Total Gym Review
Looking for the
Commercial VersionIs the Total Gym an Effective Exercise Machine ?
Skepticism is Natural with all As Seen on TV Products
The Total Gym should be no exception. With slick celebrity marketing with
Chuck Norris and Christy Brinkley on numerous advertisements, the Total Gym may
push the "too good to be true" button for some people.
The good news is the Total Gym is far from a fitness gimmick and turns out to be
a legitimate resistance training machine which happens to fit at home and
requires only your body weight for resistance.
See
the Total Gym in Action
Total Gym gets Core Results
Since Total Gym Exercises use your body weight for resistance, many exercises
require you to use your core muscles.
This is beneficial because you will
not only work the targeted muscles for each exercise, but you will work your
core muscles.
Working the core muscles is not only good for tightening your mid section but
also to improve the efficiency in which you perform activities of daily living
(i.e. walking, stepping, twisting) and all functional movements.
How the Total Gym Works
There are a few different models of the Total Gym ranging from the bare bones
2000 to the well equipped XLS (with more attachments/options) to the commercial
grade EFI GTS. All versions of the Total Gym work on the same premise.
There is a vertical base at the top with 2 rails which rest in one of many
grooves within the base. The rails provide a very low friction ramp to
hold the bench which is where you either sit or lie.
Each groove on the base allows you to set the resistance by varying the angle
of the bench. If you are sitting on the bench, the higher it is, the
higher percentage of your body weight you will be lifting with each repetition.
Cables and a pulley attach to adjustable handles which are connected to the
vertical base. A foot plate for squats is one of the many optional
attachments for the Total Gym.
Each push, pull, fly or twisting motion you perform with the cables or
holding on to the handles moves the resistance which happens to be a selected
percentage of your body weight.
Who can Benefit from Using the Total Gym ?
Anyone with Body Composition Related Goals
If you are one of millions of people in this world looking to lose weight,
tone up, or build muscle the Total Gym can help you achieve your goals.
This holds true for beginner, novice and advanced exercisers.
The Total Gym provides enough resistance and variety of exercises to be a
potent stimulus for body composition change. Since body composition is
largely dependant upon nutrition you can
Anyone Looking to form Solid Base Level of Strength
If you have not exercised regularly in some time or are overweight the Total
Gym provides enough resistance to strengthen all your large muscle groups and
the smaller muscles of your extremities.
The Total Gym also provides enough for most women to significantly improve
their muscular strength and endurance.
 Rehabilitation
Some physical therapists have the
commercial version of the Total Gym the GTS in their offices to rehabilitate
their clients from past injuries
The advantage of using the Total Gym for rehabilitation is every
exercise regardless of body part forces you to use your stabilizer muscles
specifically your core which is similar to real life activities and many Total
Gym exercises cannot be imitated by traditional free weights and other forms of
resistance training equipment.
What is the Total Gym Not Good For ? Heavy
Strength or Power Training
If you are a trained athlete, experienced bodybuilder or powerlifter, looking
to increase your strength the Total Gym is not going to be much help. It
will help you get a workout but it does not provide the type of resistance
associated with maximal strength or power training programs using barbells,
dumbbells and kettlebells.
Are there Any Misconceptions about the Total Gym ?
Things which the Total Gym is NOT
Cardio Machine
Many people think the Total Gym can also be used as a cardio machine.
The fact is the Total Gym was not designed to be a cardio machine and is not
best used as a cardio machine.
This is not to say you cannot get your heart rate up with circuit training
and repetitive motions such as the seated rowing motion but any workout you do
on the Total Gym will not give you the benefits of 30 minutes of sustained
aerobic activity which running, bicycling, or even using an elliptical machine
can provide.
Better than a Gym Membership
Even though you can get a great workout on a Total Gym and many other home
exercise machines, you will almost never be able to get the variety and
intensity of a workout in a fully equipped gym using the Total Gym by itself.
Where can I Buy a Total Gym ?Total Gyms are
available on many different sites new and used. While you can get some
deals on used Total Gyms (are often older models) from sites such as
Amazon.com The best place which often has sales is the
official Total Gym website.
 Amazon.com
What is the Total
Gym GTS ?
The GTS is a commercial version of the Total Gym. It is basically the same
exact piece of equipment as home version but was designed for commercial use.
When you compare commercial fitness equipment with home fitness equipment you
should consider the amount of use it will get.
If you have a Total Gym at home you are likely to use it for a maximum 5
hours a week while the same machine in a commercial setting may get 40-60 hours
of use. All this means is the product is made with stronger materials and
usually has a few 'bells & whistles' which make it more appealing to the masses
at commercial settings.
The Total GYm GTS is durable and easy to use. All the
Total Gym workout videos on this
website are performed on the Total Gym GTS.
Sample Exercises Using the Total Gym or GTS
  
    
  
 
 
 
 
See the Total Gym In
Action
Total Gym Workout Videos
View over 35 exercises you can do at home on
the Total Gym. The How to Instructional videos enable you to listen to the proper form and which muscles you will be
targeting while you watch the motion.
Body Weight Exercise
Videos
Find over 40 more exercises you can use at
home with no equipment at all! Use these exercises to start a workout
program without any equipment or for even greater results use them in
conjunction with a Total Gym workout program.
If you have a question about health or fitness you can have your questions
answered within 24 hours by a professional who cares about your health and
fitness issues.
Total Gym
questions are welcome as well as
anything related to exercise, nutrition, sports performance, strength
training and more...
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