Best Total Gym Home Gyms of 2024

Total Gym Home Gyms Buying Guide

Total Gyms are a fantastic option for those who want to get in a quick workout. There are many benefits to owning a total gym, and that’s why they’ve become one of the most popular options on the market. Born in 1974, total gym workouts moved into physical therapy units across the world by the late 1980s. Ye the basic concept behind the Total Gym series remains the same. Unlike clunky barbells and dumbbells, these machines allow for smooth resistance by way of cables, pulleys, and a sliding bench. This exercise machine can target any muscle in the body with between 60 and 200 different exercises depending on the specs of the model selected.

The Total Gym units can be found in over 5 million homes and are among the industry’s biggest sellers. Their claim to fame is that ‘in just 10-20 minutes per day, one can reshape their body into the form they’ve always wanted.” By now, anyone familiar with the Total Gym infomercials knows that martial arts legend Chuck Norris and celebrity model Christie Brinkley serve as spokespeople and users. With Norris now 81 and Brinkley 67 years old, it’s easy to see the value to Total Gym exercises.

Some of the key benefits it offers include:

• Ability to get a full body workout in one machine. You really don’t need extra equipment.
• The machine uses your body’s weight as resistance. This means less stress on the joints and risk of the machine breaking down.
• This gym allows you to transition from one exercise to the next, making it ideal circuit training. Circuit training, especially when done in the form of HIIT, is one of the best methods to boost your overall metabolic rate and promote a higher rate of fat loss.
• There are no weights to add or remove between exercises.
• The Total Gym offers a 30-day trial offer on all products. If it’s not right for you, simply return it and get your full payment back. Total Gyms do come with a warranty plan but each model is different.

The design of the machine is simple enough. With something of an L-shaped frame, they feature an incline glide board and a cable and pulley system. This means nearly unlimited levels of resistance. In this manner, users can perform lunges with the leg pulley, chest flyes, and even calf raises, as well as any number of abdominal exercises. The machine is designed so the user’s own weight serves as the primary resistance instead of weight stacks. The biggest difference one sees between the various models of Total Gyms is the number of exercise variations afforded and maximum user weight.

And don’t think that one can’t get a great workout in using bodyweight as opposed to stacks of plates. The fact is, the body doesn’t know the difference between iron or its own pounds. A sample workout with any Total Gym might be:

• 2-Legged Squat for one minute as a warm-up
• Single Leg Squat for 30 seconds on each leg
• Plyometric Jumps for one minute
• Surfer Lat Pull for one minute
• Ab Crunch for one minute

This circuit can be performed for as many sets as desired and can be completed in as few as five minutes. Any variety of exercises, like pull ups, can be incorporated into different workouts. Purchase does come with an exercise chart to help figure out which exercises should be added to the workout routine, coupled with a training deck, and DVD’s that illustrate how to perform over 80 different exercises using this equipment. Using the squat stand and wing attachment is not particularly complicated. Users of any fitness level can figure it out quickly.

Questions & Answers

• Do Total Gym home gyms really work?
  Absolutely. One of the keys to the Total Gym is consistency. With between 60 and 200 individual exercises, users can perform a nearly infinite number of circuits and hit every body part. Combined with the right nutritional program, it’s definitely a weight loss winner.
• Would a Total Gym home gym be good for seniors?
  Actually, the Total Gym would be terrific for seniors, particularly those interested in Pilates. Low impact and easy on the joints, users get the benefit of resistance the danger presented by barbells. The Total Gym also comes in a convenient size, making it easy to store when not in use.
• Which Total Gym home gym is best?
  That really depends on the goals and weight capacity desired, but we’d say the GTS presents the most options with more than 200 different exercises. If that model seems a bit pricey, just scale down because frankly any of these products work well. Each Total Gym model offers a slightly different approach to the cable system.
• How long should a Total Gym home gym last with proper care?
  We see reviews by users who are still using the model they purchased 10 years ago. If treated properly, we don’t see any reason these units won’t last longer yet as there aren’t that many parts to wear out. Check the warranty plan associated with the model you’re considering as there are differences.
• How many days a week should I use a Total Gym home gym?
  This largely depends on the kind of cardio and strength workouts being performed. Most trainers would recommend two to three times per week. The reality is though that one could hit different muscle group using a body-split approach and probably safely use the machine seven days a week without overtraining depending on the strategy.
• How much space does a Total Gym home gym require?
  Figure at least six by nine feet minimum.

Trainer’s Tips for the Total Gym

When prepping for a bodybuilding or powerlifting contest, maintaining flexibility is key. The unique cable and pulley system offers a unique approach to doing both cardio and strength training, with an emphasis on flexibility. Using the squat stand is also a great way to pump up those quads without harsh iron-like resistance. Units like the Total Gym XLS really let people get the stretch into their muscle fibers after pounding them with iron. Much like Pilates or yoga, this allows for all the muscles groups to get a thorough drenching of oxygen rich blood. The fact that one piece of equipment offers this many exercises sufficient to achieve so many fitness goals proves its versatility. If using this foldable piece of fitness equipment for a prep session, I’d definitely check out their workout DVDs for ideas about stretching, which is so commonly ignored when using barbells alone.