TITAN Combo rack vs Rogue westside bench 2.0

This is a comparison between the TITAN combo rack and Rogue westside bench 2.0 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 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.

Overview and review of the TITAN Combo rack

This is an overview of the TITAN Combo rack 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 combo rack

Price: $999

The TITAN combo rack combines a solid bench press and squat setup in one place. If you want a competition set up in your own home for a low price the TITAN combo rack is a very good option. TITAN copied the roller J-hooks from Ghost strong and safety pins from Rogue fitness to put together the best ideas for combo racks while not fully executing on them. Still for half or one-fifth of the price of the competition the TITAN combo rack is not to be scoffed at. The full specifications of the combo rack are:

Adjustable Squat Height: 49.5 - 61-in.
Adjustable Bench Press Height: 33.5- 45.5-in.
Bench Seat Height: 17.5-in.- Bench Length: 4 ft
Spotter Footplate Height: 8.75-in.
Spotter Arm Length: 17-in.- Footprint Width: 81-in.
Footprint Depth: 59-in.
Weight Capacity: 1,000 lb.
Product Weight: 225 lb.

This is a solid combo rack to exercise at home or to have in a commercial gym with some occasional powerlifting meets to separate from the masses. It is not necessarily the best for professional powerlifting meets or as a multipurpose station in a home or commercial gym.

Pros of the TITAN Combo rack

The pros the combo rack are:

Low price
Roller cups
Easy bench setup

For the low price, you are getting a solid simulation of a real powerlifting meet for your home or in a commercial gym that wants to mix up things a little. Compared to other models it is also great that the roller cups pioneered by ghost fitness have been implemented into the design. These make sure that the bar will always be centered dead in the middle when you start your lift without having to inch it around. When you are moving more than 400 pounds for doubles and singles on a regular basis, this does make a big difference to your bench and squat setup. The bench itself is also easy to roll in and out which can be cumbersome with other designs, where you need two people to drop the bench setup in and lift it out of the frame.

Cons of the TITAN Combo rack

Cons of the TITAN combo rack:

Finish
Space requirements
Not for beginners
Not very versatile

As with all TITAN products you have to cut corners to offer a similar product at half or even one-fifth of the price. Where other vendors go down the route of purposely overbuilding their products for extra safety and comfort, TITAN takes the approach of just enough. This means that the lifetime of their products is usually shorter and they take less abuse, while still being functional. In the TITAN combo rack, this comes to show in the roller j cup design and the height adjustments. While Rogue and Ghost are testing to make the adjustments as smooth as possible you will need more elbow grease or a bit of sandpaper with the shipped TITAN combo rack. If you hold the rollers used in the TITAN setup against the ones from Ghost fitness you will also notice a vast difference in detail and beefiness. Especially in these small items that are designed for convenience, this makes a difference of day and night. So really think about what kind of user you are before buying a TITAN or other product in the market.

While you will think at first that this is a good 2 in 1 option to save space you might be wrong. What is elusive about higher prices squat stands is that they create more stability by placing a frame on the ground. The TITAN combo rack is no different. While it is easier to move around this combo rack than a full rack, it still takes up the same footprint. This is an easy mistake to make, especially if you do not spend a lot of time planning your purchase. For home gym owners you also have to be aware that you can not use the combo rack for storage of plates and other plates to the same extent as a full rack. So think twice when you buy for budget r space reasons, as this is not what the TITAN combo rack has really been designed for.

The TITAN combo rack is also not really suitable for beginners. The height adjustments are technical and assume a team of people at a powerlifting meet to make adjustments. What is a great set up in a competition where four to five people can quickly weasel around the rack and make the necessary adjustments can turn into a right nightmare when you have to do it by yourself at home. Traditional J-Cups in a normal rack are a lot easier to adjust.

The last disadvantage is that a combo rack is not very versatile if you want a fully functioning gym. The spotter arms are a little short and not great for pin squat, rack pulls and other partial movements on the big three. You will also have a hard time setting this rack up for pull-ups, band-aided work, or using it as a yoke or sled. Combined with the fact that it is also not foldable it is not what you first would think it is. Especially if you buy for space and money-saving purposes only.

Alternatives to the TITAN combo rack

Alternatives to the TITAN combo rack are:

Folding rack
Full-size rack
Squat stands
Bench press rack

A folding rack is a good alternative if your main reason for considering the combo rack is to save space and money. These racks are available at the same or even a slightly lower price point and are a lot more versatile. They can be folded up and also be used for other exercises except for the big three lifts. If you want to build a garage gym that still needs to compromise space with cars, bicycles, and tools, this is a lot better than a combo rack.

A full-size rack would be the better option for the uncompromising garage or basement gym or commercial gym. It is safer to exercise in this and you can also store a lot of your equipment, especially plates and bands, directly on the rack. A full-size rack will also leave you with more options for upgrades in the future for attachments like pull up bars and other toys to mix up a training a little. Pin squats and rack pulls are also easier performed in a full-size rack.

Simple squat stands can be a good option if you already have some bench press setup and want to add the possibility to squat. If you get some unconnected squat stands you can create a very cheap and space-efficient squat setup. The only downside to this is that you really need to know what you are doing as the injury risk goes through the roof if you are not careful with the pins and where you place the uprights. These uprights are usually very light and not attached to the ground. Inexperience, a low budget, and ego lifting are a great recipe to have a serious home accident. Therefore, I only recommend this setup to people who know how to squat, how to drop a heavy weight safely, and take the trouble of putting some markers on the floor for their ideal setup. Duct tape will do but mark how far these uprights will go apart.

The TITAN bench press rack is a good alternative for your home gym if you ready have a rack and the space to add another bench station to your line up. This is also a good alternative for a professional gym instead of the traditional bench pressing stations, as the bench press rack leaves more options to work with bands and partial range of motion.

Conclusion for the TITAN Combo rack

The TITAN combo rack addresses a very specific niche of powerlifters with a small budget who want to simulate competition at home. If you fit that nice, I think you will be happy with a TITAN combo rack. You will not shell out $2000 to $5000 dollars for getting that little edge in competition because you know your setup. Especially if your training partner lives close or even in the same house with you, this is a good purchase. You will also need to transport the combo rack and adjust it as much, so the minor quality issues will not weigh in as much as for someone who holds powerlifting meets on a regular basis. If you are a small and light athlete, this does plenty for you. Bigger athletes might want to opt for the Rogue combo rack as it has been built sturdier. he same goes for commercial gyms that have regular usage of a combo rack and can foresee that the TITAN might not hold up to the abuse of 10-20 members that use it regularly in a week. If you regularly train with beasts of various sizes and hold meets the Ghost strong combo rack HD is the gold standard. It is overbuilt in every way and smooth, but also comes at a ridiculously high price, as the labor is not standardized or offshored.