Total Gym is Total Heaven

MY QUEST TO FIND THE RIGHT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT - I have been paying 360.00 a year for a membership to a ladies gym in my area. With a full time job, children, being a part time student, wife, etc... it became harder to get the motivation to drive to the gym and to have enough free time to work out. I knew to stay in shape i'd have to find a machine I could keep at home so I could work out at my convenience. It had to be solid, priced right, easy to convert for different exercises and not take up a lot of space (as they say 3 out of 4 is not bad...keep reading).


SELLING POINTS - I had seen the infomercials on television but the price for those units was more than I wanted to pay. I found the Total Gym 1700 at Speigel for $315.00. This model included a mat to protect my floors which is a must. Finally I liked that this model allowed you the ability to add up to 75 additional pounds of weight.


THE SYSTEM ITSELF - I didn't want to go into all the specs because you can read these online, I seek to provide more personal experience when reviewing a product. I really like that the system comes almost fully assembled. You can take it out the box, set it up and start to work out immediately. The only parts that are not assembled are the accessories and you would switch these out depending on the exercise you are performing. This is a heavy, solid piece of equipment. It is not built cheap or flimsy, but the trade off for this durability and stability is that it's not easy to move it around. Here's the bare basics on the actual system:

Features:
- Larger glideboard for comfort
- Wider tower for stability
- Auto locking height adjustment for safety
- Flip chart for easy reference

Accessories: (more than in previous models)
- Pilates Bar improves balance and range of motion
- Weight Bar allows up to 75 lbs added weight
(weights are not included)
- Dip Bars and Press Up Bars for versatility
- Exercise mat to protect floors
- DVD


MY TAKE ON THE CLAIMS - The infomercials boast that the system can be used 3 to 4 times per week for 15 to 20 minutes to start realizing the benefits. I think people need to realize the key word here is "start to realize," to unlock the full potential you will need to put in more than 15 to 20 minutes, especially if you've already been working out. If your new to exercising then any time invested is an improvement.

The second claim is that it folds quickly and easily for storage under a bed or in a closet. The box the system arrives in is about 4 feet long and it's heavy, probably about 75 lbs easily. It took me and my 15 year old son to carry it inside. When it's fully expanded it fills up almost the entire mat, which is 8 feet long. It will fold up, but you'd have to have a lot of height under your bed to make it fit. It would fit easily in a closet in the same room you are working out in, but it's heavy and you wouldn't want to have to drag it around. My advice would be to recognize the length fully extended and be prepared to set it up in a spot where you can leave it.

MY EXPERIENCE - I've had it about a month and I am really enjoying it. It is so much fun to work out on that I don't see it as a chore like I often did with exercise, plus the convenience of having it in home, makes it much more pleasant. I have not needed to add weights yet. My 14 year old who runs track and my 15 year old who plays football are also using it and getting results.