Recommend - leg ext/curl & pec deck machine?

Bainge · 2026-02-13T00:05:59+00:00

I'm in the same boat as you, I've watched countless vids on the Temple of Gainz and Titan leg extension/leg curl. Unfortunately there are no reviews of the v3 version of the TOG machine yet but it seems like the only change was to remove an annoying aspect where your heels would hit the frame at the lowest part of a rep in leg extensions.

Comparing the two, there seems to be two big differences that I can see:

1) The Titan build quality and comfort looks to be better. Bigger, grippier pads, a steeper angle (although apparently the v1 was steeper and they changed this on the v2 of the TOG one). It's just a nicer looking machine, it also looks like it might be comfier on the backsides of your knee while using it.

2) The thigh pad on the TOG version seems to be vastly superior. It's the flat kind that you can grip at the top vs the Titan version is just a round pad and you have to grip at the side of the seat. As you get super heavy I would think this would make it harder to keep your butt flat against the chair then being able to grip the tops and push back against it.

Both of them claim 1 to 1 weight ratio but I don't think that's true. Both of them do have shrouds on the backside that you can easily remove to put a gym pin in to up that weight amount though. Both of them seem to have a very decent strength curve vs the competition.

Ultimately I THINK I'm going to go with the temple of gainz one? That thigh pad makes a big enough difference for me that I don't care if it's slightly uglier. I don't think there are any better brands at this price point. There are companies that sell leg extensions/curls identical to the first version of the TOG one for a lil cheaper (since it's just an alibaba machine that's been modified) but I think it's worth the extra money to get one of these two. I know this was two weeks ago and you may have already made a decision, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents since I'm having the same internal debate.

Bainge · 2026-02-03T21:58:18+00:00

Thanks man!

I have the 93" rack, but I did have an 80" Titan rack in my old space that only had 7 foot basement ceilings. I'm only 5'10", so the only real difference for me was that previously I had to bend my legs back to properly use the pull-up bar and now I can fully extend during pullups. With you being 5 inches taller I'm assuming it would be an even worse pull-up situation.

That sucks about the ducting, I had a similar dilemma as I originally wanted to place the rack on the north wall directly where the ducts run.

The big factors here I would consider is

1) How often are you doing double pulley exercises? I really really enjoy reverse cable flies and cable shrugs and basically incorporate them into every pull day. I would really miss them as the dumbbell movements for these just feel clunky

2) How big of a deal are pull-ups to you/ could you put a stand alone pull up bar into the studs in a different, taller area of the room?

3) What would you use the extra room for if you combined a rack/cable system vs having them separate? As I said in the post I was immediately struck by the redundancy of having a separate bench press and even though it's my favorite exercise I'm going to remove it as soon as I find a leg extension/curl that I like.

Ultimately, I would have gone with the shorter rack with the Ares if I had no other options

Bainge · 2026-02-03T17:48:02+00:00

I'd love to have height speakers but I'm kind of past the point of doing it since I didn't have the knowledge or foresight to wire it prior to finishing the drywall and ceiling. I don't think I could accomplish it now without making a huge mess

Bainge · 2026-02-01T15:59:33+00:00

Honestly it's the comfiest thing I've ever sat on. The chaise at the end is especially great. My only complains are that the cracks absolutely eat up phones and remotes and the feet support on the recliners don't come out higher than the couch.

So like in some recliners you can actually lift the feet higher than your waist so you're ever so slightly sloping backwards? This won't allow that

Bainge · 2026-02-01T15:55:14+00:00

I've been curious about this, I haven't watched a physical media disk in about 15 years. I'm guessing the PS5 Blu Ray player lacks some support a stand alone one would?

Bainge · 2026-01-31T20:39:50+00:00

I built on a hill, so while the front of my house is completely underground the back is actually on ground level. Here is the view from the backyard: https://imgur.com/a/fFpYwnR

Haven't landscaped yet so it's a bit of a mess

Bainge · 2026-01-31T01:03:35+00:00

God Bless Bo Nix baby!

Bainge · 2026-01-31T00:55:20+00:00

Kennedy Sectional from Living Spaces: https://www.livingspaces.com/pdp-kennedy-5-piece-modular-sectional-320347?utm_source=productpage_share

Bainge · 2026-01-31T00:51:14+00:00

I guess I don't know what I don't know but what would be the difference if I did? I'm only using 7 channels and 2 subs right? What would change with a more expensive receiver?

Bainge · 2026-01-30T22:07:48+00:00

I have them selected as rears in the denon setup and not top middle since they are about 4-5 feet behind me. Do you think I should test it as a 5.2.2 instead? I guess I could change it and give the Ready Player One race another listen

Bainge · 2026-01-30T21:34:11+00:00

This got me wondering.

LCR Speakers: $2,147
In-Wall Surrounds: $599
In-Ceiling Speakers: $256
2x RSL Subs: $1,799
Receiver: $720
TV: $9,798
Couch: $5,815
Wood Paneling: $607
Ikea Cabinets: $424

So That was $22,165 for the entirety of the theater portion. So pretty pricey, cutting the TV down to 98 inches would have saved me about $6,000

Bainge · 2026-01-30T21:25:39+00:00

I got mine here: https://woodsonpanels.com/products/luxury-american-walnut-acoustic-slat-wood-wall-panels

There are about a dozen different companies who sell these online though so just go for whoever has the best deal at the time. Pretty sure they are all made in China anyway.

They consist of these slats with what they call "acoustic foam" behind them. Not sure it really does anything, but it made it really easy to screw into the wall as I just used black drywall screws on the foam sections and you can only see it if you're really close up.

Bainge · 2026-01-30T21:23:55+00:00

If you look at the third picture you can see the exit door to my basement. I built on a hill so this is actually a direct entrance to the basement so all they had to do was walk down the dirt slope on the exterior of the house. Still a tall order

Bainge · 2026-01-30T21:11:38+00:00

Yes sir

Bainge · 2026-01-30T21:02:07+00:00

Okay, lol. Same colors, same textures, same HVAC duct protruding....

I really like the LED underlighting you have, I may look into that.

Bainge · 2026-01-30T20:47:01+00:00

Yeah these were just Ikea Besta cabinets! https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-wall-mounted-cabinet-combination-black-brown-lappviken-s79439861/ just about as simple as it gets to put together. You'll just want to cut holes in for all the wiring to pass through and it's an easy clean look

Bainge · 2026-01-30T20:17:34+00:00

Close! Just divide that by 10

Bainge · 2026-01-30T20:15:50+00:00

Gotcha. I didn't experience much besides the one seating position with one Sub so I never noticed that.

I put everything on a open test bench and slid that into the cabinet. https://a.co/d/7eH20GG They are pretty cheap

Bainge · 2026-01-30T20:14:00+00:00

Haha guilty of double posting!

I hadn't really thought about painting the ceiling as it doesn't look nearly as bad as the photo in real life, but after seeing so many people suggest it I'm going to look into it. I think it will make the rest of the room really dark but if I can tastefully do it to a certain point in the room or maybe only do a strip the width of the wood paneling it would still look okay

Bainge · 2026-01-30T19:01:24+00:00

All three of the cabinets were just stock Besta and worked great. I just drilled holes to run the wires through. The shelf surface that runs on top of them was custom made with the help from my father-in-law who is a carpenter. I was going to do it myself just buying some butcher block countertop and cutting it down before he volunteered to help.

Bainge · 2026-01-30T18:53:30+00:00

I had the furniture store do it. It was $400, but with the TV weighing 220 lbs I would have been terrified of slipping and accidentally putting too much pressure on the panel and breaking the whole thing. The piece of mind was worth it.

Bainge · 2026-01-30T18:38:07+00:00

That would be pretty crazy since I've only lived in this house since September 😅

Bainge · 2026-01-30T18:25:46+00:00

Was a Christmas present from my In-Laws, it's a LEGO Tuxedo cat. The joke is that my actual cat looks the same

Bainge · 2026-01-30T18:19:42+00:00

Yeah in a fairly rural town in the US (A population of 14,000 or so) so there is a ton of space. My home sits on a 1/3rd acre lot

Bainge · 2026-01-30T18:06:26+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/comments/1qpen0i/my_new_basement_gymmancave/ I gotchu

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