Titan Fitness TwistLock Barbell Collars

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Over the past two or so years, I’ve been using the Rogue Fitness USA Aluminum Collars. Although they work as advertised and offer really good holding power, I’ve always kind of hated these things. First of all, my collars from unit to unit are inconsistent in how much force is actually needed to lock them on a bar. Some just need more force to lock into place than others. This leads to my second complaint: some of these collars hold too much spring tension. When you go to unlatch them, the lever tends to snap back pretty hard. I have to actively tell myself not to place my hand on the side that the lever opens toward, or else it’ll slam into my knuckles. It hasn’t broken the skin or caused any serious damage, but in the moment, it definitely catches you off guard and gives you a little sting.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that the inner liner that helps the collars grip a bar tears down pretty quickly and just makes the bar dirtier. This speeds up the time between barbell cleaning, which is not something I want to deal with.

All that being said, I’ve been on the lookout for a different set of collars for a long time. After much research, I decided to give the Titan Fitness TwistLock Barbell Collars a try. If you’re unfamiliar with these, their claim to fame is the patented TwistLock mechanism. With these, you slip the collars over your 50 mm Olympic barbell and just twist.

My particular pair is made from high-impact ABS, polymer, and neoprene laminate, basically a bunch of fancy plastics. There is a Pro version that’s machined from aluminum with volcano knurling on the sides if that’s your preference. I personally went with the regular version because it’s significantly cheaper than the Pro, and I didn’t want to invest too much in the TwistLock mechanism without some real-world testing first.

From what I saw in other reviews, the majority praised the TwistLock mechanism’s holding power. However, the main drawback was that it didn’t offer one-handed use, which I was really hoping for. Reviewers noted that on barbells with rotating sleeves, as you turn the collar to lock, the sleeve turns with it, preventing the collar from fully engaging. So, you’d have to hold the sleeve while you twist. Not a huge deal, but I personally wanted true one-handed operation.

After testing on my own bars, like the REP Fitness Black Diamond Power Bar, I can say these TwistLock collars do work one-handed. Now, full disclosure: I don’t believe it’s fully “locked down” when done one-handed. It ratchets enough to hold itself securely under normal lifting force, but there’s definitely more room to twist and lock. But if you continue to twist with one hand, the force will make your sleeve spin instead. That’s fine for me because I don’t Olympic lift and drop my weights from very high, so this degree of hold is more than sufficient, and I get true one-handed convenience, which makes me very happy.

Overall, I’m pleased with my purchase. The only real negative is fit and finish. If you look at the bottom of these collars, there’s a thin sheet of plastic that’s glued in place and sits against your barbell to protect it from the magnets and underlying components. Mine were assembled a bit sloppily, with the magnet sticking up and pushing the plastic liner up. It’s a minor annoyance, but worth mentioning.

Now, if you’re considering between the standard and Pro version, I think there are 4 things to consider. First, the material that they’re made out of. Do you want a plastic or metal collar? Plastic is lighter, but metal has the potential of being more durable. If you’re someone who constantly drops their stuff on the ground, there’s an argument that the metal Pro version will probably take the damage better, whereas the plastic may crack. The second thing to consider is between having knurling on the Pro version and the indents of the standard version. In terms of ease of use with the TwistLock function, I’m willing to bet that it’s easier to activate the locking mechanism with the standard version because your fingers ergonomically fit between the indents, and it allows you to apply more force when turning. In this case, I’m sure having knurling would help you grip the Pro collar and turn it, but just not as efficiently as the standard version’s indents. A third thing to consider is the color options. The standard version only comes in black, while the Pro version comes in a few different anodized aluminum options. If your gym has a color scheme that you’re trying to match, it’d be easier to do that with the pro version. Lastly, I think the most important thing to consider is the price difference between the standard and Pro TwistLock Collars. As of today, I’ve only ever seen the black Pro version go on sale at about $70, and the other color options are full price because they’ve just recently been released. On a good day, the standard version can go on sale and cost around $30. With that in mind, I think the standard version is a steal. I think if you’re purely looking for a collar with the TwistLock function for use, then the standard version is a better buy. But, if you’re looking for a TwistLock collar that’s a little bit more upscale and nice to look at, then the Pro version is the better choice.

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Titan Fitness Squat Max MD Initial Impressions

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I haven’t done any one-rep PRs in a while, but the last time that I did it for traditional barbell squats, I was able to get 505 lbs. But the years leading up to this, I was a young gym bro who didn’t have the best discipline when it came to things like focusing on proper form or proper rest to recover. So when I was squatting over 500 lbs and repping in the 400s for sets every workout, I was tweaking my back a lot. It wasn’t just from the barbell squats, but it definitely didn’t help.

So, when I started the renovations for this home gym, one of the first things that I picked up was a belt squat attachment, specifically the Fringe Sport Mammoth Belt Squat, for my rack. This opened the doors for me as I quickly discovered that I was able to do something similar to a barbell squat, but was able to save my back. However, a problem with Mammoth belt squat attachment that I have is that I’m just too strong for it. I maxed out the weight horn that it came with and was having to do a lot of sets and reps just to feel anything. It also didn’t help that, because of the lever design, you just don’t feel the full weight of the plates that you put on. I eventually got a dual weight horn for my lever belt squat, but then it just became so cumbersome because again, you don’t get a perfect 1:1 felt load, so I have to use like fourteen 45 lb plates just to squat 500 lbs. I didn’t want to deal with all the loading/unloading, not to mention the cost to buy all those plates, so I needed a different belt squat solution.

After some research, I ultimately decided to get the Titan Fitness Squat Max MD. There are many other options out there, but I went with the Squat Max because many of the reviewers who are more experienced with belt squat machines mention that this is basically the best option if you want to get something that’s as similar to a traditional barbell squat movement as possible. There are other options that may be more versatile, but I prioritize getting the squats in first and foremost.

Now, I want to preface that I just recently got this machine in and have only done a few workouts with it. That being said, I have some thoughts to share that may be beneficial to anyone else interested in this machine.

First, let’s talk about shipment. The Squat Max ships from Titan via freight in a wooden crate and pallet. As with all Titan products, shipping is free. I ordered it early morning Friday—it shipped the same day. I received it the following Wednesday. It traveled from California to Washington State.

In terms of the quality of packaging, I would say that it’s pretty good. The pallet itself is nice and better than the one I received from REP Fitness for my Ares 2.0 cable attachment, which broke through the base because REP didn’t reinforce the bottom center of the pallet. Titan did a really good job with this pallet. On the inside, there’s a lot of styrofoam, and similar parts are packaged in separate boxes. I’ve watched reviews that mention how good this packaging is and how those Squat Max units arrived flawless. I can’t say it was the same for me. My Squat Max does show some scratches and gouges to the finish here and there. The weight pin is hollow and is not coated on the inside. Mine arrived with a thin layer of rust oxidation in there. If these things are something that you’re worried about, Titan does offer shipping protection for an additional cost.

When it comes to installation, most of what you’ll receive are large parts, and the whole thing is held together by only a few bolts. The entire installation process doesn’t take too long. My only complaint is that this is one of those products that doesn’t come with a traditional paper manual but only a QR code to scan so you can access it digitally. I personally hate this because it just makes the process slower. Since most of us are going to be looking at it on our phones and the manual itself isn’t all that detailed, you’ll really have to zoom in and figure out which bolt is which. Again, not really difficult at all, but just time-consuming and annoying. I was able to get the installation done by myself, so I don’t think most of you are going to have too much trouble.

In terms of build quality, once you get all the bolts tightened, the main frame and base are pretty rock solid. The machine itself looks pretty simple, but it just works. The build is actually quite nice. However, the thing that most people complain about is the handles. You twist these in and out to actuate the two scissor bars that hold the weight plate pin above the platform. The complaint is that the handles are loose and wiggle—which I can confirm they do. This just comes down to the general design of this mechanism. It’s very rudimentary. The handles are basically friction-fit into place. The bottom slips into a corresponding hole and is only held in place by a small bolt. It’s not a tight fit and not locked into place. Also, everything moves a bit rough and it’s all metal-on-metal contact. I might not be explaining it too well, but if you see this thing work in person, it makes sense why the handle is loose. All of that might sound negative, but I don’t think it’s a big deal. The machine works as it should and can hold a thousand pounds, so I’m not too worried about it. It’s really just a ding in terms of fit and finish and perceived quality. Yeah, some padding can be added to make the parts quieter when in use, but that’ll also increase the price.

Speaking of price—when introduced, the Squat Max was selling for $1500. Then it jumped up to $1800, but I do see it on sale around the $1500 price quite often. This might just be one of those fake-out sale prices to trick people into buying it at $1500. I personally picked it up when it went on sale for $1350. At this price—and even at $1500—I would buy this machine again. I have no regrets about this purchase. I just recommend that you don’t buy it when it’s full price at $1800 because Titan stuff always goes on sale. Just wait it out. This is one of their more well-known products, so there’s a really good chance it will go on sale. Sign up for their email newsletter because I have seen them send out coupon codes for the Squat Max.

Now, most importantly, let’s talk about actually using the Squat Max. Overall, I would say that I love this machine. It feels way better than my Mammoth belt squat. When you stack it up with weights, it actually feels heavy, and you can get a workout in pretty quick—like you would if you were doing a barbell squat, but without any additional compression on the spine. On top of that, the weight pin sleeve is 21” long, so you can stack a lot of plates onto it—but that of course depends on the thickness of your plates. I know that I can get more than 600 lbs with the plates that I have, so I’m happy with that. However, something to think about is that the more plates you stack, the more likely the plates will rub the inside of your legs. How many plates before this happens will depend on how thick your plates are and how long your legs are. For me, it starts rubbing around seven plates, and I have to open my legs wider to compensate. It hasn’t been a problem yet, but it will eventually become a big problem that will prevent me from squatting properly, and I will have to build some sort of platform to raise myself up. I have seen videos showing an official platform for the Squat Max, but I don’t think that is available anymore. It shouldn’t be too hard to make my own out of wood. You can also get around this by only using the included narrow-stance adapter plate and smaller plates, but the number of plates that I’d need to get an equivalent workout would be ridiculous, so that’s not really a solution for me.

One thing that I have noticed in use—and is an annoyance—is the amount of travel that the weight pin carrier has when moving up and down on the guide rod. I think the tolerance is too large and the pin is able to move around too much. This means that when lifting, my plates can catch the lip of the cutout in the Squat Max. This can really throw you off when it happens in the middle of a lift. Personally, I wouldn’t mind having to squat just a few fractions of an inch wider if it meant the hole could be bigger. I’d rather know that the plates can’t hit the sides when coming up.

In terms of squat depth, I’ve seen reviews that say if you’re around 5’ tall, you probably won’t be able to hit parallel, and will only be able to if you're around 5’5”. After some testing, I find this to be a bit weird because I’m around 5’5”–5’6” and when I’m just messing around with no weight loaded, bottoming out would mean that I’m going noticeably lower than parallel. But when I lift over 300 lbs, I weirdly feel like I hit something at the bottom of my lift. I’m thinking it can’t be me bottoming out because I use the seat as a guide. I know that when I squat down and my butt touches the seat, I’m at parallel. So, I just never go lower when using the Squat Max. But again, I feel myself hitting something at the bottom.

Speaking of the seat—I want to note that it does come into the squat area a bit. Like I said, when I go down, my butt touches this seat every time, even when the seat is in its lowest position. There’s no way around this unless I move or remove the seat. This is likely not something that taller people will have to worry about. I personally would like for the seat to be offset a little bit further back just so shorter people would be able to clear it.

I should mention that the Squat Max does come with a belt and carabiner, so you’ll be ready to use it out of the box. This is only the second belt squat belt that I’ve owned—the first being the one that came with my Mammoth belt squat—so I’m not the most experienced in this regard. However, I would say that I don’t like this Titan belt too much. It’s wrapped in a textile material with what feels like foam in the middle. It’s decently comfortable until I start to lift heavy, and then I can feel it start to dig in. At around six 45 lb plates, I find myself having to compensate for some discomfort with this belt. I also don’t like the multi-loop adjustment system it uses. You pick the loops that best fit your waist and throw a carabiner through them. I have two problems with this. First, I use the loop closest in so that I can get maximum depth—the rest is basically useless and gets in the way. So, I’ll have to think about cutting off the rest. My second issue is with the decision to make these loops from textile because after my very first use, one of the loops is already starting to fray. This is exactly why belts like the one that came with my Mammoth belt squat use metal loops. So no telling how long this Titan belt will last. I won’t be able to figure that out because I’ve already decided to order a different belt from Spud Inc. I haven’t finalized which one to order just yet, but subscribe to my YouTube for an update video on that if you’re interested.

Overall, I can’t tell you how happy I am with the Squat Max MD from Titan. The minor complaints that I’ve previously mentioned really don’t amount to much when considering the benefits I’m getting—primarily, a machine that allows me to get a heavy squat movement without loading all the weight on my spine. For me, this is an easy recommendation. This is a machine that I would buy again if I had to, and I think that’s the highest praise I can give.

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Loose Rack Attachments Fix feat. REP Fitness J-Cups 2.0

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I previously made a video about my REP Fitness J-Cups 2.0 and how I don’t recommend them because the UHMW pads that are used in them are very inconsistent and poorly sized, that the J-Cups sit extremely loose on a rack, even the PR-5000 that REP makes. The looseness of my J-Cups is pretty much in every direction, so it rattles basically anytime the bar touches it, and because it moves from side to side so easily, it’s much harder to re-center a bar if you rack it unevenly. I pretty much completely gave up on all my REP J-Cups and decided to get something else. That is, until it just randomly came to me that I can just shim the UHMW pads and make the fitment much more snug.

The UHMW is just held in place by a couple of 4mm hex bolts. If we remove these bolts, we’ll have access to the pads. I decided to take some ani-slip anti-scratch self-adhesive pads that I already had leftover from my Rouge Matador project and attach them to the back of the UHMW. Attaching to the back of the UHMW will give you a cleaner look and make it impossible for the self-adhesive pad to fall off because it’s sandwiched between the UHMW and the J-Cup. From there, I just trimmed along the edges of the UHMW, and if you use a sharp blade like I did, then you’ll be able to cut through the self-adhesive pad like a hot knife through butter and get some clean results. Then I cut out some holes for the bolts. You really don’t have to be careful or exact with this step because the bolts will completely cover the hole up. Lastly, we just have to reassemble and check for fitment.

Because the J-Cups and UHMW pads are inconsistent, you may need to shim more than one of the UHMW pads. I would recommend doing the back first because it’s a smaller pad, so it’s less work and less material needed. If that doesn’t make things tight enough for your liking, then shim the front too. From my experience, doing these two pads makes the J-Cups pretty snug.

Again, the UHMW is inconsistent, so you may notice that even after shimming the pads, some J-Cups are going to be looser or tighter than others. My left J-Cup, although snug, is nowhere near as snug as this right one. But that’s fine. Because I know the right J-Cup is super snug, I know to pull the bar towards that one when recentering because there’s less of a chance of it moving than if I pull towards the not-as-snug left J-Cup.

Overall, I’m very happy with the result of this project. I don’t think I can ask for more. I’m so happy with this that I’ve actually cancelled my order for the J-Cups that I was going to replace the REP J-Cups with. So, if you have some loose REP J-Cups 2.0 or really any other loose rack attachments, give this project a try. It’s cheap, easy, and can give you some great results.

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Self Adhesive Pads https://amzn.to/4d1xdp1

Snap Blade Knives https://amzn.to/42ITrsn

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REP Fitness Round vs Flat Sandwich J-Cups 2.0

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If you’re like me and are in the market for some of the higher end J-Cups from REP, then you’ve probably considered between their Round and Flat Sandwich J-Cups 2.0.

These J-Cups will give you the exact experience in almost every way. Both come in REP’s metallic black powder coat colorway. Both feature a thick urethane insert that stretches all the way up the J-Cup and wraps around the front lip to protect your barbells against bumps. Both feature recessed bolts to prevent them from rubbing against a barbell and damaging it. Both feature UHMW linings on all sides where the J-Cups mount onto an upright to protect it from getting scratches. Both have a weight capacity of 1000 lbs.

Really, the only difference is in the shape of the actual platform that a barbell rests on. One is rounded to prevent a bar from rolling back and forth. While the other has a flat and wider platform. This allows users to roll the bar back and forth and stage it in a particular position for a lift. The wider platform also allows users to mount certain specialty bars.

Personally, whenever I used J-Cups in the past, it was always the flat style because that’s what the commercial gyms generally had. I’ve never even seen a rounded J-Cup in one of those gyms. So I personally never thought it was a big deal. That is, until I tried a cheap Amazon rounded J-Cup and saw the benefits of such a product. To me, it’s just nice to put a barbell down and know it’s going to be in the same position. Of course, it won’t help you with the side-to-side positioning, but not having a bar be able to roll is helpful in most situations. Now, I rarely ever use the Flat J-Cups unless I need to rack a specialty bar.

I do want to touch on the fit and finish of these two J-Cups. Again, it's going to be the same between the two, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. I found that these REP J-Cups fit too loosely, even on my REP PR-5000 rack. I can shift the J-Cups with the slightest pressure. So imagine if you rack the bar too far to one side and need to pull it back to center. Because both of these J-Cups sit loose, they themselves will shift with the movement, which is just inconvenient and annoying. With my J-Cups, the size of the UHMW is actually inconsistent from J-Cup to J-Cup, as in the actual size of the UHMW is thinner and thicker in certain places and on certain J-Cups. I hate this because as I rack my barbell, the top shifts and hits the rack on top. Then, as I lower the barbell, the whole J-Cup shifts forward and hits the rack on the bottom. So it’s a level of extra noise and inconsistency that’s annoying to me. Because of this, I’ve actually ordered a new set of J-Cups to replace my REP J-Cups for general everyday use. The new ones will hopefully arrive soon, so make sure to subscribe to see that.

In general, I don’t personally recommend these REP Fitness Sandwich J-Cups. They work and function as they should, but the fit and finish are terrible where it counts, and that’s at the UHMW, which makes the whole thing stay in place.

I fixed the issue with the loose attachments!

Check this blog post out: https://www.haihoangtran.com/blog/2025/5/2/loose-rack-attachments-fix-feat-rep-fitness-j-cups-20

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Xero Shoes 360 Trainer - First Workout Impressions

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Over the past few months, in my home gym, the Xero HFS has been my favorite training shoe. However, after a more thorough look at Xero website, I actually think there may be some even better options for my personal training. That being said, I’ll periodically get in and try out the various Xero options that will fit my needs. The first shoe that we’ll be taking a look at in this series is going to be the Xero 360.

Since I just recently got this shoe in, I’ll only be able to give you my first impressions and, in this case, after my first handful of workouts with it. I do want to preface that I mainly just lift weights and focus most on powerlifting movements, and accessory lifts second. So, you’ll be getting an opinion from the perspective of the average gym-goer, not a crossfitter or someone who does Olympic lifts.

Let’s first take a look at the 360. The particular one that I have is in the Lunar Rock colorway with the gum soles. The lunar rock is sort of an off white color, almost heading towards grey. When it comes to shoes, I’m pretty plain and typically buy all black shoes. But this shoe didn’t come in all black but black and grey, which I don’t particularly like so I thought that this was the best available option.

The 360’s upper is comprised of a lot of mesh, which means that this is going to be an extremely breathable shoe and not exactly recommended for cold activities. Something that you may or may not be able to make out behind the mesh are the tensioning straps that run along the sides. These tighten the main portions of the sides of the shoe tighter around your foot as you tighten the laces. This really helps to lock your foot inside of the shoe.

Reinforcing at the toe box, heel, and eyelets is a suede-like material. This is a synthetic material as this shoe is 100% vegan. At the toe box, you’ll also see the rubber inlay lines, which Xero advertises as being helpful for “stability and control when climbing rope and scaling obstacles”. I don’t do those things, so I will have to take their word for it.

Moving to the sole, we get a zero-drop sole that’s very minimal in both material and design. This is a very thin sole that lets you stand barely above the ground and allows you to really feel the surface that you’re on. This is good for weightlifting because it means that the user can transfer the forces while pushing directly into the ground and not have to worry about excess cushion messing with that or contributing to an unstable lifting surface. I really like this sole. It’s basically a thin sheet of rubber with some minor grooves cut into it. Exactly what I’m looking for.

Again, at this point, I’ve only used this shoe for three workouts, but that is enough to make me say that this is better than my previously favorite training shoe, the Xero HFS. First of all, fitment with this shoe is just more comfortable for me. The HFS seems to be a more narrow shoe all around, so in general, the increase in comfort was immediately felt by me. But that doesn’t mean that this shoe is loose because, again, the 360 has the tensioning straps running along the sides of the shoe that you can use to really lock your feet into place. The main difference for me in terms of training is going to come from the sole. I previously praised the HFS’s sole for being very minimal, but it still has some pronounced and separated lugs. Compared to the 360, the HFS looks and feels like a hiking boot. The 360’s approach to a minimalistic sole just takes it to a whole other level, and I’m all for it. Now, if I can get just a plain sheet of rubber for the sole with some minor texture to help prevent slipping, I’d take that, but until then, the 360 comes pretty close. Its tread pattern is very close to each other and not very pronounced, which is exactly what I’m looking for. To me, the sole is everything in a training shoe, and this is pretty close to perfect. Moving forward, I’ll be wearing this shoe almost exclusively, so that tells you how much I like this silhouette.

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