The Surplus Strength leg roller attachment is one of those rack accessories that make home gym hacks easy!
If you’re short on space and don’t want to spend money on multiple machines, make sure you keep reading.
I can recreate a low back extension machine, Nordic curl bench, sit up bench, split squat stand, and more…
Let’s check them out!
Unboxing
Each leg roller attachment comes wrapped in packing paper.
I got two of them just because it allows me to get more creative with my home gym hacks.
The quality on these is top notch.
Molded foam, with a thick 1″ bar that can hold a lot of weight, and nut and washer that keeps it secure on my rack.
Specs
- Dimensions: 17″ long, 4.5″ round
- Material: Antibacterial, molded closed-cell foam, surrounding a 1″ thick bar
- Weight rack compatibility: Fits 3×3 racks with 1″ holes
- Weight capacity: 300+ lbs
- Padding: 2″ thick
What Is The Surplus Strength Leg Roller Attachment?
The leg roller is a simple rack attachment that adds a lot of versatility to my squat rack without taking up much of my garage gym floor space.
It attaches to my 3″ x 3″ rack with a 1″ bar, a washer, and a thick nut.
Here’s what it looks like once I insert the bar through my rack’s 1″ holes.
I insert the washer…
Then tighten the nut all the way and I’m ready to use it.
Here’s a view from the side.
As you can see, there’s a small gap between the roller and my weight rack because of the clamp that keeps the rollers in place.
Top Benefits Of The Surplus Strength Leg Roller Attachment
Space Saving
One of the biggest benefits of the single leg squat rollers is that they don’t take up a lot of space.
I’m using my squat rack to anchor them down so there’s not additional floor space taken up.
Versatility
I can hack at least 8 machines combining the leg roller attachment and a weight bench I already own.
Not only do I save space, but it keeps me from having to buy additional machines.
Keep reading so you can see all the exercises I can hack with a couple of leg roller attachments.
Best Features Of The Surplus Strength Leg Roller Attachment
The thick 1″ bar can hold a lot of weight (around 300 lbs).
After doing several exercises, I’m confident that I can throw my bodyweight on the rollers plus additional weight without problem.
The rollers are 2″ thick so they’re extremely comfortable.
And because they’re made out of molded foam, I don’t see them ever damaging like cheap foam rollers do over time.
Now I’ll show you all the different exercises I can hack…
Exercises Using The Surplus Strength Leg Roller Attachment
Reverse Hyperextensions
One of my favorite hacks to do with the rollers is a reverse hyper.
For this set up, I use a spotter arm so I can hang to something.
The roller is set a height where my legs hang without touching the floor.
With the roller having a good thickness, I don’t feel any discomfort on my belly or hips.
Once my arms are anchored, I just swing my legs back to recreate a lower back hyperextension machine.
I usually do these on the Freak Athlete Hyper Pro but if you don’t have one, this is an excellent hack that takes up little to no space.
Lat Pulldowns
My set up for lat pulldowns is a bit different than other racks because my PRx folding rack only has 1″ on the front of the uprights.
So I have to anchor everything off to the side.
I anchored down my Voltra cable machine to the edge of the pullup bar and I attach the Back Jack to it.
Then I set the leg roller attachment at the lowest 1″ hole and slide my weight bench perpendicular to the rack.
From here I can slide my thighs under the roller and use it as a thigh pad.
I wish the roller was a bit longer cause it hits me right around the middle of my outside leg but it gets the job done.
If your rack has 1″ holes on the inside of the uprights, you could set up two rollers facing each other to hold you down.
This can be done by directly inserting the leg rollers on the uprights or on spotter arms like you see above.
45 Degree Lower Back Extensions
This is one of the easiest set ups with leg roller attachment and it’s a great alternative to a 45 degree back extension machine.
I set the roller at a height that’s lower than my hips so I can get my legs angled back.
I then set a pair of Powerblock Pro EXP 100 dumbbells behind me (I’m using Powerblocks because they don’t roll).
Using hex rubber dumbbells will work too.
This way I can anchor my heels so they don’t lift when I bend forward.
If you have a full rack, you could anchor a second leg roller to the bottom to go behind your heels.
Once my heels are locked down, I can bend forward and perform my back extensions just like using a dedicated machine.
90 Degree Lower Back Extensions
For 90 degree back extensions, I use a bench and a sandbag.
The sandbag is not completely necessary but it gets me higher on the bench so I can get a bigger stretch at the bottom of the exercise.
Once I come up, the leg rollers do their job and keep me from falling forward.
One of the easiest hacks to do that’ll keep your low back super strong.
Nordic Curls
Here’s my set up for a Nordic curl bench hack.
Here’s another easy one that’s straight forward.
The roller keeps my legs down while I lower myself down.
I can even turn the bench the other way around and incline the back pad for partial Nordic curl regressions like I do on the Shogun Nord Ex.
Although I do prefer full range of motion Nordic curl regressions, this is a solid alternative.
Bulgarian Split Squats
This is one set up where I wish my rack had 1″ holes that went lower on the uprights.
As you can see, setting up for Bulgarian split Squats leaves my hind leg quite high.
So when I go down on the split squat I have to lean forward to get some depth which makes the exercise more glutes and hamstrings biased.
But if your rack has 1″ holes at the bottom, you’ll be able to focus more on your quads without a problem.
If I stay upright, I get more of a quad stretch and feels like when I stretch my legs on my stretching machine.
GHD Sit Ups
For GHD sit ups, I use leg roller attachments to secure my legs down.
I set a sandbag on the bench to get more height and I lean back to get a big stretch on my abs.
Then bring myself up and repeat.
Of course this is not as smooth as doing it on my Hyper Pro or a dedicated GHD bench but not bad for a hack.
I may be able to get away with just using one roller on top of my legs but two rollers is more secure.
Decline Sit Ups
For decline sit ups, I’m using two leg roller attachments and setting my bench to incline.
This keeps my feet anchored so I don’t slide down the weight bench.
Another way to hack a decline sit up bench, is by using a single leg roller with knees bent at 90 degrees.
So there’s quite a few gym hacks I can pull off with these rollers without the need for dedicated machines.
In a home gym this is clutch because I save sapce and money.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Versatile: I can use the rollers to recreate several exercise machines
- Comfortable: The 2″ thick padding feels comfortable on all exercises I’ve done
- Sturdy: Once I tighten the nut, there is no wiggle at all and the 1″ bar is thick enough to hold my weight and then some
- Space saving: This takes up minimal space yet I’m able to do a lot
- Durable: Padding is made out of high quality single mold foam so it’s made to last
Cons
- Length: I wish it was longer than 17″ so one roller could cover both thighs when doing lat pulldowns but that would also decrease its weight capacity
Surplus Strength Leg Roller Attachment Price
Each leg roller attachment sells for $139.99 which seems high but I just showed you how much I can do with them.
So you definitely get your money’s worth when you compare that buying several machines that do the same thing.
And if you buy a pair at the same time, you get about a $20 discount.
On top of that, you can get an additional 5% coupon code by clicking the red button below.
Surplus Strength Leg Roller Attachment Alternatives
Rogue Fitness
The Rogue Monster single leg roller 2.0 has a diameter of 4.25″ and 16″ long.
So it’s a bit smaller but like Surplus Strength’s, it’s built with quality materials.
Rep Fitness
Rep single leg squat roller has a diameter of 4.8″ and 15.4″ long.
This one uses a cotter pin at the end of the bar.
Titan Fitness
Titan’s rack mounted leg roller is the thickest and longest out of these attachments.
It connects to the rack with a J-cup like bracket and has an extended arm that takes up more space.
The roller is 18″ long and 5″ in diameter.
My Experience Using The Surplus Strength Leg Roller Attachment
I’ve had a lot of fun recreating gym hacks with both leg roller attachments.
They’re very easy to set up so it’s not something that takes up a lot of time.
And the best part is that I save space and money by not having to buy machines I can recreate.
Conclusion: Should You Buy The Surplus Strength Leg Roller Attachment?
I feel these leg rollers are well worth it.
They’re built with high quality materials so they’re durable and all exercises feel comfortable.
Plus they help me save a ton of money and space which is always a huge bonus for any home gym owner.
Garage gym athlete, gym hacks, DIY gym projects, and garage gym equipment reviews
For the PRx rack that you have, would it be better to get a roller for 5/8” holes, then add a sleeve to adapt it to the 1” holes on the front? PRx’s own roller could do that.
You could do that just make sure the 5/8″ pin can hold weight if you’re planning to put your bodyweight on the roller