TITAN T bar row machine vs TITAN plate loadable tower V2

This is a comparison between the TITAN T bar row machine and the TITAN plate loadable tower V2 including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the TITAN Plate loadable tower V2 $409

This is an overview of the TITAN Plate loadable tower V2 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 loadable lat tower

The TITAN plate loadable lat tower is a solid budget option for a lat tower. It stands by itself and is stable to use. It shops with the lat bar and row handle included which makes it a complete solution. There is not a lot you can do wring with this one if you want a lat pull tower on a budget. The full specifications of the TITAN plate loadable lat tower are:

- Dual 13-inch weight posts fit Olympic weight plates

- Four adjustable positions for the thigh pads will fit athletes of all body types

- A durable steel frame and powder-coated paint job deliver a sleek look that will last for years to come

- Four Bolt down holes give you the option for permanent mounting in your home or garage gym

- Includes lat bar and low row handle

- Overall Height: 84-in.

- Overall Depth: 56.5-in.

- Overall Width: 48-in.

- Loadable Sleeve Length: 13-in.

- Lat Handle Length: 37.5-in.

- Low Row Handle Length: 15-in.

This is a great budget option for any home gym or Iron den where people know what they are doing. It can even be used in a commercial with less experienced clients, as the plate loading mechanism is not as exposed as with other TITAN machines.

Pros of the TITAN loadable lat tower

The pros of the TITAN loadable lat tower are:

Price
Handles included
Stable design

One of the main arguments to go for TITAN products is the low price for industrial grade gym machine. The TITAN plate loaded lat tower makes no exception to this rule. For me, it is one of the better machines you can get from TITAN as it is stable and the pulley work is not as exposed as for the Cable crossover machine.

Another bonus is that the lat bar and row handle are also included in the price tag. You can shell out up to $200 for these items each depending on where you get them.

This whole machine is more stable than some of the other TITAN machines in the lower price range. I would definitely get this any day over the Cable crossover machine from TITAN.

Cons of the TITAN loadable lat tower

Cons of the TITAN loadable lat tower:

Plate loaded
No push movements
Build for normal humans, not superhumans

Plate loaded machines are great when you are the only user or this is not a lot of people around who frequent the machines. If you run a gym with peak times and people falling over each other, than you want the weights on the machine rather than separately on a plate tree.

The TITAN plate loaded lat tower is designed for pulling motions only. You can not adjust the pulley to make push movements possible. This lmits the range of exercises you can do with this machine. This becomes especially relevant when this is the only machine you intend to buy for your home gym. Here the functional trainer from TITAN might be the better choice.

As with all TITAN machines they have been produced with the average human in mind to save costs. Other vendors like Eleiko and Rogue think of the biggest possible human who could use their machines and build their machines around that. If you are 6 foot tall and weigh more than 250 pounds you might not like the seat on this or even rock the entire machine when you do your berserker mode pulls.

Alternatives to the TITAN loadable lat tower

The TITAN lat tower is a clone of the Rogue lat pull at a substantial lower cost. This is the lat pull machine to get for the commercial gym that puts the machine through a lot of abuse or the home gym fanatic who listens to heavy metal while pulling 300 pounds for sets of 20.

The TITAN wall mounted pulley is in my opinion one of the best options for a budget focused home gym to get all of their pulling needs covered. It is safer then some of the other makeshift machines from TITAN and costs less. The only downside is that it does not come with a seat and needs to be drilled into the wall to work.

The TITAN plate loadable functional trainer is the optimal compromise between budget and functionality, especially for the home gym. The pulley work as a little too exposed for most commercial scenarios and plate loading also does not help the case here.But in a home gym where you already own the plates and want to cover all of your accessory this is ideal.

Conclusion for the TITAN plate loadable lat tower

The TITAN plate loadable lat tower is a great option for the home gym owned by the average joe, as long as space allows for it. A professional gym might be better off with the functional trainer. If you lack space in your home gym for a while park of machines you might want to consider the plate loaded functional trainer as it eats up similar space, but offers more options on exercises.

Overview and review of the TITAN T bar row machine $489

This is an overview of the TITAN T bar row 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 T bar row machine

The TITAN T bar row machine is their take on a classic in every gym. Most movie montages with bodybuilders will include some type of the t bar row and with good reason. The T bar row is a staple in building bigger backs and putting on mass. With a dedicated station for T bar rows you save time for the setup and can go heavier. This station takes up considerable space and therefore might be not the best option for a home gym. In my opinion a commercial gym that wants to provide strength to their clients absolutely needs one of these. The full specifications of the TITAN T bar row machine are:

- Dual diamond plated footplates for grip

- Vertical and horizontal grip handles with a durable rubber grip

- Adjustable handle height

- Includes holes for bolting the machine to the floor

- Olympic sized weight plate holders

- Tough, solid steel construction is long-lasting and dependable

- Powder-coated paint job prevents rust and early scuffing

- Overall Height: 22.5-in.

- Overall Length: 39.5-in.

- Overall Width: 85-in.

- Footplate Dimensions: 15.75-in x 8.65-in.

- Grip Handle Diameter: 25 mm.

- Weight Sleeve Length: 12.7-in.

- Knurling: Medium Diamond Texture

- Finish: Powder-Coated Black

- Material: 2-in x 2-in 11-GA Steel

- Weight Capacity: 440 lb.

- Product Weight: 150 lb.

This is a great addition to any commercial gym that has the space.

Pros of the TITAN T bar row machine

The pros of the TITAN T bar row machine are:

Price
Well built frame
Easy use on heavy rows
Weight moves inside rather than outside your frame

One of the main advantages of buying from TITAN fitness is that they undercut their competition on most of their products by half. The T bar row is no exception in this. As a T bar row station is no rocket science to build, you should try to save some money on it. Where I would lean towards spending a little more are belt squat machines, barbells, and functional trainers. These take a little more care and engineering to build well.

The frame of the T Bar row is heavy and can take big weights and athletes. If you have people rowing multiple plates on a regular basis,this is the machine to get.

A big advantage of T bar rows is that you can load them very heavy fairly easy. With a barbell you always need to load on both ends, while with a T bar row you can just keep adding at the front. With the station it also means that the pin rests in a place where you can immediately add plates without the need to jack up a barbell.

Compared to barbell rows t bar rows also behave a little differently as the weight moves inside the athlete's frame rather than outside of it. It is a minor thing, but it can be nice to break the routine and row on a t bar, rather than with a barbell.

Cons of the TITAN T bar row machine

Cons of the TITAN T bar row machine:

Space requirements
Price

The main point against a T-Bar row machine is that it eats up a lot of space to only do one thing. Barbell rows can pretty much do the same thing and also leave more room for variations. This makes the T Bar row a bad choice for home gyms that need to save space. Here a landmine combined with a barbell handle for t bar rows comes in handy.

The price of a T bar row machine is hard to justify, if you already have plates and a barbell. With this equipment you can build your back and row the heck out of your body to get bigger already.

Alternatives for the TITAN T bar row machine

TITAN Chest supported adjustable row bench
TITAN Adjustable prone row machine
TITAN Plate loaded seated row
Rogue T bar row machine
Landmine attachment and barbell handle

The TITAN chest supported adjustable row bench is a very specific machine that minimizes the activation of the entire body in the row to focus on the back only. This is popular with powerlifters and strongmen, but not necesserily the best machine to get for the average commercial gym. It also puts your body at a 45 degree angle to make the exercise more stable and challenging.

The TITAN Adjustable prone row machine is a variation on the barbell row which allows full extension of the arms when rowing while lying flat. This is also a good exercise for building your back which is popular among powerlifters and bodybuilders. Therefore this machine is more geared towards the "hardcore" gyms rather than the more mainstream ones. In a home gym setting you might give up too much space for a machine that can only do one thing.

The plate loaded seated row is a classic you find in many gyms up and down the country. If you have a spacious home gym this is an option as it takes up little space compared to other machines. For a commercial setting i think one of these is a must. In very frequented commercial gyms you might want to consider a version with its own weight stack rather than a plate loaded one to save time for your customers.

The Rogue T bar machine is the direct competitor of the TITAN T bar row. The price difference between the TITAN and Rogue version is $200. If you only want to do T bar rows, get the TITAN version and save yourself $200. The main difference in design is that the Rogue version also allows for band pegs to be used so you can do banded rows. If you are big into the west side method in your gym, get the Rogue one instead, as attaching bands to the TITAN version is awkward at best. Remember to add the band pegs to your order with Rogue as there are none included on the T bar row order (on rack orders this happens automatically).

If you want to T bar row in your home gym, try to get the cheapest landmine attachment for your rack and a handle for your barbell. Also keep the handle relatively small so that it is easy to store. Otherwise it will just be in the way most of the times. For a homegym that only fits a rack, this is the best option to do T bar rows. In a home gym you also do not have to worry that you will wreck the equipment for setting it up for the T bar row.

Conclusion for the TITAN T bar row machine

The TITAN T bar row machine is a great option for any commercial gym to save cost and still provide a proper t bar row to their clients, I personally think a T bar row machine is a requirement for a commercial gym that has the necessary floor space. Get rid of one of the many bench stations most of the big gyms have and install a T bar row instead. The general gym rat population should do more rows anyway. In a home gym scenario the T bar row is a massive one trick pony that eats into your space. Attach a landmine to your rack instead and get a handle while minimizing cost on thise. If you are not careful you might shell out up to $500 on these two items in total so try to keep it cheap, unless money is not an issue for you.