23 September 2008

My Total Gym and Me:Part-1

As you may know, one of the pieces of equipment I use in my exercise routine is the Total Gym. Well, over the course of a few months, I have had several people (OK, 3 people) ask whether it really works. So, in response to those "several" comments I will, over the course of the next few days, give you my review of the Total Gym.

When I first started seeing the commercials for the Total Gym, I didn't think it would work. I mean, you lay down on a bench and use pulleys to slide up and down on a frame. Gee, how tough is that? Yes, you can increase the height of the bench, but I didn't think it would give you enough resistance to do any good. Now, during this time I was looking into purchasing a BowFlex; I was looking very seriously, that is until I saw the price...$1,900 to start. Since I do not have that type of money lying around (hence all the little ads on my site), I needed to look elsewhere. What I needed was something that I could use; something that would work; something that was cheap.

I checked-out the official Total Gym site and I noticed that they wanted over $700 for one of their models. Naturally, this caused me to look around elsewhere and I soon discovered that Amazon sold an older model for much less. This is why I purchased my Total Gym 1700 through Amazon. I later learned that Total Gym does not support its older models, but I will talk about that later.
So, I purchased my gym and a week or so later, it arrived and the fun began.
I got the gym inside and opened the box. After reading the instructions (yes, I know I lost several Man Points for reading the instructions), I set it up and just had to try it. From the lowest setting, I tried an arm pullover. I didn't expect it would take much effort to do the exercises...boy was I wrong. I couldn't believe how tired I got after just a few reps (at this time I was a total couch potato). Then and there, I decided that I had made a good purchase. No, it wasn't my coveted BowFlex,
but it would do.


See also:My Total Gym and Me:Part-2

** These observations are written based on my usage of the machine at 4-5 times a week for just over 13 months...

6 comments:

  1. This is interesting ... Dad wants to get a treadmill but Mom doesn't think he'll use it.

    I look forward to the next installment!

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  2. Sounds like a good purchase! I'd definitely lov to have a piece of equipment like that in my house, but I have no room...
    The Bowflex is great, too. A friend of mine has one, and it's good not to have to go to the gym to get the workout you can get on these things.

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  3. Lux: That is always the fear I have. This is why I started with something less expensive ($250.00), so in case I decided I didn't want to use it anymore, I wouldn't be out 1,000+ dollars.

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  4. The Fitness Diva: In my next article, I give the measurements for the Total Gym. It also does fold-up and can be placed under a bed or table (which is what we do, since there is no room under our bed)when not in use. I would love to get my hands on a Bowflex, but they just cost too much. Maybe some year:)

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  5. It sounds like a great investment. I look forward to the next installment to see how you liked it after using it so much for so long (13 month!).

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  6. BeadedTail: Thank you, I'm on my way to post it as I speak. Thanks:)

    ReplyDelete

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