TITAN Preacher Curl Bench vs Reflex decline bench

This is a comparison between the TITAN Preacher curl bench and Reflex decline bench including pros, cons, and alternatives. This article was originally posted in Which TITAN bench to get? Follow the links for details.

Overview and review of the Reflex Olympic decline bench

The Reflex Olympic decline bench press comes in at $1882 and is a great addition to your existing gym to widen the possible exercises you can do. This article was originally published in "Which bench to get to from Rogue".

What else to consider from Rogue

Overview of the Reflex Decline bench

The Reflex decline bench provides you with a sturdy decline bench press setup for the big boys. This bench is going nowhere no matter how big the weights or athlete. You will have the bench set up steady so that you will always have the same setup. There are also safeties in place. Overall a solid piece of equipment, especially when your gym is specializing in big guys or bodybuilding. The specifications of the Reflex decline bench are:

Combination of 3×3 11ga. & 3/16-walled fully Welded Tubular steel construction.
Powder Coated finish.
Plastic lined weight bar saddles.
7 position adjustable roller pads.
Adjustable Saddles w/ 11 positions.
Weight storage.
7 position adjustable safeties.
1in high-density foam pad
145 - 450 LB
Length 62”-92”
Width 48”
Height 47”-53”

This is a good addition to your gym when you have a lot of space and many big guys or very new athletes.

Pros of the Reflex decline bench

The sheer size of this will make it a favorite for all your athletes who don’t fit into other machines. Once a transportable bench becomes too small, you probably want to graduate to this beast. Some might also appreciate that the bench will always be set up at the same distances. This is hard to achieve with a transportable version. The reflex decline also provides space for plates and is a good addition to any gym with plenty of floor space.

Cons of the Reflex decline bench

The reflex decline bench press is not very versatile. If you do a lot of circuit training and have little room, it probably won’t be the best investment. It takes up a lot of floor space and can be intimidating to some clients. If you are planning a home gym it is pretty much out of the question, unless you live in a mansion.

Alternatives to the Reflex decline bench

Alternatives to the reflex decline bench are

The reflex incline basically does the same as the decline setup, just for an incline bench setup. Again you need a lot of space in return for security.

The reflex military bench takes the incline and decline approach and uses it for the military press. Again you are taking up more space in return for being able to move bigger weights more secure.

The Rogue AB3 is a portable bench from Rogue which can be set up for incline and decline benches presses. This will probably the tool of choice for anyone who wants to build their home gym.

Summary for the Reflex decline bench

The reflex decline bench machine is probably the piece of equipment I would consider the most from reflex. The decline bench press is the one where you most need a secure setup. All other forms of bench presses I am personally happy to do with a bench and barbell in a rack. I might feel different if I did those with more than 300 pounds for repetitions.

Overview and review of the TITAN Preacher Curl Bench

This is an overview of the TITAN Preacher Curl bench including pros, cons, and alternatives. This article was originally posted in Which TITAN bench to get? Follow the links for details.

Overview of the TITAN preacher curl bench

Price: $324

A preacher curl bench is one of the few single-purpose machines that I can get on board with. There is nothing better to pump my biceps than preacher hammer curls. Everyone is different, but this is one of the few machines that sucks up space to only train one muscle group that's actually worth investing in. A preacher curl station will isolate the biceps by giving you the opportunity to sit down and not use your back when doing curls. This has big advantages for developing your biceps. You can also lean against a wall, but a preacher curl just gives the best pump. The full specifications of this TITAN product are:

High-density contour foam padding for a comfortable but firm base to lift from
Adjustable seat to fit different size athletes- UHMW lined j-hooks to protect barbell while racking
31.5-in Rack width to fit most standard barbells and EZ curl bars
Rubber feet to protect floors and provide a stable base
Overall Height: 35-in.
Footprint: 34.5-in W x 40-in L
Rack Width: 31.5-in.
Pad Dimensions: 14-in x 24-in x 2-in.
Finish: Powder-Coated Black
Material: 2-in x 2-in 11-Gauge Steel
Weight Capacity: 250 lb.
Product Weight: 73 lb.

This is a good preacher curl bench that can be easily moved around to fit your needs. There are also no metal pieces obstructing the bar path.

Pros of the TITAN preacher curl bench

Pros of the preacher curl bench are:

Price
Design
Impact

As with all TITAN products, this comes in at roughly half of the price for anything similar you can find in the market. It is also fairly heavy for a preacher curl bench. Cheaper products are usually very light. The lighter your equipment is, the less heavy you want to train on it.

For a preacher bench, the design of this model is beautifully simple. Many other preacher benches get in the way of you doing your curls, especially if you use a straight bar. You will not have this challenge with this model.

As with all preacher benches, if you want big biceps, you basically can not go without. This is the ultimate station to pump your arms up in a big way.

Cons of the TITAN preacher curl bench

Cons of the TITAN preacher curl bench are:

Can not be bolted to the ground
Space requirements
Non-versatile

Even though I am a huge fan of preacher curls in a commercial gym, I would not get one for my home gym. The space I have is very limited and putting a curling bench in just for the sake of getting bigger arms is not possible. Unless you give up an entire two-car garage for your gym or a big basement, I personally think there other machines you can get that have more impact. This can include lat pull down, GHD machine or even a yoke in addition to your existing rack. In addition, there is one design flaw as this bench can not be bolted to the ground. There are no pre-drilled holes to achieve this.

Alternatives to the preacher curl bench

Bicep/tricep curl machine
Preacher Curl station
Rogue Arm Blaster

The TITAN bicep /tricep curl machine follows the same moment pattern as a preacher curl bench. The big difference is that you will not do it with a free weight but on a defined movement path. The Bicep curl machine is plate loaded and takes up roughly the same space as the Preacher curl bench. If you prefer machines with given movement paths for muscle isolation, this is it. It is also easier to start, as getting the curl bar from the starting position is usually a bit challenging and hard on the wrists.

The preacher curl station is the little brother of the preacher curl bench on the TITAN fitness line up. It costs about a third and is less heavy. The steel pins to rest the bar on can get in the way of you exercising. In return, it is a steal at about $150.

The Rogue arm blaster is the ideal solution for someone who wants to isolate their bicep at home but does not want to get in a preacher curl bench. It is still not as good as a preacher curl station, as you will be free-standing, but at least you can isolate the biceps to a similar extent. It also only costs about $50 and makes a nice Christmas present for anyone who has a home gym.

Conclusion for the preacher curl bench

This is one of the first and maybe only machines I would get in my home gym if I had space. A well organized professional gym has to have at least one of these so that you can blast your arms.