Total Gym Review
The first time I saw the Total Gym, I fell in love. I wanted it so bad but it looked so huge. I was not sure I would have somewhere to put it. I decided to do a little research on it and see what the different models were and to my surprise, I found out that the one I wanted folds up! I was instantly sold. I went and bought it right away and the only regret I have is not buying it sooner.
The Total Gym has so many different workouts you can do, it comes with a book and a little flip book that attaches to the machine. They are both very handy. The flip chart has workout you can follow or you can make your own up. You can also choose to target different muscle groups by days if you want. You can pretty much do anything you want, whatever works for you. So far, I have pretty much followed the workout in the flip chart then I add several more from the book. I love it. I also love that I can choose the resistance I want to use.
The resistance works off your body weight, so the higher you go, the harder it will be. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, here is what different resistance would be:
1 = 16 pounds
2 = 21 pounds
3 = 26 pounds
4 = 32 pounds
5 = 37 pounds
6 = 43 pounds
7 = 48 pounds
8 = 53 pounds
9 = 59 pounds
10 = 64 pounds
11 = 70 pounds
12 = 76 pounds
The more you weigh, the greater the resistance, a person that weighs 200 pounds would have a resistance of 98 when at level 12, while a person that weighs 150 would be 76.
The great thing about this resistance set up is, it is extremely easy to change it. You do not have to worry about changing weights, you just have to pull the knob out and adjust to where you want it. So, you can use a different resistance for all of your exercises, if you choose to.
I am able to work more muscles than I could when I just lift free weights, this targets different muscle groups, depending on the exercise you are doing. I alternate using the machine and using free weights, I think I benefit from both and I like knowing that I am not doing the exact same movement each time I work out. I think it is important to incorporate different kinds of workouts. I also do workout DVDs, ride my recumbent bike, use my elliptical, take walks, dance and do any other form of exercise I can find. My workout DVDs include kickboxing, yoga, Pilates, cardio and weights. I feel like I get a well rounded workout by switching.
I used to go to a gym, but after buying the Total Gym, I do not feel that I need to go to the gym. I can tell it works well, I have more muscle now than I did when I went to the gym. I think that because it is at my house I have less excuses to not use it. It was easy to make excuses to not go to the gym, not enough time, too many other things to do, having to taking my kids to the gym daycare (where they got sick, a lot) and just the fact that I did not want to go. Since the gym is at my house, I can use it any time of day, when I went to the gym I could only go when the daycare was open or wait until someone else could watch my kids. I am not saying I never have excuses to not use it, but I do know that I rarely have an excuse, unless I am sick, then I make an exception.
There is nothing I do not like about the gym, it does everything I need it too, it is easy to fold up and it fits in small places. I also loves that it is so easy to adjust. My kids love to use it also so it rarely stays on the same setting I had it on. It comes with several accessories, they all have different uses. One of my favorites is the ab adapter. It lets you work yours abs and you can feel it! I also love the handles that let you do pull ups, my upper body strength has improved greatly since I bought the Total Gym.
The only advice I have for the gym is, make sure the sliding seat is on track before you start to use it. One time mine got knocked off track and I did not know so when I attempted to use it, it got jammed. I was able to fix it but it was a little difficult. Also, make sure you do not start out to high, you do not want to be sore. Start lower and go higher as you build strength and get used to using the machine. I have gone up several levels since I bought it. I was used to using weights before I bought it so I did not start at the lowest but I knew that some of the moves would be using different muscles than I had used previously so I was cautious.
Otherwise, I have had no problems with the gym and I find it fun to use. I know it is weird to say exercise is fun, but I really do enjoy using the gym and I also enjoy trying new things on it and seeing what I like. I recommend it to anyone that wants to have an in home weight work out, it adjust to almost any level, so most people should be able to use it. Folding it up is easy, it takes just one person. It is not very heavy. I bought a bin to put all the accessories in so they would not get lost, it works out well.
Here are some Total Gyms that are similar to mine, they all look great, it just depends on what your personal needs are.
Here are some extras that can be pretty useful
