Total Gym

[Ian Coe]

It is also good for hitting muscles in a way thats different from any other excercise. The variet of angles and full range of motion allowed gives it an obvious benefit to the person who doesnt think they already know/do it all.

Not to harp on about the rehabilitation thing, but even if it can indeed hit muscles from a variety of angles and full range of motion, the loads being used would be low compared to other forms of the exercise that would hit the muscle from the 'usual' angles. So the adaption from the other angles would be pretty minute

 

[Urban]

Dude, you gonna be bad ass like Chuck Norris, Total Gym gives you nasty speed barrier breaking roundhouse kicks.

It's sound barrier. Unless you're talking light, then it's light speed barrier, not just speed barrier. You are lucky you didn't anger the great Chuck Norris with this mistake.

 

[Ian Coe]

Lets see if he posts again

He may be 2 seconds away from death when he next answers the front door

 

[gungfudisciple]

Not to harp on about the rehabilitation thing, but even if it can indeed hit muscles from a variety of angles and full range of motion, the loads being used would be low compared to other forms of the exercise that would hit the muscle from the 'usual' angles. So the adaption from the other angles would be pretty minute

The loads are not necessarily low. At near vertical, the load is close to full bodyweight, and additional weight can be added.

 

[OMGHI2UWTFBBQ]

Chuck Norris DEFIES LIGHT and SOUND barriers, instead he breaks SPEED BARRIERS, meaning his roundhouse kicks can't be measurable by any numeric methods, He kicks and you know he broke something. The Total gym can get you there, one simple work out 30mins a day, 5 times a week for 500 years.

 

[ouboxer]

I have a total gym at my apartment, I like the thing alot. I do most of my work at the gym i usually lift 3 or 4 times a week. But I like having the total gym in my apartment, if I am too busy and just need to break a sweat and work some high rep stuff.

Read the book that came with it with the exercises and make up a work out.

This is a strength and power forum and most of these dudes are pretty hardcore weightlifters, youll catch some shit if you bring up a total gym in here.

 

[Ian Coe]

But if you do add weight, something could be fundementally damaged because the body isn't made to support excessive loads at the position you've forced it into.

I'm getting into semantics now anyway

 

[Fedorable]

But if you do add weight, something could be fundementally damaged because the body isn't made to support excessive loads at the position you've forced it into.

I'm getting into semantics now anyway

do you add weight by becoming heavier?

 

[gungfudisciple]

do you add weight by becoming heavier?

Yes. To increase resistance, have a big lunch.

 

[#1can]

Don't quote me on this, but I think Urban said he does pistols and rickdog clean and jerks with the total gym. Evil Eye Gouger does weighted pull-ups with the total gym and Taylor eats CBH while sitting on the total gym. Diesel Wiesel proved that you can in fact have bad form while using the total gym and Hulkamania runs wild on the total gym.

hilariawesome

 

[Sherddog]

those guys in the infomercials never touched that machine, they probably needed a weeks lecture on how to use it, they were prbably told to go slow too, if they really pulled then theyed fly of the seat. anyone try the bowflex?

 

[Grady]

those guys in the infomercials never touched that machine, they probably needed a weeks lecture on how to use it, they were prbably told to go slow too, if they really pulled then theyed fly of the seat. anyone try the bowflex?

Bowflex...well, this is as fair assessment I can give, and I base that on several actual workouts with the thing. My friend has *one, and he bought the 410lb kit with it (which feels like more, actually), so it doesn't suffer from bodyweight limitations.

Bowflex is a better machine than Total Gym, but it is inferior to free weights, mainly due to the "resistance curve" (reps get slightly tougher as you get closer to lockout). My friend thinks this progressive strength curve makes it like bands or chains as supplement on freeweights...but it really isn't quite so smooth as that.

Also, the price SUCKS when you consider superior freeweight equipment proces. At least the Total Gym is cheap, yes? Bowflex doesn't let you deadlift effectively, perhaps not at all, and squats feel....weird.

That said, it doesn't force you into any kind of movement arc, so it sort of simulates a cable machine more or less, activating stabilizers quite dramatically (you'll see what I mean if you try one and get close to failure on bench press).

*the one he has is like...hmmm...5 years old I think so I know nothing about any of the newer (and even more $$$$$expensive$$$$$ ones you see all the time on the TV).

 

[Reidar]

The hilarious part of the Total Gym ad is the part with Wesley Snipes trying to BS some good aspects of the thing.

"I like it because, well, I'm a martial artist...and the free weights, you know like the bench press and the reracking dumbbells and everything...that doesn't really appeal to me. Um...I know it works for those who like that stuff, but...it's just not my style. But with the Total Gym I get more, you know, flexibility. And uh...range of motion. Along with the...hm...like the.....*snaps fingers* quick twitch muscle fibers."

True comedy.

 

[datadog]

those guys in the infomercials never touched that machine, they probably needed a weeks lecture on how to use it, they were prbably told to go slow too, if they really pulled then theyed fly of the seat. anyone try the bowflex?

The bowflex might be the best machine you can get. I trained on one for a year and did see results, but the wrong kind. I got tone instead of strong off it. At first use it seems very hard, but soon you get those stabilizers built and then it's a lot easier. I still have mine, the wife uses it for her weight training. The problem I had is that it didn't equal real weight for a lot of exercises. You don't get the stability that you get from free weights, but at least you get some (it pulls straight back, but you get other directional stability). Also, you can get an awesome range of motion for stretching with it.

 

[[email protected]]

Bowflex sucks, for strength and power free weights all the way.
total gym is actually alright as far as conditioning your muscles goes, or i have have my girlfriend sit on it too and read or watch tv, but ill do free weights anyday over either, i only use when im watching tv pretty much

 

[Ian Coe]

do you add weight by becoming heavier?

I was assuming gung meant use a dumbell or something

 

[SmashiusClay]

Has anyone else noticed that on the total gym ad, when they're explaining how the total gym can 'replace an entire gym of equipment', there's one guy on a machine for doing hammer curls. He says, referring to the curls machine, "this thing really isolates my biceps, its the next best thing to free weights".

WTF! So, this guys sat on some highly expensive piece of metro, gym crap and he admits that its inferior to freeweights. Is there a world shortage of dumbells or is this guy just retarded?

 

[Ian Coe]

It also makes you wonder what other catagories other then free weights and machines there are (I wonder if he's tried sand bagging to develop those guns)

 

[bacon]

Totalscam > Blowflex

It's amazing how much milage you can get out of "Chuck Norris".
Three men walk into a bar....Chuck Norris! LOL!!!!129%###

 

[killer_kicks88]

The loads are not necessarily low. At near vertical, the load is close to full bodyweight, and additional weight can be added.

dude, at the highest incline, it's only 60% bw