Total Gym

[Shogun of Harlem]

I recentley bought a total gym and have been very pleased with it. Just curious if anyone else out there has one and there thoughts on it.

[Sohan]

Nope. I use free weights and some machines. I wouldn't get much use from a total gym.

With respect,

Sohan

[Aodhan]

I've used total gym, bowflex, soloflex and a couple others.

They are ok if you have never used free weights or done weight training, as they will help give you proper form when used correctly.

However, they are no substitute for even a good set of dumbbells.

I forget what they are called, but there are a set of dumbbells (Powerblocks?), and I think bowflex makes a set now that you can just flip a lever and adjust the weight.

For the price, you can get a set of those and a multiway bench and get much more variability and benefit in your workouts.

Aodhan

[Sohan]

I've used total gym, bowflex, soloflex and a couple others.

They are ok if you have never used free weights or done weight training, as they will help give you proper form when used correctly.

However, they are no substitute for even a good set of dumbbells.

I forget what they are called, but there are a set of dumbbells (Powerblocks?), and I think bowflex makes a set now that you can just flip a lever and adjust the weight.

For the price, you can get a set of those and a multiway bench and get much more variability and benefit in your workouts.

Aodhan

http://www.powerblock.com/

I agree. Powerblocks are great. Wish I'd invented them.

Respectfully,

Sohan

[Sti05]

I recentley bought a total gym and have been very pleased with it. Just curious if anyone else out there has one and there thoughts on it.

I have owned a total gym for a long time, I finally started using it about 4-5 months ago on a every other day routine.

It really does work, and it works good, you just have to stick with it, my belly has been getting smaller, and my arms have gotten huge, as in I'm no where near ripped, but people would never place me as the type of person to do one pullup, much less 5.

I assume someday, when I got my % bodyfat low enough, I will have to find something else, like free weights, but everybody is different, so who knows.

[glockmeister]

My EX-Girlfriend had one when I lived with her. I didn't have much use for it. I pprefer free weights and body weight excersises. Although I respect people that use them. Exercise is good however we choose to do it providing it is safe.

[Meguro]

People who swear by Pilates find the Total Gym useful for their exercises. My choice would be a good set of dumbells and adjustable bench as suggested by Aodhan, or cheaper still, a set of elastic bands and body-weight exercises.

[jaymac]

I have a total gym. I love it -------> it is awesome to hang clothes off of when its folded and standing. Actually, I need to use it. I do think that it works, but you have to really get on it and work it.

[Sohan]

People who swear by Pilates find the Total Gym useful for their exercises. My choice would be a good set of dumbells and adjustable bench as suggested by Aodhan, or cheaper still, a set of elastic bands and body-weight exercises.

Elastic bands are not really as good as free weights because every exercise movement begins with very low resistance and ends with high resistance. This is contrary to the force capability patterns of virtually all human muscle groups, which show a substantial drop-off in force capability toward the end of the range of motion.

In simpler terms, since muscle gets weaker towards the end of a full range of movement, an elastic band that gets harder at the end wastes development potential in the first third to half of the movement.

With respect,

Sohan