel to Invitational". Morning Chalk Up.
  33. ↑ Agnew, Mark (June 8, 2020). "CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman's George Floyd tweet sees Reebok and Rogue drop sponsorship". South China Morning Post.
  34. ↑ "CrossFit founder Greg Glassman resigns as CEO after George Floyd tweet". ITV News. June 10, 2020.
  35. ↑ Easter, Michael (February 1, 2021). "These Two Men Are on a Mission to Save CrossFit". Men's Health.
  36. ↑ Farley, Kevin (June 27, 2017). "Breaking: USA Weightlifting Names Rogue Fitness Official Equipment Manufacturer". Team USA. Archived from the original on December 1, 2018.
  37. ↑ Beck, Kalle (December 13, 2017). "Rogue Fitness Now The Official Equipment Sponsor Of The World's Strongest Man".
  38. ↑ Boly, Jake (December 13, 2017). "Rogue Fitness Named World's Strongest Man Official Equipment Provider". BarBend.
  39. ↑ Darling, Mike (January 22, 2020). "The 'Wheel of Pain' Strongman Challenge Inspired by 'Conan the Barbarian'". Men's Health.
  40. ↑ Blechman, Phil (November 30, 2020). "First-Ever Rogue Challenge: 50 Biking Calories For Time". BarBend.
  41. ↑ Blechman, Phil (August 26, 2021). "2021 Rogue Invitational Strongman Roster — Kieliszkowski And Licis Return". BarBend.
  42. ↑ Blechman, Phil (2022-10-29). "2022 Rogue Invitational Strongman Results". BarBend. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  43. ↑ Clark, Patrick (December 27, 2020). "Justin Medeiros is the Newest and Youngest Rogue Athlete". Morning Chalk Up.
  44. ↑ Koenig, John (12 March 2012). "ON HER TERMS: CAITY MATTER HENNIGER". CrossFit . Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  45. ↑ Carson, Audrey (October 9, 2019). "Rogue Debuts Toomey Billboard Ahead of CrossFit Open". The Barbell Spin.
  46. ↑ "The Mountain Destroys All Competition, Wins The Arnold Strongman Classic 3rd Year In A Row". GQ Magazine. March 8, 2020.
  47. ↑ Blechman, Phil (March 23, 2020). "Rogue Fitness Is Producing Ventilators And Protective Equipment In Response To COVID-19". BarBend.
  48. ↑ Navera, Tristan (March 24, 2020). "Rogue Fitness is hiring, making medical supplies amid coronavirus pandemic". Columbus Business First.
  49. ↑ Colombo, Hayleigh (May 1, 2020). "Columbus-based fitness business hires 200 as demand surges for home gyms, medical equipment". Columbus Businees First.
  50. ↑ Settembre, Jeanette (August 25, 2020). "Weights and dumbbells are latest coronavirus-fueled shortage: Here's what to use instead". Fox Business.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.