The Total Gym is a bodyweight resistance home gym offered in several models with different specs. Unlike regular weight home gyms, it uses the gravity of your own bodyweight to produce resistance through cables.
The Total Gym is a bodyweight resistance home gym offered in several models with different specs. Unlike regular weight home gyms, it uses the gravity of your own bodyweight to produce resistance through cables.
You can increase or decrease resistance by changing the angle of the gliding rail board over which you sit or lie while working out. This simple strategy makes the Total Gym lighter and more compact than normal-weight machines.
But how effective is this gear for fitness, fat loss, or muscle building? This review will uncover the benefits, pros, and cons of this range of machines.
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Who Is It Suitable For?
The Total Gym was designed with simplicity coupled with effectiveness in mind. Out the heavy, bulky gym, and in a simple device for total fitness.
This may sound good to those who have limited space at home and want a fitness tool easy to set up, deploy, and store.
It may also be attractive to those seeking a better resistance level control that normal bodyweight workouts do not guarantee, as they require a long practice period to master.
The Total Gym also looks good to cable workout lovers. Cable exercises offer numerous benefits comparing to free weights. They are very safe to use, as you do not have to load and offload heavy free weights.
They also allow for a full range of motion from all conceivable corners and you do not risk getting dangerously stuck under a barbell on failure, as you can simply return the handles to the start position. This means you can train on your own, without a spotter.
As a workout tool, Total Gym is suitable for anyone of any fitness level, but as a pure strength machine, it is more suitable for beginner and intermediate trainees as it lacks the heavy poundage/resistance capabilities of a home gym with weights.
So, if you are a man the Total Gym may or may not be suitable for you depending on your goals, pure muscle building vs fitness with lean muscle and low body fat, but if you are a woman almost certainly will be the right tool for you.
Total Gym is a unique brand of gravity home gyms first introduced to the market back in 1974 by Tom Campanaro and partners Dale McMurray and Larry Westfall.
The machines were designed for strength, aerobic endurance, and flexibility and are today used for both commercial gyms and private homes.
They all share the same design idea, which consists of a gliding board mounted at an angle on the main post with different heights you can choose from, the higher the angle, the greater the resistance, so as to adjust to all fitness and strength levels.
You resist the gravity of your body sliding down with the board with 2 cables connected to it. By changing the position of your body on the board, you can target all of your muscle groups for a full-body workout.
The cables also offer a full range of motion and a continuous level of resistance through it, without the typical “dead spots” of free weights. This improves the effectiveness of the repetitions and sets, making your muscle fibers work equally from the start to the end of a given movement, also increasing TUT, time under tension.
The concept of the Total Gym is as simple as it is minimalist because the overall weight and size of this fitness device are much less than a free weight station or weight-stack home gym.
However, while the workouts can be very effective, this kind of gravity resistance gym do also come with their own limitations, [more on this later].
In fact, the Total Gym is being endorsed by celebrities Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley for many years and they too swear by its effectiveness, like many regular guys and gals. But how much of it is real and how much is hype?
What Are The Pros Of The Total Gym?
The Total Gym offers an easy and compact solution for those who want to improve their level of fitness, moderately building lean muscle while reducing body fat, thus improving BMI or body mass index.
It is suitable for all fitness levels and very safe, providing an effective platform for working out at home without the hassle of a gym membership. The compact size and lightweight make the Total Gym ideal for those living in small apartments, but not only.
The smooth gliding rails and the cable flexibility are beginners’ proof and well suited to rehabilitation as well. In fact, the Total Gym was originally conceived as a rehab tool that also turned out to be very effective for working out all muscle groups and for general fitness.
Also, all exercises are performed by lying or sitting on the glider, relieving strain from your back but engaging your core muscles whenever you do flies for pecs, shoulders, or lats.
The Cons Of Gravity Gyms Like The Total Gym
While the Total Gym is a serious home fitness tool to consider, it is also clear that such gravity-based machines do come with their intrinsic limitations.
For example, resistance levels cannot match the fine-tuning offered by free weights or machines. Depending on models, the are 6 to 22 different levels of resistance.
For some exercises and muscle groups, this may very well be all you need. Beyond that, even the top resistance level may simply be not enough if you are looking for full-size muscle building.
If you are looking for maximum muscle gains and strength, there is no substitute for squats, deadlifts, bench presses, military presses, and chin-ups with good old-fashioned free weights or machines. This is not a bodybuilders’ tool.
However, if you are looking for good strength levels, lean muscle, increased metabolic rate and fat loss, better body composition, and generally a good fitness level or maintenance through the year, then the Total Gym makes very much sense.
The vast selection of cable exercises and resistance levels means that you can get a pretty fit, ripped physique with this machine, which is all that most people want and what the Total Gym was designed for.
You can also get relatively strong, especially if you make clever use of flies rather than multi-joint movements, as long leverage exercises offset the limitations of the maximum resistance level offered.
The resistance levels of the Total Gym are just about right for exercises like lateral, back, and front raises for delts, flies for pecs, and so on. Just do not expect to become a powerlifting champion.
The Total Gym Range
Over the years, Total Gym has produced many different models, each an improvement over their predecessor through their customers’ feedback.
40 years on, these gyms have reached very good levels of manufacturing, usability, comfort, and effectiveness. At the current time, there are 4 different models to choose from the range, different in specs, sophistication, and price. Below a quick breakdown of the main features of each model.
Unlike regular home gyms, no assembly is required and they are ready to use straight out of the box.
Total Gym Supreme
This is the entry-level range. You can do strength training, cardio, and stretching with over 60 exercises, easily switching from one exercise to the next.
Total body workouts can be done in 10 to 20 minutes a day. The Total Gym Supreme comes with the workout tools like the Tri-Grip Shaper Bar and exercise DVDs.
12 Levels of Resistance
Over 60 Exercises
Gym Weight – 56 lbs
275lb Maximum User Weight
Fully Assembled and Ready To Use
Includes Total Gym Workout Tools and DVDs
Warranty on Frame – 2 years
Warranty on Parts – 1 year
Total Gym XLS
The Total Gym XLS is one of the 2 most popular models [the other is the Total Gym FIT].
It offers good value and a better resistance selection, more exercises, and a more sturdy built than the basic Supreme. It also comes with the Total Gym tools and workout videos.
6 Levels of Resistance
Over 80 Exercises
Gym Weight – 68 lbs
400lb Maximum User Weight
Fully Assembled and Ready To Use
Includes Total Gym Workout Tools and DVDs
Warranty on Frame – Lifetime
Warranty on Parts – 6 months
Total Gym FIT
The Total Gym FIT is a big jump in specs, features, and price comparing to the Supreme and XLS.
As usual, it comes with the standard library of Total Gym exercises, Total Gym workouts, and workout tools plus an extra AbCrunch attachment with a DVD.
12 Levels of Resistance
Over 85 Exercises
Gym Weight – 66 lbs
450lb Maximum User Weight
Fully Assembled and Ready To Use
Self-locking Height Adjustment
Total Gym AbCrunch Accessory with Workout DVD
2-piece Attachment for a wider range of motion
Ergonomic Glideboard with Comfort System
Extended 2-Year Warranty with Priority Processing
6 DVD Total Gym Workout Library & Workout Tools
Warranty on Frame – Lifetime
Warranty on Parts – 2 years
Total Gym GTS
The most luxurious model with the most comprehensive specs. This is basically a commercial-grade machine for private homes.
It is very sturdy, weighs 3 times more than the others, you get a lot of raw material for the money, and offers full flexibility for all fitness levels and exercises, including an adjustable squat stand, lat bar, and 6 pulley positions.
Unlike the cheaper models, it has a special hydraulic rail for smoother movement, a 2 step folding system, and automatic rail locks for plyometrics.
22 Levels of Resistance
Over 200 Exercises
Gym Weight – 180 lbs
650lb Maximum User Weight
Free 6-Piece Strength Package
Adjustable Squat Stand, LAT Bar with 6 Pulley Positions
Hydraulic rail lift
Easy two-step folding
Automatic rail lock for plyometrics
Free Workout DVD and Exercise Chart
Warranty on Frame – 5 years
Warranty on Parts – Parts & Upholstery: 1 year – Foam and Rubber: 90 Days
The Bottom Line
The Total Gym is, as the name implies, a total fitness tool for the home designed to offer full flexibility in terms of workouts and usability.
Compact in size and weight, the Total Gym disposes of unnecessary iron, barbells, and gear by using a simple but clever bodyweight gravity slide attached to cables, which translates into a full range of movement for all muscle groups over many resistance levels.
This setup makes the Total Gym suitable for anyone who wants to achieve a lean, fit, and muscular body with low fat but not for those who have full bodybuilder’s size and strength in mind.
With these qualities and few limitations, the Total Gym is the ideal tool for men and women who want to improve their fitness and body shape from the comfort of home, reduce their body fat and tone and strengthen their muscles as Chuck Norris does, not Arnold Schwarzenegger.
My name is Jay Fielding. I gained an interest in fitness since I was a child, and eventually developed my passion into a career path. I am now a Certified Personal Trainer with a natural ability to program customized body recomposition and motivate people in achieving their goals, be it gaining muscle or losing fat.
