Rogue Westside bench 2.0 vs TITAN Plate loadable tower V2

This is a comparison between the Rogue Westside bench and the TITAN Plate loadable tower V2 including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the TITAN Plate loadable tower V2 $409

This is an overview of the TITAN Plate loadable tower V2 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 loadable lat tower

The TITAN plate loadable lat tower is a solid budget option for a lat tower. It stands by itself and is stable to use. It shops with the lat bar and row handle included which makes it a complete solution. There is not a lot you can do wring with this one if you want a lat pull tower on a budget. The full specifications of the TITAN plate loadable lat tower are:

- Dual 13-inch weight posts fit Olympic weight plates

- Four adjustable positions for the thigh pads will fit athletes of all body types

- A durable steel frame and powder-coated paint job deliver a sleek look that will last for years to come

- Four Bolt down holes give you the option for permanent mounting in your home or garage gym

- Includes lat bar and low row handle

- Overall Height: 84-in.

- Overall Depth: 56.5-in.

- Overall Width: 48-in.

- Loadable Sleeve Length: 13-in.

- Lat Handle Length: 37.5-in.

- Low Row Handle Length: 15-in.

This is a great budget option for any home gym or Iron den where people know what they are doing. It can even be used in a commercial with less experienced clients, as the plate loading mechanism is not as exposed as with other TITAN machines.

Pros of the TITAN loadable lat tower

The pros of the TITAN loadable lat tower are:

Price
Handles included
Stable design

One of the main arguments to go for TITAN products is the low price for industrial grade gym machine. The TITAN plate loaded lat tower makes no exception to this rule. For me, it is one of the better machines you can get from TITAN as it is stable and the pulley work is not as exposed as for the Cable crossover machine.

Another bonus is that the lat bar and row handle are also included in the price tag. You can shell out up to $200 for these items each depending on where you get them.

This whole machine is more stable than some of the other TITAN machines in the lower price range. I would definitely get this any day over the Cable crossover machine from TITAN.

Cons of the TITAN loadable lat tower

Cons of the TITAN loadable lat tower:

Plate loaded
No push movements
Build for normal humans, not superhumans

Plate loaded machines are great when you are the only user or this is not a lot of people around who frequent the machines. If you run a gym with peak times and people falling over each other, than you want the weights on the machine rather than separately on a plate tree.

The TITAN plate loaded lat tower is designed for pulling motions only. You can not adjust the pulley to make push movements possible. This lmits the range of exercises you can do with this machine. This becomes especially relevant when this is the only machine you intend to buy for your home gym. Here the functional trainer from TITAN might be the better choice.

As with all TITAN machines they have been produced with the average human in mind to save costs. Other vendors like Eleiko and Rogue think of the biggest possible human who could use their machines and build their machines around that. If you are 6 foot tall and weigh more than 250 pounds you might not like the seat on this or even rock the entire machine when you do your berserker mode pulls.

Alternatives to the TITAN loadable lat tower

The TITAN lat tower is a clone of the Rogue lat pull at a substantial lower cost. This is the lat pull machine to get for the commercial gym that puts the machine through a lot of abuse or the home gym fanatic who listens to heavy metal while pulling 300 pounds for sets of 20.

The TITAN wall mounted pulley is in my opinion one of the best options for a budget focused home gym to get all of their pulling needs covered. It is safer then some of the other makeshift machines from TITAN and costs less. The only downside is that it does not come with a seat and needs to be drilled into the wall to work.

The TITAN plate loadable functional trainer is the optimal compromise between budget and functionality, especially for the home gym. The pulley work as a little too exposed for most commercial scenarios and plate loading also does not help the case here.But in a home gym where you already own the plates and want to cover all of your accessory this is ideal.

Conclusion for the TITAN plate loadable lat tower

The TITAN plate loadable lat tower is a great option for the home gym owned by the average joe, as long as space allows for it. A professional gym might be better off with the functional trainer. If you lack space in your home gym for a while park of machines you might want to consider the plate loaded functional trainer as it eats up similar space, but offers more options on exercises.

Overview and review of the Rogue Westside bench 2.0

The Westside 2.0 comes in at $725 and are 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 Westside bench 2.0

The Rogue west side 2.0 is a bolt-together version of the Westside bench to bring down the cost in production and shopping. You will have more moving parts, but it is still a 1000+ pound bench press set up for the serious athletes. One of the main features of this bench is that you can adjust it in 1” increments and use it with bands and chains effectively. If you are a fan of the west side training method and benching big this is a great option. The specifications of the Westside 2.0 bench are:

Made in the USA
2x3" 11-Gauge Uprights with Westside hole spacing
Total Height: 54.625"
Bench Height: 17.5” (adjustable up and down by 1" increments)
1000+LB weight capacity
Your choice of either a 12" wide standard bench pad or a 14.5" wide Thompson Fat Pad™ (at additional cost)
NEW Bolt-Together Design with 0.625" Hardware
NEW 7-Gauge Reinforced Steel Spine Under Pad
NEW Laser-Cut Rogue Side Panels
Infinity J-Cups with UHMW inserts to protect the bar knurl
24" Pin/Pipe Safety Set
4 Adjustable Band Pegs
NEW Optional Spotter Decks (at additional cost)
Color: Black

If you are into the Rogue setup for west side benching, this is the way to go.

Pros of the Westside 2.0

This is a lower-cost version of the west side bench and is probably one of the most cost-efficient setups in the market I which you can comfortably go to 1000 pounds for the bench press.

Cons of the West side 2.0

Compared to other bench stations or combos you will have little to no plate storage and no support for heavy incline or decline bench presses. If you care about a 1000 pound bench press you will probably more than this.

Alternatives to the Westside 2.0

Alternatives to the Westside Bench 2.0

If you care about a west side bench I would conveniently assume that you already own a normal bench press setup or just don’t care about getting a portable bench.

The west side bench is the big brother of the 2.0. You will have fewer moving pieces and bigger beams which brings the cost up but also means that you get more integral stability. If you have the money and do not want to transport the bench often, why compromise?

The reflex incline is an alternative to consider or even an additional purchase to the west side bench 2.0. If you are equipping a gym with a west side bench I know you mean business, so where are your freaks going to do their incline bench presses? Same goes for the decline.

Summary for the Westside 2.0

The west side 2.0 is a great option for the serious athlete who wants to train at home with a buddy. If you are equipping a professional gym you might as well go for the big one.