TITAN functional trainer vs TITAN wall mounted pulley

This is a comparison between the TITAN functional trainer and the TITAN wall mounted pulley including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the TITAN wall mounted pulley $179

This is an overview of the TITAN wall mounted pulley including pros, cons and alternatives. This article was originally posted in Which gym machine to get from TITAN. Follow the links for additional information.

Overview of the TITAN wall mounted pulley tower

The TITAN wall mounted pulley tower is a great solution for any home gym that wants a pulley, but is strapped for space. The only prerequisite is that you are allowed to drill into the walls and ideally it is one of the outdoor / carrying walls. Plaster walls might not be ideal to install this so check your setup before getting to business. This pulley tower is plate loadable and comes with the necessary straps included in the shipping to start training. For the price you can not really complain and turn your gym in a more complete experience. The full specification of the TITAN wall mounted pulley system are:

- Compatible with the T-3, X-2, X-3, and TITAN Series Power Racks

- Small footprint makes this Wall Mounted Pulley Tower a perfect addition for those with limited space

- Heavy-duty powder-coated steel frame

- Standard 1-inch weight posts with 7-inches of loadable sleeve length

- 18-Different adjustable positions opens up a variety of exercises to suit any size athlete

- Bottom bracket allows you to install the pulley tower into walls without disrupting your baseboard

- Includes: (2) single-hand straps

- Overall Height: 84.5-in.

- Footprint: 27-in x 26.5-in.

- Overall Depth: 25.5-in.

- Weight Capacity: 350 lb.

- Product Weight: 75 lb.

This is a great addition especially in a garage gym that is cheap, versatile, simple to use and space efficient. Nothing you can do wrong here for the price of a fancy dinner.

Pros of the TITAN wall mounted pulley tower

The pros of the TITAN wall mounted pulley are:

Price
Versatility
Space requirements

The price of this pulley system is almost impossible to beat. You still get an industrial grade machine for the price of a consumer product. IT can be used for almost any pulley exercise you might wanted to do on a bigger station without the disadvantage of the lack of stability and the need for more space. Easy solution for a great gym addition.

Cons of the TITAN wall mounted pulley tower

The cons of the TITAN wall mounted pulley tower are:

Wall installation
Plate loaded

The only real problem with this is that the tools you need to drill into the wall will probably cost more to rent or buy than the pulley station itself. It also depends on whether you are actual allowed to drill into the walls of the house or apartment you are living in.

You will also need to factor in the cost of plates,if you do not already have some. 230lbs can be gotten from TITAN for about $400.

Alternatives to the Titan wall mounted pulley tower

TITAN lat tower
TITAN plate loaded seated row
Rogue Jammer bar
Rogue lat pull

The TITAN lat tower includes a seat and a weight stack for up to 300lbs to do lat pulls and rows. The design is a clone of the Rogue lat pull which outperforms the TITAN lat tower in the finish and finer details. Apart from that it is the same machine for a considerably lower cost.

If you only want a machine to perform rows, the TITAN plate loaded seated row is a good option with a small footprint that does not need to be installed on the wall. It comes including the seat and setup to row away once it is build. The only downside is that it is a one trick pony and not very versatile compared to the wall mounted pulley.

The Rogue Jammer bar is a high quality pull up bar from Rogue that you can install over a door frame. I highly recommend to install it at the kitchen door and do pull ups whenever you go in or come out of the kitchen. An easy approach to fitness, relatively cheap and you can not do anything wring with.

The Rogue lat pull machine is the current gold standard in the market for lat pull machines. This thing is overbuilt in every way and Rogue paid close attention to the finer details in the finish. This also means that this beast comes in at a high price of around $2000. This is only an option if money is if little concern to you or you running a very professional and highly successful commercial gym.

Conclusion for the Titan wall mounted pulley tower

The TITAN wall mounted pulley tower is one of the best options to get a pulley system into your home gym. Especially if you are good with tools and know how to install something into a solid wall. If you are not a handyman you can still get someone to install it for you and not be sad, as it was so cheap to buy this thing.

Overview and review of the TITAN Functional trainer $1.999

This is an overview of the TITAN functional trainer including pros, cons and alternatives. This article with originally posted in Which gym machine to get from TITAN. Follow the links for additional information.

Overview of the TITAN Functional trainer

The TITAN functional trainer is an all in one training solution for the home. It can also be used in commercial spaces which want to offer a maximum variety of resistance training on a small footprint. The design uses two vertical plate towers which range from 10lbs to 200lbs. The weight is moved by pulleys which can be adjusted in height separately. This makes the TITAN functional trainer a versatile machine, especially when your main training goals are toning and definition. It is not a replacement for free weight training, especially when you are aiming to build big muscles and compete in power lifting and strongman. Here the functional trainer can be a good central space in your gym for most of your accessory movements to train all of the minor muscle groups and areas which are otherwise easily left out. The full specifications of the TITAN functional trainer are:

- Comprehensive pulley options including lat, row, and pulldown

- Comes with tons of accessory options right out of the box

- Tough steel construction will last for years to come

- Sleek black and silver design

- Titan Fitness faceplate included

- Overall Height: 82-in.

- Overall Width: 64-in.

- Overall Depth: 44-in.

- Long Bar Length: 49-in.

- Short Bar Length: 15.5-in.

- Pulley Grip Length: 4.5-in.

- Pulley Ratio: 2:1

- Product Weight: 672 lb.

This is a good option when you and your family are the only ones training on the machine. It is also good when most of your clients are working out for leisure and rehabilitation. In a power gym or other facility where serious athletes who want to win medals train, this will be not the main training station but one where they go to for accessory rehab or work through specific weak points in their physique.

Pros of the TITAN functional trainer

The pros of the TITAN functional trainer are:

Price
Size
Full range of equipment
Versatility

As with all TITAN fitness products the price point of the functional trainer is very competitive. Functional trainers like this come in many forms and shapes ranging from $1000 to $5000. On the higher end you usually find more technological gadgets in the machine itself to track your fitness levels and workouts. The same goes for the mechanics which become more comprehensive the more you pay. I personally used most of them and a simple machine will almost always give you the same results as a complex machine will. Therefore the main reason to buy something in the higher price class is the design which might fit your high end home better than the rough and ready basement look of this machine. At the lower end you will find the machines you can buy via Amazon. Often these are produced in China or are independent companies that run fitness month / week like TESCO or Walmart. While these are cheaper, they usually have less warranty and no customer service when something goes wrong. If you buy a functional trainer like this used, you usually need to touch up the pulley and / or cables. This places the TITAN functional trainer in the middle, ticking all of the boxes at a reasonable price while delivering customer support and warranty.

For a fully functioning gym including multiple directions of work this machine is quite small. If you are a hotel, local sports club or leisure center that wants to offer their clients some extra fitness, this is a great option. If you have a home gym in your two car garage, basement or attic this can also be a good use of your space. There are some designs which are more space efficient, but they often do not address both arms or legs at the same time.

Another great add on is that this machine comes pre-packaged with a range of handles and pulleys. If you buy these separately you can easily end up with another $500 out of your pocket as these range from $20 - $50, sometimes even $100 a piece. It is also practical that these items ship together and you can get started right away after assembly.

A big bonus of this machine is that you can simulate almost any resistance exercise you will find in most fitness books with this. There is nothing you can really not simulate. Whether a pulley is always the best form of resistance for your training goals is another question. For having everything in one place it is versatile and has everything you need.

Cons of the TITAN functional trainer

Plate stacks and pulley
Price
Space requirements
Leg exercises
2:1 ratio

Generally speaking plate stacks and pulley are prone to break. This is not just true for TITAN functional trainer, but for any kind of plate stack machine. One major error area are the holes and the pins. The pins can get easily get lost or broken. The holes can be misaligned on production and not run smooth. The same goes for the pulley mechanics. There is a lot that can break in any pulley mechanic and it need mores attention than simple free weights. As you are buying this item from a vendor who needs to cut corners to stay competitive in price and makes no secret about that low price is their strategy, you are entering a risk area. If you are good at DIY, unscrewing and oiling things, this is not a big issue. But if you are not a handyman some breakage in the machine usually means that it will not be revived or at least not used for months on end. You will not run into this problem with kettlebells, dumbbells and barbells.

While the price is great value for money for a fully functioning gym with all the bells and whistles, $2000 is still a lot of money if you compare it to a yoga mat and some little free weights. If you do not want to define and shape yourself to the highest standards and only lose weight, a yoga mat, a good pair of runners and kettlebells will often do. This can be had for $500 and you will get some of the best shoes, kettlebells and yoga mats within this budget.

The TITAN functional trainer is a great use of your space if you compare it to a full gym with 10 - 20 different machines. You might need be able to go as high in weight on each single exercise compared to a dedicated, but this is more than made up for the space you save. Compared to a pair of kettlebells and shoes, which can be stored under a bed or in a closet, you will need a dedicated corner somewhere in your house, where this rack lives.

Functional trainers biggest weakness is the amount of resistance you can put on your legs and the TITAN functional trainer is no exception. Even though it is advertised to be used for front squats and lunges, the setup with the pulleys is usually terrible. Heavy squats, deadlifts and bench presses can not be simulated on a machine like this. The same goes for heavy dumbbells work. If you want to become the next superstar lineman or rugby player this machine will not be enough for your home gym.

The last challenge with pulleys is that the weight you put on it usually does not translate 1 to 1 to resistance. In this case it is a 2:1 ration so if you go full stack on this machine you will be effectively training with 100lbs per rep on each pulley. Currently the gold standard for 1 to 1 weight transition has been set by the Rogue Rhino, if the reviews are to be believed.

Alternatives to the TITAN functional trainer

The TITAN plate loaded functional trainer only costs around $700 and saves you $1300 to effectively offer a very similar training experience. If you are building a gym for yourself and also get a rack, barbell and weights, this is a strong option to consider. Especially if you are young and fit and do not mind to o an occasional repair on the pulleys. If you already have plates or consider to outfit an entire garage I would save the money and go for the plate loaded option. I would not recommend the plate loaded version for a commercial setting or in a home where multiple generations will use the functional trainer.

If you are buying for your home gym and you do not have the space for a functional trainer and a rack you might want to consider getting a rack instead. For $2000 it is possible to source a rack, barbell, and plates from TITAN. You will also be able to get the better variations on the items . If you train mainly heavy in the gym and have to decide between a rack or a functional trainer, you might want to build a metal den instead.

If your main interest is to look pretty and get toned, you might consider the outdoor power tower. You do not need to give up any space in your home and will still get results. It is amazing what you can achieve with calisthenics and the Titan Outdoor power tower delivers all the basics for this form of training at about $400.

Conclusion for the TITAN functional trainer

The TITAN functional trainer is a great option for the home, if you train regularly with resistance to support your main sport. This sport might be track and field, martial arts or soccer. If you are mainly into bodybuilding, powerlifting or heavy impact sports like football & rugby you will need some free weights in addition to complete your training schedule in your home. If you run a spa, hotel or retirement home, this can also be a good option. If you need a high polished design to match the rest of your interior to impress your affluent you might want to invest around $4.000 to $5.000 in a similar machine which comes with an in built instructor, screen and looks better. Might even save you on staff cost. If you own a gym full of Jarheads who lift heavy, grunt and like to throw stuff, you need a sturdier machine like the Rogue lat pull machine. I personally managed to break two of these functional trainers in gyms and I am not even that big.