TITAN smith machine vs TITAN Outdoor power tower

This is a comparison between the TITAN smith machine and the TITAN Outdoor power tower including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the TITAN Outdoor Power tower $319

This is an overview of the TITAN Outdoor power tower 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 outdoor power tower

The TITAN outdoor power tower is a good option for anyone who wants to train and their backyard. If you want to take your general fitness to the next level, this power tower is a good choice. It has extra solid steel tubing and an additional blue powder coat which protects it against the weather. The full specifications of of the TITAN outdoor power tower are:

- Heavy duty steel construction.

- Simple bolt together design.

- Weather resistant hardware and tubing.

- Heavy blue powder coat.

- Base Footprint: 29" x 49.5"

- Height: 86"

- Distance Between Uprights: 22.5"

- Dip / Push-up Bar Width: 26"

- Pull-up Bar Width: 48"

- Pull-up / Push-up / Dip Bar Diameter: 1.25"

- Frame: 3" Tubing.

- Color: Blue.

- Weight: 98 LB.

This is a great outdoor option for anyone who can already do some pull ups and dips. If you are not at this fitness level you might want to get something that helps you lose weight first.

Pros of the TITAN outdoor power tower

The pros of the TITAN outdoor power tower are:

Extra coating
Thicker tubing
All in one for bodyweight training

The extra coating of this power tower will make it last longer if you can not put it under shelter in your backyard. Other power towers will not come with this extra coating and therefore run a higher risk of corroding. Especially if you have extreme weather conditions and no shed or carport to put it in, the extra coating will be beneficial.

This power tower also offers thicker tubing than other power towers which makes it more stable in your backyard. Still, ideally you put it on solid ground and even weigh it down or bolt it for maximum security.

This power tower delivers the necessary setup to do anything you need in the realm of calisthenics. You might also get a pull up bar and other gymnastics equipment for a similar price.

Cons of the TITAN outdoor power tower

The cons of the TITAN outdoor power tower are:

Price
versatility
Not for beginners

While TITAN offers a support system of a proper business behind this product you might not necessarily need it for something as simple as a power tower. You can get a power tower cheaper on amazon and Craigslist. It might be not as sturdy as the outdoor power tower but with a little bit of patience you can grab one for a third of the price of the TITAN product.

The outdoor power tower is also not very versatile for the footprint it takes up. If you were to get a squat stand with a pull up bar attached you will get something very similar, but with more training options as the uprights will have holes for attachments.

A power tower is not a good option for beginners, especially if you are a little overweight. Pull ups and dips are challenging and can be frustrating if you do not Bek g the necessary fitness level to do at least a few of them.

Alternatives to the TITAN outdoor power tower

Alternatives to the TITAN outdoor power tower are:

TITAN power Tower
TITAN power tower bench
Rogue Jammer pull up bar

The Titan tower power costs slightly less than the outdoor power tower as it does not have the additional coating. Apart from that it is the Sam model.

If you also want to add a bench to the power tower the TITAN power tower bench is the combination for you. This opens up more stability to the structure and further options for exercises.

The Rogue Jammer pull up bar is a great option to put over your kitchen door. Whenever you walk in or out of your kitchen you do as many pull ups as you can to stay fit.

Conclusion for the TITAN outdoor power tower

The outdoor power tower is a great option for anyone with a big backyard or garden to train with their own bodyweight. If you have teenagers at home and no space for a gym indoors, this can be great without I beating too much money and exposing them to injury.

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.

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.