TITAN smith machine vs TITAN plate loadable functional trainer
This is a comparison between the TITAN smith machine and the TITAN plate loadable functional trainer including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the TITAN plate loadable functional trainer $749
This is an overview of the TITAN plate loadable functional trainer 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 for the TITAN Plate loaded functional trainer
The
TITAN plate loaded functional trainer is a great budget option to get a multi directional
functional trainer into your home. Especially if you have already a
rack and
barbell setup at home and just not to reuse the
plates for this machine.
Functional trainers are great to pack a lot of exercises in one space. With this machine from TITAN you can get in your rows, vertical pulls,
flyes, and even use it for deadlifts and squats. All the needed handles and accessories are included in the shipping. The full list of features includes:
- Comprehensive pulley options including lat, row, and pulldown
- Two 9 1/4” Olympic plate sleeves
- Tough steel design will last for years to come
- Pull-up bar installed at the top
- Sleek black and silver design
- Titan Fitness faceplate included
- Max user load: 390 LB
- Overall Footprint: 61” Width x 53” Depth
- Loadable Sleeve Length: 9 1/4”
- Overall height: 81”
- Side handle length: 5”
- Side handle diameter: 1”
- Row handle length: 14 1/4”
- Row grip length: 5” (each)
- Row handle diameter: 1”
- Lat pulldown handle length: 37 1/2”
- Lat pulldown grip length: 5”
- Lat pulldown handle diameter: 1”
This is a great budget option for a functional trainer for home gym use. In a commercial setting there might be too many moving parts.
Pros of the TITAN Plate loaded functional trainer
The best thing about the
TITAN plate loaded functional trainer is the low price.
Functional trainers can cost up to $5000 depending on the make, quality, and mechanics used. With this you can have an entire gym in your basement for $700 assuming you already own
plates. If you do not a set of TITAN
plates can be had for $375. TITAN is already budget orientated as a manufacturer and this is a budget design. If you are strapped for cash, this is a good investment.
The pulley system on this
functional trainer works in many directions. You can pull up, down, and also use the machine for horizontal pulls. You get everything you need to build muscle and build an attractive physique. It goes above and beyond home trainers that only use your body weight as you can use the
plates to continuously get stronger.
If you look at how many exercises you can do in small space, this machine is also great. It takes up the same space as a
leg press machine, but you can do so many more exercises on it. This makes it a good choice for rehab centers, yoga instructors and other lifestyle and health out fits that want to add some gentle strength training to their services.
Cons of the TITAN Plate loaded functional trainer
-
Plate loaded
-
Makeshift
-
Many moving parts
The fact that the
plate loaded functional trainer is
plate loaded makes it cheaper, but also means that you have to have
plates and storage for them first. Also handling the
plates can be a pain, as you need to fit them onto the pins and get them off. If you like to "run the rack" in your exercises, this machine is more of a pain than a gain. The many
plates can also be a hindrance when you are working with a client and create a trip hazard.
The hole construction has a bit of a makeshift feel about it. This is often the case when the exercise machine is majorly a combination of pulley which have been connected on a frame. That is the entire idea of this machine, but it doesn't make it something that I want to use on a regular basis. If you are not strapped for cash, you might want to opt for the
functional trainer from TITAN that includes to weight stacks. If your commercial gym wants to convey a slick and hip image to your clients this might also not be the right choice. This model screams iron den.
The many moving parts also make the assembly of the
TITAN plate loaded functional trainer complex. TITA is known for bad manuals and occasional missing out in small parts in the shipping. If you are missing a small part in your shipment it is next to impossible to source it separately from the vendor. You will either end up with more big parts to just get one small part or at your local DIY store.
Alternatives to the TITAN Plate loaded functional trainer
The
TITAN functional trainer is the big brother of the
plate loaded functional trainer. It ships with two 200lbs weight stacks. While these can have their own challenges, this is the cleaner and more stable installation once it is set up. If you buy a
functional trainer as an addition to a health/spa or yoga gym, this is the better choice. This is also the better choice in a gym with high footfall as it creates fewer opportunities to break the machine while loading the
plates. The only disadvantage is that you have to fork out about $1300 more to get this version of the
functional trainer.
The
TITAN lat tower is a great addition to any home gym that means business. Usually you will already have a couple of
kettlebells,
dumbbells, and a
rack with
plates and a
barbell before considering this. As a second purchase to add a sizable machine to your home gym the
lat tower is a better choice than the
plate load able functional trainer. The quality of the pulleys is better, you can load it with up to 300lbs, and it will provide a weight stack to your for a different form of training for you.
The
TITAN hack squat leg press is also slightly more expensive, but provides a good focus on your legs. If you have the space and prefer dedicated machines over multi functional machines in your training, than you can consider the hack squat
leg press machine as a 2 in 1 for your home gym. For commercial gyms this is not necessarily the best option as 2 for 1 always means you need more instructions for the machine or higher injury risk due to using it incorrectly.
Conclusion for the TITAN Plate loaded functional trainer
The
TITAN plate loaded functional trainer is a great solution for a dorm basement where everyone chips in. Especially if there are already some
plates available. If you are building a garage gym in your home and you have the spare change I would lean more towards the
TITAN functional trainer or the
lat tower as an addition to your already existing
rack or as a training station for the entire family.
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.