... She looks quite good though, and she advertises the Total Gym, along with someone else I hadn’t heard of before, Chuck Norris. Now my husband sat up and took notice when he saw Chuck Norris. He had heard of him. I forget where from. Probably some beat-em-up, drive-em-fast guy movie. ... Read review
Advantages: It works and it is pleasant to use Disadvantages: Big and heavy
...though, and she advertises the Total Gym, along with someone else I hadn’t heard of before, Chuck Norris. Now my husband sat up and took notice when he saw Chuck Norris. He had heard of him. I forget where from. Probably some beat-em-up, drive-em-fast guy movie.
The thing is though, I really don’t care who advertises products as long as they work. Chuck and Christie didn’t influence my decision to buy this product. ... ...went and in came the Total Gym.
You know, it would be really helpful if they advertised these things in a normal-sized home, rather than an empty warehouse. “It didn’t look that big on the television” is our normal cry whenever we buy something, but this was worse than usual. The Total Gym is the length of our living room. One advantage was that you don’t need an engineering degree to put it together, it is ... more
Would you like to look like Christie Brinkley? Do you know who Christie Brinkley is? No, neither do I. I think she used to be married to someone famous. She looks quite good though, and she advertises the Total Gym, along with someone else I hadn’t heard of before, Chuck Norris. Now my husband sat up and took notice when he saw Chuck Norris. He had heard of him. I forget where from. Probably some beat-em-up, drive-em-fast guy movie.
The thing is though, I really don’t care who advertises products as long as they work. Chuck and Christie didn’t influence my decision to buy this product. A bottle of wine, a late-night channel surf and a dissatisfaction with my weight did though. At least I don’t have to worry about the weight of my purse, after buying tons of health equipment.
We had a brief flirtation with the Orbitrek, that big thing that looks like a cross between an exercise bike and a stepper. It was good, very good, but my husband’s dodgy knees made it impractical for him and it wasn’t worth keeping it just for me. After all, if I turned into a supermodel I’d probably trade him in. So out it went and in came the Total Gym.
You know, it would be really helpful if they advertised these things in a normal-sized home, rather than an empty warehouse. “It didn’t look that big on the television” is our normal cry whenever we buy something, but this was worse than usual. The Total Gym is the length of our living room. One advantage was that you don’t need an engineering degree to put it together, it is mostly already assembled.
If you haven’t seen the adverts it will be hard to imagine. It isn’t like the sort of complete gyms you see in health centres. It has a big seat which slides up and down parallel bars. The seat can be left in a flat position, near the floor, or raised at one end – the higher you raise it the harder the workout is. There are two hand attachments which you use to exercise the arms. These work by pulling your own body weight along on the seat. That all sounds horribly complicated but it isn’t.
~ ADVANTAGES ~ You get a good, low-impact workout on the Total Gym. I can do a lot of exercises on it that I can’t do normally, because of health problems. For example, I used to do a lot of squats – they’re the best thing for a neat bottom – but haven’t been able to manage to do more than a couple at a time for years. On the Total Gym, I can lie down and do squats. I’ve got to the point where I can do them with the seat at a high incline, so it is quite an intense workout for my thighs and glutes.
It is similar with the arm exercises. I broke my clavicle in a car accident and it didn’t mend properly so I have a weakness in my right arm. I can’t use that weights machine where you pull the two paddles around – can’t remember what it is called, the one that exercises your chest. I can do the same exercise on the Total Gym though and it shows – my boobs are gradually working their way back up to their former position again.
It gives good results quickly (as most weight-training exercises/machines do). I do a full workout in about 5 or 6 minutes.
The advertising informs me that I am increasing my strength while keeping my flexibility. I think that’s pushing it a bit. You still need to do cool-down stretches.
It is a sturdy piece of equipment, you don't feel it is going to fall apart when you sit on it. It is also comfortable to use, it almost makes exercising pleasant.
~ DISADVANTAGES ~ The size of the thing! The adverts – American, naturally – show slight women folding the Total Gym up and sliding it under a bed. Hmmm. These slight women must have powerful muscles hidden under their lycra leotards. I can’t manage to fold it up and move it myself, but I am physically limited. My husband is very strong, though, he has a weightlifter’s build. He can fold it and move it – but it ISN’T easy.
We were stuck for where to put it. We tried keeping it in our understairs cupboard, but found that, after the initial novelty wore off, we didn’t use it at all as it was such a pain dragging it out of the cupboard. We eventually moved it to the garage. It sits folded on one wall and I can manage to unfold it and use it myself without having to swallow my pride and ask for help. I have to move all the bikes, skateboards, lawnmowers, etc., first, but at least I can do it. Actually, once I have moved all the stuff I don’t feel I kneed a workout.
And that is the biggest problem. This is a marvellous piece of equipment. It is a pleasure to use it, it gives good (and quick) results, but unless you have a room large enough to leave it set up in, it is inconvenient to get out all the time.
It doesn’t give an aerobic workout, so weight doesn’t fall off you using the Total Gym. It does build muscle, though, and muscle uses a lot of calories so we have noticed that clothes are slightly looser.
~ VERDICT ~ At a cost of around £150, the Total Gym is good value for money. It gives a good workout for most people (I don't really think it is suitable for serious weight-lifters) and is fun to use.
We go through phases of being on a health kick and use it 3 times a week. We feel better, we look better and we eat better. But then something happens – a heavy meal out, visitors, a weekend away – and we get out of routine and lose the momentum again.
We have a dream of buying one of those log cabin things for the garden and setting it up as a gym. If that happened, the Total Gym would have a perfect home. We would be able to pop out there and use it without having to fight our way to it. We would look wonderful, feel great, have a fantastic sex life (it has to rear its head doesn’t it?), be pleasant to everyone, never get irritable. In our dreams.
In the meantime, we use this occasionally and quite like it.
Advantages: Very well built, sturdy, uses own body weight Disadvantages: Quite heavy, big and bulky
I have owned the Total Gym 1000, for about a year now. The reason why, is because I was channel shopping, and it looked good. It caught my eye, so I watched the programme, and then decided that for £150, you couldn't go wrong. I am a little impulsive like that.
You can do all sorts of exercises on it, so why bother paying to go to a gym, and use lots of machines, when this one does it all? ********************SETTING UP***********************
The ... ...mine from QVC, but it is available through, ideal world and home shopping. All chanels are asking the same price. £150. There is another, that has been made, and being sold on these chanels aswell, and that is the Total Gym 2000. Thank you for reading. ...
purebitch 23.01.2002 (28.03.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Total Gym 1000
Advantages: Can be as good as a Weights-Gym/Multi-Gym for building/training Upper Body and Mid-Section Disadvantages: Not as effective for Lower Body as it is for Upper Body, Not that easy to 'Fold-Away' every time you use it
...SO ..... ALONG COMES THE TOTAL GYM 1000 ...
In 2001 I was working many many hours to build a future for my wife and family and having realised a while before that I just didn't have the time to go to the gym after working a 12 hour day - I figured that I would need something effective enough to keep me in reasonable shape (even if not quite what I used to be!). At that time I must say that being in shape/keeping in shape was still not my primal ... ...an exercise program. And the Total Gym 1000 was the equipment I had at my disposal to use!
HOW IT WORKS
The Total Gym 1000 is effectively gliding board that you either sit or lie on which can be attached to cables with pulleys and grip-handles that you pull to move your body up and down glide rails that the board slides upon. You are able to adjust the pitch of the angle that the board glides up and down at so that you can use anywhere from 4% ...
Whinger 11.06.2005 (12.06.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Total Gym 1000
...Gill has bought herself a total gym. It cost me £199 quid from TV shopping. (you can pay in instalments)
I had better lose half that I pounds or I’m sending the bugger back.
I have gone flabby and floppy over the last few months due to lack of proper exercise. I didn’t feel like joining a gym, because of the cost. So I thought to myself buy this and work out in the comfort of your own home.
Right… on TV they show a woman folding ... ...when not in use. The problem is my bed base touches the floor, so for me it is impossible.
On the TV she does it with ease like as if it is as light as a feather. Wrong……It is quite heavy.
If you are going to buy it I suggest that you have room where you can leave it up permanently.
My kitchen door adjoins my garage so I am lucky.
This machine claims to do all the exercises you could possibly need, so you will not need other equipment.
...
gill1960 13.01.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Total Gym 1000
Advantages: versitility of use Disadvantages: cost
...the exercise industry - the Total Gym 1000. One Look and you'll realize that this is no ordinary exercise product. With over 60 proven routine exercises, effortless changeovers, solid steel construction and a revolutionary design, the Total Gym is the one piece of equipment that replaces and entire gym. Total gym is unlike any strength machine on the market today! Constructed of solid steel, Total Gym comes fully assembled right out of the box. It ... ...a snap too! With the Total Gym, you lift a percentage of your body weight against gravity, so the resistance is smooth and fluid. To increase the resistance, simply raise the incline. At the lowest setting you are only lifting 4% of your body weight. At the highest setting - 60%. So whether you're a seasoned athlete or just starting out, the Total Gym fits your exercise needs. Total Gym is so versatile it replaces an entire room of equipment. You ...
johndunoon 19.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Total Gym 1000
Durability
Comfort
Value for money
Quick review of Total Gym 1000
When total Gym first came out I was skeptical - a tv add selling a peice of good exercise equipment? Yeah right! A year later I got tired of paying those expensive gym fees and having to workout with roid monkeys and people trying to get noticed so I decided to try out a Total Gym 1000. Well, I was extremely satisfied. As an experienced bodybuilder looking for a more affordable and private means of working out it couldn't get better than this! There are plenty of exercises to fully work and sculpt every muscle group and all fully work your stabalizer muscles giving you a cut look. In my personal opinion, this was a great buy and I give it two huge thumbs up! ...
Hitman009 29.11.2008
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Total Gym 1000
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Advantages: Allows one to thoroughly focus on training those Abdominal Muscles! Disadvantages: Not much that I can think of!!!!
INTRODUCTION
This item is designed specifically and exclusively to train the 'abs' (adbdominal) muscles. Unlike the TotalGym1000 (Which you can read my review of, if you want to know more!) which is designed to be used for many other body parts other than just the abdomen.
DESIGN
I have taken a couple of photos to demonstrate how the design appears - as I realise it's not always easy to describe a physical object that is somewhat technical/mechanical in its design without having a photo or two of it in order to get across what I am describing here! Essentially, after reading the clear and informative instruction manual - or watching the free video that came with mine, one is instructed to lie on ones back on the floor and to put ones buttocks about one third of the way onto the cushioned rockable/rollable base pad. This rollable ...
