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TITAN smith machine vs TITAN plate loaded deltoid machine

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Dec 21, 2020 5:00:00 PM

TITAN smith machine vs TITAN plate loaded deltoid machine

This is a comparison between the TITAN smith machine and the TITAN plate loaded deltoid machine including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

 

Overview and review of the TITAN plate loaded deltoid machine $479.99

This is an overview of the TITAN plate loaded deltoid 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 Plate loaded deltoid machine

 
The TITAN plate loaded deltoid machine is another two in one machine from TITAN. With this machine you can do seated presses and deltoid raises. The machine is solid, but nur overbuilt. Resistance is added by loading plates on the respective pins. The machine fits standard Olympic plates. This is a great machine for a home gym with more than average floor space. In a commercial gym you might wan to get two separate machines with their own weight stacks. The full list of features for the TITAN deltoid machine includes:
 
- Independent arm movement
- Shoulder press sealed bearings
- Olympic sized plate sleeves
- Adjustable seat height to fit athletes of all sizes
- Square steel tube frame construction
- Shoulder press has (2) sets of stationary handles
- Delt raise has 10-in. forearm pads with fixed handles
- Includes rubber feet for secure contact
 
- Overall Height (U-Frame Extended Up): 65-in.
- Overall Length: 39-in.
- Overall Width: 35-in.
- Back Pad Dimensions: 18-in x 9.75-in x 2.25-in.
- Seat Pad Dimensions: 10.5-in x 11.25-in x 2.25-in.
- Arm Pad Dimensions: 10-in x 5-in x 1.75-in.
- Sleeve Diameter: 50 mm.
- Weight Sleeve Length: 9.75-in.
- Handle Length: 5.25-in.
- Finish: Powder-Coated Black
- Material: 2-in x 2-in 11-GA Steel
- Weight Capacity: 700 lb.
- Product Weight: 149 lb.
 
Great machine for anyone who has the space in their backyard or basement gym and does not want to shell out money for two separate machines.
 

Pros of the TITAN Plate loaded deltoid machine

 
The pros of the TITAN deltoid machine are:
 
  • 2 in 1 design
  • Price
  • Plate loaded
 
The two in one design of this machine saves space and cost. This is especially interesting for anyone who wants to but a big home gym for themselves. If your clients are into loading plates on a machine it might even be for a commercial gym.
 
As with all TITAN products the deltoid machine is optimized for price. This means that it undercuts the competition by almost half and therefore makes your dollars last longer.
 
The fact that this machine is plate loaded means that you also save on paying for the weight stack that normally comes with machines. If you already have plates and do not mind loading and loading them in the machine, this is another welcome saving.
 

Cons of the TITAN plate loaded deltoid machine

 
 
  • Plate loaded
  • Build
  • Space requirements
 
Having a plate loaded machine is great when you are a single person in a basement. It is also ok in a that has a few people around who know what they are doing. This would be a private gym or dedicated powerlifting and weightlifting gym where the general public feels too intimidated to train. In a commercial gym for the masses you are better off with a weight stack for your machines. This results in fewer opportunities to trip up, the clients are in and out quicker and fewer plates for the staff to clean up.
 
This machine is been built with the average make in mind, which also holds true for almost all TITAN products. As TITAN uses as much material as necessary, but not more that makes things cost effective. That does not mean that TITAN has the most stable and durable equipment in the market. Rogue and Eleiko follow the philosophy of overbuilding their products. This means you pay more but your stuff is also bullet proof. This is a other reason why TITAN is a great choice for the average Joe who builds a massive gym. If you are a monster, professional lifter, or run a gym with a crowd of roid rage fanatics, than you need to step up a little.
 

Alternatives to the TITAN plate loaded deltoid machine

 
 
The TITAN plate loaded neck machine is an alternative to the deltoid machine to train your your neck. It comes in at roughly the same price as the deltoid machine and therefore might be something to think about for anyone who wants to strengthen their neck.
 

Conclusion for the TITAN plate loaded deltoid machine

 
This is a great 2 in 1 machine for the spacious home gym and fits right in this TITAN strategy. TITAN has multiple of these plate loaded machines that downtown things to save time and space. For a commercial gym this machine might be a little too haphazard but for home use it is ideal, as long as your basement, garage, of attic is big enough to take a rack and a couple of machines.
 
 
 

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.