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TITAN smith machine vs TITAN H-PND

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Dec 17, 2020 5:00:00 PM

TITAN smith machine vs TITAN H-PND

This is a comparison between the TITAN smith machine and the TITAN H-PND including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

 
 

Overview and review of the TITAN H-PND $574

This is an overview of the TITAN H-PND 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 H-PND

 
The TITAN H-PND is a reverse hyper that is built solid like a tank. With this machine you can attack your lower back and train up the area to improve your deadlift and the squat. The lower back is usually an area of your body that falls short with regular gym machines and barbell training. A reverse hyper like the H-PND can take care of this and make your back figuratively bullet proof. The full list of specifications for this model includes:
 
- Overall Weight: 250 lbs.
- Overall Height: 44.5-in
- Footprint: 52.25-in x 41-in
- Sleeve Diameter: 2-in
- Loadable Sleeve Length: 10-in
- Step Dimensions: 3-in x 3-in Tubing, 8-in Long.
 
This is a solid reverse hyper for a solid price. If you need big equipment because you are massive but do not want to pay massive bucks, this is a great option to add a reverse hyper to your training arsenal-
 

Pros of the TITAN H-PND

 
The pros of the TITAN H-PND are:
 
  • Price
  • Massive Pad
  • Massive structure
 
The price of a reverse hyper this weight and height is unmatched in the industry. As so often with TITAN equipment they undercut the competition from Rogue and Eleiko by almost half.
 
The pad which you lay on his huge on the TITAN H-PND. This provides comfort and safety for an exercise that can get very uncomfortable and even harmful very quick if it is not set up in the right way.
 
This thing will go nowhere. It is big and heavy and that is good, if you need one as small people usually do no use this type of equipment that much.
 

Cons of the TITAN H-PND

 
The cons of the H-PND are:
 
  • Space requirement
  • Low use
 
This machine eats up quite  bit of space, especially in a home gym. While a lot of powerlifters and weightlifters say that this machine massively helped them to set new personal records and feel less lower back, it still runs a high risk to not be utilized enough. Quite a few home gym owners sell these as they find that they can make better use of their limited space with  other equipment.
 

Alternatives to the TITAN H-PND

 
 
The Titan economy H-PND is the cheaper and smaller version of the TITAN H-PND. Especially if you are small yourself and have limited space and budget this might be the better version for you. The TITAN economy also functions as the base for the TITAN Glute and ham combo.
 
If are not massive and can afford the Glute and hamstring combo from TITAN than this is probably the better buy. You will get more use out of your space buy opting for this variation on the H-PND without giving up too much space. If you are buying for your own home gym, definetly like at this before checking out. In a commercial setting you might want to get two different machines, one glute ham and one reverse hyper. It is only slightly more money than getting the combo but you get the benefit of being able to handle more people at the same time or running circuit training.
 
The Rogue donkey is the gold standard in the industry for GHDs and Reverse hypers to date. Everything on this machine is in the right place and sturdy. The pad is massive and has a beautiful leather finish that is also practical. With all things which are exceptionally nice, they come at an exceptional price. The Rogue Donkey is no exception and retails at $1.950. Worth it, but only if you are flush with cash.
 

Conclusion for the TITAN H-PND

 
The TITAN H-PND is a great budget option for one of the sturdiest reverse hypers you can find in the market. If your goal is to provide a lot of variety to your clients and you have the space, there is not a lot you can do wrong by buying this reverse hyper. If you are challenged for the space you might want to get the combo instead or the Donkey, depending on budget. All in all a Reverse hyper is not the most essential item to training, so you might want to look for other pieces to the puzzle first. A belt squat machine could be such an option.
 
 

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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