Has Anyone Used the Total Gym? I'm Thinking of Buying One.

D.,

I bought a Total Gym in the early 1990's after giving birth to my second child. I was a stay at home mom and needed to be able to workout at home. I finally wore out my Total Gym after 15 years! I loved this machine and my children were also able to use it when they were pretty young since you use your own body weight. I added the extra bar and put weights on to increase intensity for certain exercises. I bought the heavy duty model but have seen the more inexpensive version at sporting goods stores and they seem just fine. I really think you will like this workout. I lost 80 pounds after my second child was born, dieting and Total Gym, and have kept it off for 19 years.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi D.,
My husband bought me a version of the total gym. It was the same machine just with a different name (generic if you will). Anyway, I personally did not like it. YOu have to be able to use your own body weight to do the exercises, and you have to move the back board around to do each exercise. If you are dedicated and like doing isolated exercises, then it would be a machine for you. I just couldn't find the motivation to lay there and push and pull. However, I am definitely a cardio person and would rather walk or run than do the isolated type things. I don't know for sure, but from what I have seen on TV it is sorta like the pilates thing (I think). When I see the commercials for it I am like, "man, why didn't I use the thing?", but when it was in my dining room, I NEVER got on it, I just tripped over it a few times :-(.

Good luck making a decision!

1 mom found this helpful

I like the Total Gym. Don't go for the generic they just don't work the same. It has different levels you can start on. You don't have to start with the bench completly up they have a level position also. I found it challenging at first but now it is much easier, even inclined a little.

1 mom found this helpful

When I had my knee surgery, I used the Total Gym at Physical Therapy. It was great. I looked into getting one, but after using the professional model, I just couldn't believe how flimsy the "consumer" total gym was made. This was many years ago, so I would hope they would have improved their quality for the consumer version. It was an awesome machine for rehabilitation.