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TITAN smith machine vs TITAN Glute and hamstring combo

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Dec 15, 2020 5:00:00 PM

TITAN smith machine vs TITAN Glute and hamstring combo

This is a comparison between the TITAN smith machine and the TITAN Glute and hamstring combo including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

 
 

Overview and review of the TITAN Glute and hamstring combo $699

This is an overview of the TITAN Glute and hamstring combo 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 Glute and Hamstring combo

 
The Glute and hamstring combo from TITAN is the Flagship version of a glute and hamstring machine in their portfolio. TITAN has many other variations of this, but this one is the most comprehensive and sturdy. It does what it says on the tin and is a great addition to any home gym or powerlifting gy as an addition to the essential items. This is not the forst thing to get for your gym but a good contender for the second purchase or third depending on your training preferences. In commercial gyms most people will not know how to use this properly and be intimidated by it. If you are working a lot with powerlifters and weightlifters, this might just be the machine to set you apart from the other gyms around the corner. The full list of features includes:
 
- All the exercises of a GHD and an H-PND in one comprehensive machine
- Heavy-duty steel construction guarantees years of dependability
- Fits Olympic size weight plates
- 10-inch of loadable sleeve length
- Includes (2) spring clip collars and a strap
- Adjustable footplate height and length
- Adjustable handle length
 
- Overall Footprint: 70-in x 42.5-in.
- Overall Length (handle extended): 79-in.
- Overall Width: 42.5-in.
- Pad Dimensions: 28-in x 16-in.
- Pad Middle Gap: 4.75-in.
- Grip Length: 6-in.
- Grip Diameter: 1.25-in.
- Arm Length: 28-in.
- Anchor Length: 25-in.
- Overall Weight: 253 lb.
 
- Handle Adjusts 6 holes: 2-in spacing
- Pendulum Adjusts 11 holes: 2-in spacing
- Foothold Dimensions: 7-in x 2.5-in.
- Footplate Dimensions: 19.75-in x 13.75-in.
- Footplate Adjustable Length 7 holes: 2-in spacing
- Footplate Adjustable Height: 45.5-in to 51.5-in from floor at 1-in spacing
 
This is the best Glute and hamstring combo you can get for its price. It is not the best in the market, but you will safe considerably compared to its direct competitor, the Rogue Donkey.
 

Pros of the TITAN Glute and Hamstring combo

 
 
  • Price
  • Space efficient
  • Highly adjustable
 
As with many TITAN fitness items you pay about half of what the competition charges for a similar product. This can get very interesting for someone who buys in bulk or for their home gym. You can never argue with a good bit of saving and this also goes for the TITAN Glute and hamstring combo.
 
The TITAN Glute and hamstring combo saves space as the design combines glute and hamstring machines in one station. This means you have to place fewer machines in your gym to achieve the same range of exercises in your space.
 
What TITAN also get right about this one is that they made all the handles and levers highly adjustable. One of the main problems with these types of machines is that it can get very uncomfortable and downright damaging to your body, if you can not adjust them properly to your body dimensions. TITAN delivers on this for this model.
 

Cons of the TITAN Glute and Hamstring combo

 
The cons of the TITAN Glute and Hamstring combo are:
 
  • Padding
  • Space requirement
  • Underused
  • Instructions
 
The only thing TITAN could have paid more attention to in this design is the padding of the middle part of the Glute and hamstring combo. The padding is probably as thin as one you would find on a preacher curl machine. The difference is that you will rest your entire bodyweight on this one. That was an oversight when this was drawn up and shows that it was designed by someone who wanted to make a quick copy of the competition rather than someone who actually uses the machine.
 
A Glute and ham combo takes up considerable amount of space in your gym. In addition it also swings out to the back so you can not really place any other equipment right behind it. Pay close attention to your measurement and have a lot of clearance around this machine as it otherwise it becomes dangerous or unusable. IN addition the use of this machine is pretty niche. Only powerlifters and strength athletes will use it a lot which does not make it a great choice for your average commercial gym.
 
As with most TITAN machines with a lot of moving parts the instructions for putting this together leave a lot to be desired. What you save in cash you have to make up for in tim invested to put this thing together.
 

Alternatives to the TITAN Glute and Hamstring combo

 
 
The Glute and hamstring developer is slightly less expensive than the combo. It does not have the reverse hyper extension and offers fewer exercise options. In exchange the padding is superior to the Glute and hamstring combo. Both machines take up roughly the same footprint in your gym.
 
The TITAN H-PND is the massive reverse hyper from TITAN. It is huge and sturdy and you can not do a lot with this one for the price. The only exception is that it might not fit in your gym. If you are looking for a monster of a reverse hyper for your gym, this is it.
 
The TITAN Economy H-PND is the base for the Glute and hamstring combo. This has been stripped of the Glute ham options to make it a 100% reverse hyper. TITAN might consider to also make a version based on the H-PND rather than the economy only. If you only want a reverse hyper for a reasonable price that is not massive, this is the one to get.
 
The Rogue donkey is the gold standard for glute and hamstring developers that you can currently get. The pad is massive and everything about this machine is overbuilt. So is the price.  The Rogue donkey will put you back $1.945. You can get three TITAN versions for this price.
 

Conclusion for the TITAN Glute and Hamstring combo

 
This machine is good for a home gym for someone of average size. If you are a massive powerlifter or bodybuilder you might want to tend towards the Rogue donkey. Same goes for a gym focused on the powerlifting population, even though it is massively more expensive. Also, these machines are more hype than they actually get used. More often than not you will only get very little use out of them and they just gather dust. Teaching your members how to do good mornings might be a better way for you to save money and space in your gym.
 
 

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

 
The pros of the TITAN smith machine are:
 
  • 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 cons for the TITAN smith machine are:
 
  • Awkward racking mechanism
  • Space requirements
  • Attached barbell
  • Instructions / customer service
 
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 have $1000 to spent on equipment I think you are better off to shell it out on a rack and barbell than a smith machine. A good rack from TITAN can be had at $500. A decent one would even start at $200. The Atlas bar comes in at around $200 and a set of 230lbs bumper plates is $375 from TITAN.
 
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.
 
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