My Brutal Review of the Best-Selling Home Gym Product Of All Time…

5 Comments

1. Try it with the weight plates 90 pounds per side and try single leg squats. It’s very challenging.

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2. I am on my 5th Total Gym due to moving and stuff. In 2018 I bought one after a car accident and months of ineffective therapy and the Total Gym cured my back pain! I am not using mine enough but I never considered it good enough for legs. However, my current model does accommodate a bar to add weights and I can wear a vest so long as I am not over 250 pounds (I think). I spent some time working P90X3 and finally finished it but now I need the support of the Total Gym.

   So I agree that it is not good for building leg mass but I have not tried any of the leg cuff cable routines. I have tried 1 leg squats and they might be good for a warmup.

   But I disagree on the pricing. The model in this video is on sale now for $1600. I bought my Total Gym Fit Max in 2023 or 2024. It was listed for $1500. I got it on sale at QVC for $799 I think. Then the card deck holder was broken. QVC said I could ship it back at my expense for a new one, that would have cost me $100, or I could accept a refund of one payment, I think a payment was $150 because I financed it through them. So I contacted Total Gym Direct about the warranty since I registered it and they sent me a new card holder. Then I contacted QVC for the refund and got it. So my Total Gym Fit Max cost me about $600 as I recall. It came with every accessory at the time except the weight bar. I have dip bars, elbow padded handles for crunches – which are not shown in this video, everything. Retail was like $1500 as I said and I paid $650 I think overall.

   So I agree that the legs are not great but the upper body is great. The low-impact is great.

   And on the ab exercise demonstrated in this video, I have 2 handles with pads that are made for that exercise so I don’t hold on to the Tower to pull myself, I think he showed the handles he could have used, but anyway, the crunches and oblique crunches KILL me so I wanted to point that out.

   I agree with the leg criticism but not the price criticism because you can shop and get a deal. I actually had an alert set somewhere and Total Gym Direct’s website said QVC had a sale that day and I jumped on it.

   My martial arts instructor has had one for 30 or 40 years. He is in his 70s and still teaches calisthenics. He loves his Total Gym. It fixed my back. Upper Body is great. Look for sales. Don’t expect to build legs and you are good to go.

   But on my 4th and 5th purchase I learned that there is a Consumer Model and a Real Model available only at Totalgymdirect.com I think. My 4th model was from Costco or Sam’s and it was junk. When I called Total Gym Direct they explained the difference and I was shocked that they put their name on junk. So I se the alert and found the QVC deal which they advertised themselves. $0 down, and they refunded one payment. I may have gotten lucky. But again. The machine in this video is online now for $3000 and is on sale for $1599 and is pictured with apparently all the accessories including the padded elbow handles he should use for crunches. Total Gym is great for upper body and core. Legs are a warmup.

   I was disappointed in the instructions however. My original one told me what % of bodyweight you get at each level This one does not so I had to calculate the resistance I was getting for each exercise. Also my original had a John Carleo full body routine as I recall and that is gone. The cards don’t tell you exactly what muscles are worked either but my old model did show you what muscles were worked on what exercise. If this was my first purchase and I was a beginner, I’d be Very frustrated and have to do research or hire a trainer to tell me how much weight each exercise is using at what angle and what muscles are targeted. I think the cards that came with my model tell you things like “Chest, back, arms” which is stupid in my opinion. Tell me what muscles. The old material I had clearly indicated that 2 or 3 exercises I liked had so much overlap that I eliminated 1 of them.

   So I disagree on his demo of ab work and price arguments. The only negative to the machine is that it is hard to build leg mass. But you can work your legs.

   Wow this was longer than I thought… thank you if you are still reading. I hoped this helped.

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3. I’m @6:32 You talk too much.

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4. amazing piece of equipment. i’ve had mine since 2004. Muscle endurance. Muscularity. Strength. Cardio benefit. Fantastic.

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5. It reminds me of a Pilates reformer but using gravity not springs only much cheaper to buy

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