Rogue Westside bench 2.0 vs TITAN smith machine
This is a comparison between the Rogue Westside bench and the TITAN smith machine including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the TITAN Smith machine $1069
This is an overview of the TITAN smith machine including pros, cons and alternatives. This article was originally posted in Which gym machine to get from TITAN. Follow the links for additional information.
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Overview of the TITAN Smith machine
A
smith machine can be used to train your entire body with
barbell presses, squats, bench presses and other movements. The main distinguishing feature of a
smith machine is that the
bar path is fixed as the
barbell is attached to the frame. This makes a
smith machine less intimidating for beginners than a
rack with free weights. The
TITAN smith machine is competitively priced and has some extra features that many other
Smith machines do not have. The full feature list includes:
- Knurled barbell with 13.25-in of loadable space on the sleeves.
- (6) 8-in Olympic Weight Storage Posts.
- Band pegs on either side allow for added resistance.
- Two J-hooks attached to the bar takes a quick flick of the wrist to lock into 8 safe positions when finished with the exercise.
- Two safety catches can be adjusted to set before a lift to prevent injuries in the case of failed reps.
- Counter-balance function included!
- Four rubber pads on the feet of the Smith Machine protect flooring from unwanted scuffing and provide stability.
- Overall Height: 86-in.
- Overall Width: 66.5-in.
- Overall Depth: 54-in.
- Weight Capacity: 600 lb.
- Weight: 261 lb.
This is a solid machine for any commercial gym that wants to add a smith machine in their line up. Home gym owners will be better off getting a rack with a barbell instead.
Pros of the TITAN Smith machine
-
Plate storage on rack
-
Pins for band work
-
Price
Compared to other
Smith machines in the market TITAN has done a good job to maximize the use of the frame of the
rack for this
Smith machine. You will have multiple pins to store
plates on included in your shipment. This makes storing
plates easy. Some other
Smith machines in the market have massive frames and only eat up space without providing storage options.
Another great addition to this particular
Smith machine are the pins for bands. Taken from the west side method approach of training you can attach bands to the
TITAN smith machine which are provided at the bottom of the structure. Just make sure to bolt the machine to the ground of you do this as band work is one of the top reasons to topple
racks that have it been bolted to the ground.
Keeping the price of this massive
Smith machine around $1000 ja TITAN written all over it. It is their specialty to offer big fitness equipment at roughly half of the price of the competition and this
Smith machine is no exception.
Cons of the TITAN Smith machine
The mechanism to lock or unlock a
barbell on a
smith machine is in my opinion one of the biggest design flaws you can find in a commercial gym. Why
smith machines have gotten so popular is beyond me. The mechanism provides a false sense of security to the user. If you fail a rep you still have to twist your wrists under strain to lock the
bar back into position. While this is ok but not great for the bench press, for the squat it is near impossible. Combined with the fact that the
bar is attached to the frame this can lead to some nasty accidents where you are folded like lawn chair under the weight. With a free weight you can at least just dump it off your back as a last resort. In my opinion
smith machines provide little advantage for the risks they pose, especially to inexperienced trainees.
Everything you can do with a
smith machine you can do with a
rack and a
barbell. Probably even better. This is why this machine eats up to much space for any home gym. Unless you are the Rock and have a whole crew of people carrying an entire commercial gym around for you. There is something to be said for quad development out of high rep
smith machine squats. You do get a different pump out of the
smith machine as there is less room to work with the supporting muscles from the back. Still, this is only interesting for full time bodybuilders and does not justify to give up valuable home gym space where you could place a rack instead.
The fact that the
barbell is attached makes it less versatile than a
rack. The
barbell an get in the way of exercises, especially if you need to use the space inside the
smith machine because you are short on space. Again a
barbell and
rack is the better choice and you can get this for the same budget from TITAN.
TITAN needs to cut some corners to offer you consistent competitive pricing on all of their product range. This is why across the board their customer service and manuals or not as good as the ones of their competitors Rogue and Eleiko. You are also more likely to have parts missing on your shipment or that they do not fit smoothly. This can happen with other, higher priced products, too, but the likelihood is lower. Quality management and consistency in production are good ways to cut cost. These processes are expensive is they are Labour intensive and also assume that some of the production gets discarded due to lack of quality. You can not do that of your strategy is to be the cheapest in the narbet which is exactly what TITAN prides themselves one. Got for your wallet, but expect some minor issues, especially with products that have a lot of moving parts like a
smith machine.
Alternatives to the TITAN smith machine
If you want to get a machine for training your legs it think the
TITAN leg press is the better option than the
smith machine. It comes in at roughly the same price. This machine can be heavily loaded, provides security to people who do not want to use a
barbell, and you can work the ranges of motion that are hard to stay in for long in a
barbell squat. If I wanted to blow up my legs and had space and key to add to my gym above and beyond a
rack, a
leg press would be high up my list.
The
Titan belt squat machine is another way of getting more squat volume in your training without trashing your wer back.
Belt squat machines are popular for quad development with powerlifters and weightlifters. The big advantage is here that the movement pattern is not predefined and you have less compression on your spine.
Conclusion for the TITAN Smith machine
The
TITAN smith machine has a great price and some little extra features which make it an excellent
Smith machine to get. The only problem for me is that I think that all
Smith machines are a waste of space and should be replaced with a belt squat, extra
rack or
leg press, depending on what you already have. If you have the space and money to collect all different types of machines, do it. Still, a
smith machine would only enter my gym to complete a collection for the sale of it, rather than because I think it is a good idea for my clients.
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
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?
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.