"Do You Need A Strength Training Solution For Use At Home?"

Got Your Eye On A Total Gym? Let's See How Strength Training With The Total Gym Stacks Up Against Wiggly, Rubbery Resistance Bands

I bought my Total Gym 1500 in September of 2001 right before the Twin Towers were hit.  Due to the severe government restrictions crippling the shipping industry thereafter, it took over three weeks for it to arrive.

When I finally got it, the first thing I noticed was the weight.  UPS delivery personnel are not allowed to come into a residence, but the driver knew he couldn't just leave it on the door step so he pulled it just inside the door for me.

The unit is basically already assembled.  It lays flats in the box.  Trying to figure out how to unfold it took me a while, but I eventually got it.  After I set it up the first words that came out of my mouth were, "Holy sh**,  this thing is LONG!"  My heart just sank.  I had no where to put it.

At first I had it set up in the living room in the space between the coffee table and right in front the TV.  Sheesh!  I didn't know where else to put it.  It sat there for a few weeks.  My daughter didn't appreciate me using it when she was trying to watch TV.

I decided to clear out the spare bedroom.  It was a small bedroom, only 10' x 8'.  I had to turn the gym sideways and shove it diagonally into the corner so I had room to maneuver around it.  That worked for a few months until the other daughter moved back home and needed that room.

Then I rearranged my family room a bit and moved it in there, but we had to constantly walk around it to access the sliding glass door to get to the patio.  Not long after that the owners of the house I was renting decided to raise my rent by $300 (the real estate boom was ramping up back then) and I decided to move. 

The house I moved into was only 1150 sq ft and I had no room to put it so I sold it to my other daughter for $100.  They were living in a large Victorian house and had the room, but a few months later they had to move.  Their next house was too small and they had no where to put it except the closet. It stayed there for several years.

A few months ago I got it back from them and put it in the dining room of my little 1150 sq ft house to let the grandson's "workout" on it, but it was just too darn long to have any business being in a house this small.  So I folded the thing up and shoved it in the closet.  That's it in the picture above.  At least the pumpkin's happy with it.

Working out on the Total Gym

So, by now you're probably wondering, "But, what's it like working out on the Total Gym?"  Ok, I'll tell you from my own experience.

AAs you probably already know, the padded bench of the unit slides back and forth along the rails.  You do that by grabbing onto the handles or attaching the strap to a ankle and pulling.  You're pulling against your own body weight.  That's where the resistance comes in.

Now at this point all kinds of bells and whistles should be going off in your head because it should be dawning on you that no two people are going to get the same resistance level unless they weigh the same.

The next thing I notice about the Total Gym (aside from the weight and length) was that the padded bench is short.  You can't really lay on it. 

II need to stop and interject something here.  I bought the Total Gym because I thought I could lay on my back and pump my legs or pull on the handles and "get a total body workout".  I'll be honest with you.  I was looking for the laziest way to exercise and laying down seemed the way to do it.

You have to bend your knees to fit on the bench.  Doesn't matter if you're on your back or laying on your side, knees have to be bent.

I have long hair to the middle of my back.  I wasn't on that thing 30 seconds and I got my hair stuck in the cable assembly where it attaches to the underside of the bench at the #1 spot in the picture above.  I had to clip my hair up.

After working out on the Total Gym for a few weeks, the exercises become increasingly easier, just like with any resistance workout.  So to make the exercises harder, you have to increase resistance and to do that, you increase the angle of the bench by pulling out the pin (#5) on the post and moving it up to the next notch.

Great Workout Just Getting On The Total Gym

The cable assembly that works the handles is attached from the bottom of the bench (#1) up to the post (#2).  It's an exercise in itself to lay on your back and then try to find the handles.  For one, you can't reach them.  You have to slide the bench towards the post to grab them.  Doing so shortens the distance between the bench and the post which is where you want to go, but that action extends the cables holding the handles (#2) so by the time you get up there, the handles are on the floor and you still can't reach them.  This is especially true if the angle of the bench is really high.  So what you have to do is grab the handles before you get on the bench and maneuver your body into position.  And don't forget, bend your knees so you can fit on the bench.

Have you ever prepared a Thanksgiving turkey and bent the wings backwards and tucked them under the bottom of the turkey?  That's what it feels like when you're seated backwards on it and you let the bench slide too far down while you're still gripping the handles and your arms get bent back like they are reaching out straight as if to hug someone, but it's the person behind you and the rest of your body is still facing forward.  I call that exercise "the turkey wing", and rightfully so.

The ankle strap is even more fun.  Yes, "strap".  I know, you've got two ankles.  Tough.  The ankle strap (#4) is attached to a pulley assemble on the post (#3).  Look at that picture.  You tell me how does one put it on?  You have to grab the strap, sit on the bench, slide the bench up towards the post and somehow attach it to your ankle.  Go ahead, you go first.  Ok, now the other ankle.  Gotta work both sides.  You don't want to want around with one flabby leg.

Training For The Winter Olympics

Oh, and here's another thing.  Every now and then if I don't keep enough tension on the bench, the cable assembly under the bench will come unhooked and DOWN slides the bench just like a luge at the winter Olympics.  It's a wake-up call, let me tell you.

I really don't like having to do that balancing act on the Total Gym.  I feel like I'm going to fall off when I lay on my side.  When kneeling on the bench and facing the post to pull on the handles, it's such an unnatural position to me.  It's like I'm being dragged behind a car.

Ok, It's Set Up - Now What?

My Total Gym did not come with an exercise guide.  I really didn't know what to do on it so I just sat facing the post and pulled on the handles.  Every once in a while I'd turn around and do "turkey wings".  My favorite was laying down on my back with my feet on the push-up bar, pumping my legs.  And THAT'S why I bought the Total Gym, so I could lay down and workout.

And about that push-up bar that attaches to the bottom of the unit (#6), you have to lay on the bench on your belly with your feet facing the post and your hands on the bar and do push-ups against your body's own resistance.  But, because the bench is at an angle, I didn't much appreciate the rush of blood pooling behind my eyes and pressing up against the top of my skull cap.  Seriously, who the heck does exercises standing on their head?  It's a torture device.

Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley make it look so easy on TV, but I've got to be honest with you, it doesn't do me any darn good having it in the closet...without a manual.  If you've got the room to set it up and you really REALLY want one of these things then get it if you must.  (Be sure to record the infomercial on TV so you know what exercises to do when you get it.)  If you don't have the room and you have to disrupt your household just to set it up, it's not worth the price tag.  For me, it's totally impractical. 

I bought my Total Gym from the Home Shopping Channel and I paid under $300 for it in 2001.  When I go to the official Total Gym website right how, the cheapest machine they have is the 14000 at $1,195.  OUCH!  It appears they've made some changes to the unit over the years, but it's still a massive space hog.  Don't let those pictures fool you, they're on an angle.

Working out with resistance bands

I tried the Total Gym and the Body by Jake Ab Scissor.  I will never again buy another home gym workout contraption again.  In fact, I gave the Ab Scissor away to some recovery group yesterday.  They can sell it at their rummage sale.

I bought resistance bands over a year ago and they get far more use than that Total Gym ever did.  I've set up a resistance band comparison guide page.  It will save me the trouble of having to repeat the differences between all the different style of resistance bands and tubes here.

Obviously, the first thing that gets noticed is the size difference.  How can a limp, wiggly, rubbery length of elastic tubing give a quality resistance workout?  I bought the Bodylastics basic tension system (shown below).  The tubes have clips on them so adjusting resistance levels is easy.  All you do is clip varying combinations of bands onto the handles to customize the resistance level.  Here, I created a Bodylastics resistance level chart for you.

It's funny to watch people use them for the first time.  They all do the same move - stand on them and do a biceps curl.  I think that's why resistance bands get a bad rap.  Little do they realize how many exercise you can do with them .  Here's just a short list:  squat, lat extension, chest fly, ab crunch, chest press, standing ab twist, triceps extension, shoulder press, resisted side bends, back row, hip extension, resisted high kick, even walking in place takes on some resistance. 

Oh, and they came with a exercise guide (with nearly 150 exercises) that's grouped by the major muscles groups.  So if I want to work on my arms, I just flip to the Arm Exercises page.  They are also workout routines for circuit training, baseball, golf, martial arts, and tennis. 

With the handles, ankle straps (yes, two, unlike the Total Gym's one) and door anchor, resistance bands can mimic just about every machine in a commercial gym.  Only difference is, they're quiet, safe, and you don't have to share sweaty, germy equipment with anyone.

Unlike the Total Gym, I don't have to make room for them in my house.  The amount of space they take up is practically nothing.  I have the blue one hanging on a door anchor and the red one next to my recliner that I use during TV commercials.  If I want to increase the resistance, I just clip on the yellow or green band.  Each clips has the resistance level stamped onto it so I always know exactly how much I'm pulling.

While I don't do any traveling, I could very well see myself taking something like this with me.  Can't do that with a piece of gym equipment or weights.

Free Live Exercise Videos

Oh, here's something you might be interested in.  Do you own or have you ever used workout videos?  They get a little boring after a few weeks.  Plus, your muscles adapt when you do the same workout again and again. 

Here are some workouts that will never grow old - Free online resistance bands workouts.  Guess what?  They're LIVE! 

Yup, Blake Kassel, the CEO and creator of Bodylastics goes into his studio in Boca Raton, FL every morning and gives you an explosive Bodylastics workout free of charge.  No memberships.  No signups.  No fees.  Just start watching.  If you miss a live show, pick any of the pre-recorded ones.  Bodylastics has 10 different workout shows, all free.

See the Terrell Owens Super Strong Man Edition system up close.