Total gym GTS vs TITAN X3 home gym

This is a comparison between the Total Gym GTS and the TITAN X3 home gym. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the X3 Titan Tough Home Gym $978 - $5445

The X3 Titan home gym will put you back about $1000 - $5500. TITAN is well known for their very good prices compared to their competition and will get you started on your home gym. This review was originally posted in “which Titan rack to buy for over $500”.

Overview of the X3 home gym

The X3 Titan rack builds the center of this home gym configurator. From there you can choose several different configurations to fit your home gym to your needs without having to click everything together all over the TITAN website. The X3 has the same 3x3 uprights as the flagship Titan power rack but comes without the laser cut home numbers and big bolts. It is still a considerable piece of metal which will take a lot of abuse. The X3 comes in various depths and heights. Here are some example configurations:

Base Specifications:

- Overall Height: 80" or 90" (Short or Tall)

- Outside Width: 48"

- Inside Width: 42"

- Weight Capacity: 1,650 LB

24" Depth Specifications:

- Inside Depth: 24"

- Footprint: 52" x 34"

- Weight: 299 LB or 325 LB (Short or Tall)

36" Depth Specifications:

- Inside Depth: 36"

- Footprint: 52" x 46"

- Weight: 323 LB or 349 LB (Short or Tall)

While this is the base rack for your home gym you can configure the following options with it. Depending on your needs and space you can get very tailored with the X3 home gym.

X-3 Series Flat Foot Short Power Rack
X-3 Series Flat Foot TallPower Rack
Power Rack Leg Press
Rack Mounted H-PND
X-3 Y Dip Bar
Mounted Wall Ball Target for T-3
Landmine Rack Attachment
Women’s Olympic Bombshell Bar
Blues City Olympic Barbell
86” Olympic Weight Bar 1500 lb
5' Olympic Weightlifting Technique Bar
The Atlas Bar - Men's 20KG Barbell

The flat foot version of the X3 power rack enables you to put the rack up without having to bolt it to the floor. This is a good option when you don’t want to wreck the floor in your own home. You can get the flat feet for the short or tall version of the X3.

If you want your home gym to be a leg press as well you can use this attachment to be able to also use it as a leg press machine. Leg presses can be advantageous when you either want to isolate the legs only and want to go very heavy or when you don’t particularly like the barbell back squat. It can also be used when you have a shoulder or lower back injury.

The rack-mounted H PND is a back extension machine that can be directly attached to the TITAN rack. This is usually a good tool for seasoned athletes to take care of their lower backs and younger athletes to train the lower back area which otherwise can easily be overlooked.

If you also want to do dips at your station you can add the Y dip bar. Be aware that the upright you attach it on will be blocked for squats, bench presses or other exercises where you would like to rack a barbell in one side.

The mounted wall ball target can be used for your wall balls and conditioning. Especially helpful when there is no wall nearby to do the exercise or you are not allowed to bounce medicine balls of the walls.

A Landmine rack attachment widens the available exercises you can do with a barbell. You can do T bar rows and rotation exercises with the barbell to train your core.

The blues city and bombshell barbells are Titans cerakote bars. Cerakote coating is a special way of treating metal so that designs can be applied. It is also less like to corrode and was originally developed in the weapons industry. The only downside is that it is more likely to scratch when it touches metal. So if you do a lot of work of the pins instead of the j cups maybe get another coating.

The 86” bar is a no-nonsense bar for 1500 lbs load. It comes with a tensile strength of 190.000. The material is steel with a chrome finish.

An Olympic technique bar might be of interest to you if you have many beginners in your gym or children at home. This is a lighter barbell to focus on technique and explosiveness for the Olympic lifts. For advanced athletes technique plates with a normal barbell are usually preferred.

The atlas bar is the bread and butter barbell from Titan. A solid 20kg barbell for all purposes.

Pros of the X3 home gym

With this home gym, you get 3x3 uprights for a very reasonable price compared to other options in the market. Compared to the flagship TITAN rack you also have some other attachment options like wall balls and landmines. If you a bit more into CrossFit or Powerlifting, you might have more options for attachments with the smaller bolts used on the X3. The flat foot option also enables you to have a home gym without having to drill holes in the ground, even though most rack owners say it isn’t really needed. Still, every vendor recommends it for safety reasons.

Cons of the X3 home gym

Compared to the TITAN flagship power rack you will not be able to use the lever arms. If you are into bodybuilding specifically, this might be a downside for you. A full rack might also be to be for some. In very small spaces you might want to opt for a half-rack instead.

Alternatives to the X3 home gym

Alternatives to the X3 home gym are:

If you want to take it slow or already have quite some equipment at home you can get the Titan series power rack by itself. This lowers the cost and puts you at a lower risk to overspend because you are getting excited. If you purchase your equipment in drips and draps you will end up sinking more dollars into shipping costs.

The T2 model comes in various shapes and heights and can be configured differently for your home gym to make it fit your space. The main difference to the other Titan racks is that the uprights are 2x2 instead of 2x3 or 3x3.

The T3 rack model is also very similar to the Titan rack but comes at a lower cost. It is the same as the X3 except that it has 2x3 Gauge uprights instead of 3x3.

Summary of the X3 home gym

The X3 home gym is a good value for money option from TITAN. You get a product that has been around for longer than the TITAN power rack and still has the 3x3 uprights. If you are ok with not always getting the biggest and best this is a reasonable alternative which still ticks most of the boxes.

Titan is raising the bar on the garage gym without raising the price. Set your own gym rules with the Titan Tough garage gym package.

Overview and review of the Total gym GTS

This is an overview of the features and alternatives to the Total Gym GTS. This article was originally published under "which total gym to get". Follow the links for more details.

Total Gym GTS $3.700 - $4.666

The total gym GTS is the flagship of the total gym generation which can be directly sold to customers. This is the top-end product with all bells and whistles included and therefore also comes with the biggest price tag of $3.700. These are the features you will be getting with the Total Gym GTS:

FREE streaming workouts with Total Gym TV Basic.
22 Levels of Resistance
Workout DVD included
Over 200 Exercises on One Home Elite Gym
650lb User Weight Capacity
Hydraulic rail lift assists with level changes & easy two-step folding.
5-year Warranty on Frame, 1-year Warranty on Parts & Upholstery, 90-day Warranty on Foam & Rubber

In addition to this, you will get a multitude of addons that lets you emulate any machine you could possibly imagine in a professional commercial gym. If you want to use this machine all day around and do not have space for a full circuit of machines, this is the machine to get.

Pros of the Total GYM GTS

The total gym GTS comes with a lot of attachments and even lets you add free weights to it so you can increase the resistance even further on certain exercises. The extended warranty and sturdiness of the 650lb capacity give it good protection against break downs under heavy use. Read this 650lb not just as a maximum capacity, but also an indication of how long the machine will last. The sturdier the material the less likely it is to break. This is the right total gym to use around the clock with many clients of different needs. If you have a rehab clinic that wants to cover from old people to recovering high performing athletes, this is a good pick.

Cons of the TOTAL GYM GTS

For this price tag, it is not really a feasible option for most home users, which is a shame as it provides the most variety of exercises. If you have space in your facility you can also seriously consider building a full gym instead of getting just one Total Gym GTS. YOu may have fewer warranties on each individual item, but more variety and the possibility to train more people in parallel.

Alternatives to the TOTAL Gym GTS

For the price of a TOTAL Gym GTS you can also get:

True form Trainer $3995
5x Rogue Echo bike $3875
Full free weight section $3530

The true form trainer is a self-propelled treadmill that will fit the needs of the top-performing athlete. It works with a slight arch to soften the impact of your feet. As it is set up with bearing it becomes easier to run at top speeds and do interval training compared to conventional treadmills. You will also not need as much power and there is no motor that can break down and needs to be maintained or replaced.

If you have space and wanted to run spinning classes you can also get 5x Rogue Echo bikes for the price of one Total Gym GTS. Admittedly you will not have the same range of exercises to build strength and tone, but if you are looking for indoor cardio you can either save yourself a lot of money or make more customers happy at the same time.

For $4.000 you can also get a top-end free weight section from a leading supplier like Rogue fitness. An example configuration can be:

Total: $3530

This will provide a full gym with weights to go into every direction. The shipping will be free with Rogue for this package. The tax might push it over $4000 depending on the country you buy from. Still, A great alternative if you have space and like to lift heavy compared to the Total Gym GTS.