TITAN smith machine vs TITAN plate loaded fly machine

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

Overview and review of the TITAN plate loaded fly machine $474

This is an overview of the TITAN plate loaded fly 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 fly machine

The plate loaded fly machine is a classic in bodybuilding and an exercise that is frequently done in gyms all over the world. Flyes will build your back and chest. They are a great accessory to any chest day after you have finished your bench presses. The full list of Features for the TITAN plate loaded fly machine includes:

- Develops pectoral, chest, shoulder, and back muscles.

- Dual overhead cams offer independent and collaborative conditioning.

- Swiveling handles for exceptional range of motion.

- Thick, comfortable seat and back pads.

- Fully adjustable to accommodate users of all sizes.

- 2-in x 2-in, 12-gauge steel frame.

- Plate Sleeve: 2 Posts that fit Olympic sized plates.

- Dimensions: 65-in x 32-in x 28-in.

- Weight Capacity: 300 lb.

- Assembled Weight: 91 lb.

This is a solid machine for a home gym or a private gym where people k ow what they are doing and want to train flyes.

Pros of the TITAN plate loaded fly machine

The pros of the TITAN plate loaded fly machine are:

Price
Plate loaded
Seat and position

As all TITAN products the plate loaded fly machine comes in at an excellent price. TITAN usually undercuts the competition by about half and this is no exception. If you want a fly machine with warranty and a reliable vendor behind it than TITAN is a good address for you.

If you are building a home gym plate loaded machines are great as they safe you money for paying for the weight you train with multiple times over. If you are all about cutting cost than getting some plates and a bunch of plate loaded machines to go with them is a good strategy.

For training it is always great to have a proper machine with a good frame to sit in to target the smaller muscle groups. This fly machine delivers on that concept.

Cons of the TITAN plate loaded fly machine

The cons of the plate loaded fly machine are:

Cons of the TITAN plate loaded fly machine are:

Plate loaded
One trick pony
Makeshift

While plate loaded is great if you are building a gym for yourself and training buddy in your basement it is less than optimal in a commercial setting. Plate loading machines makes your workouts longer, creates trip hazards and exposes your clients to higher injury risk. If you run a heavily frequented gym that gets crowded in rush hours, than go with a fly machine that includes a weight stack.

This machine is also a one trick pony whic makes it less attractive for use in a home gym compared to other products from TITAN. If you want to optimize your money and space, steer away from this machine and look into the ones that are more multi functional.

The last point against the TITAN plate loaded fly machine is that the pulleys are exposed which gives the machine a makeshift feel. It does not feel like you could throw a truck at it and it will hold. It wi do the job, but if you are big and intend on putting a lot of abuse on it, you might want to look elsewhere.

Alternatives to the TITAN plate loaded fly machine

If you have the space you can get a complete training unit with the cable crossover machine from TITAN. You can also perform flyes with this and many other exercises you might want to do. The only downside is that the frame is very large and you get no seat with the machine. To get a similar experience you would also need to buy a bench from TITAN. In return your setup will be more modular and flexible.

The Titan plate loaded functional trainer is a good option for a home gym that wants to add a multitude of cable pulley exercises. If you already have a rack and bench in your home and want for to do more accessory movements to stay fit and support the big weights, than this is a good budget option. It might not be the ideal solution for a commercial gym as it is plate loaded. In those scenarios a machine with a weight stack is a better option.

The TITAN functional trainer does basically the same as the plate loaded with the difference that it comes with two 200 lbs weight stacks in addition to the frame. This makes it easier to load and get a quick workout done. This is the less messy functional trainer from TITAN but comes at the hefty price of $2000.

A set of TITAN dumbbells can also be used if all that you are interested in are flyes. In combination with a bench you are in the same ballpark as the price for the fly machine.

Conclusion for the TITAN plate loaded fly machine

The TITAN plate loaded glute machine is a great option for a spacious home gym than can afford your have multiple machines. If you have an Iron den where all of your clients know what they are doing and are few in umbers this can also work. In highly frequented gyms a fly machine with a weight stack might be the better choice. Home gyms with small space should stay clear from this single purpose machine and optimize your space better.

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.