total gym users?

shopgirl1

Hi, Does anyone out there use the Total Gym or other home exercise equipment? If, so how do you figure out your exercise entry for weight training purposes? It has some Cardio aspect to it but you are also weight training and I can't figure out how to get a general idea of calories burned. I don't think it would be accurate to add each individual exercise in the routine especially as I don't know how to figure out what percentage of my weight I am using to lift , push and pull myself around. Any suggestions would be appreciated.:frown:

deannasw

The total gym website has a pdf you can download with a grid of weight and the level of incline to show you the amount of weight you are working with. For example, I on Level 2 am lifting about 28 lbs. I track the length of time in the cardio section (under strength training) and then the reps of each exercise in the section below.

shopgirl1

thanks for the info I will check it out. Have you used the TG for long? I used mine regulary when I first got it but then I had surgery for carpal tunnel and couldn't use it for quite a while. Trying to get back in the swing of using is has been difficult to say the least.:ohwell:

deannasw

I got it in 2008 and was using it regularly until my SIL moved in. It was in the basement and I felt awkward using it in "her" space. Then we moved and it stayed with our stuff for the past year. I just got back to using it over the past month, and I love it! Right now I am using it 2x week. But on the days I don't, I can tell that my body misses the stretches.

I don't have carpel tunnel, but I do have weak wrists. I have to remind myself with each bicep curl to keep my hands even and not to curl up my wrists. The other thing my wrists cannot take are push ups. so I just try to do all the other upper body exercises instead.

The core exercises are the most taxing to me. I am working to get them in check.

I hope you are enjoying getting back on track. You just have to be persistent. Try with once/week then work yourself up.

Debhow

I have a Total Gym and just love it. I've never liked exercising, but I love the gliding motion on the board and I feel so much more tuned up after my workout. Obviously I haven't been using it faithfully, since I have so much weight to lose, but I've used it faithfully for the last week! lol

billgiersberg

I just found MFP and I am a long-time TotalGym user. I bought mine on Ebay a long time ago. It is similar to the 14000DLX they sell today. I did have a roller wheel break and it was an easy repair when they sent me a replacement part. I also put the lower end bar on a wooden skid to protect it when I changed angles because it does a lot of sliding on the floor.

I found that I have been doing the same exercises again and again. Recently I found a website called TotalGymWorkout.Com. It is a subscription website so just know that if you go looking at it. Like MFP, it asks what your goals are and then shapes a workout plan. Some of the exercises were quite easy and many where set at too high a level for me. After a workout, I log on, record my results and the "smart trainer" software makes adjustments to future workouts. In addition it does some kind of calculations that tells me how many calories I burned on that workout. Shortly after finding it, I found MFP and I record those calories in my exercise diary.

In addition to the TotalGym, I also use an Ab Lounger and a CE7.4 Elliptical machine. Typically I do a 5 minute warmup on the elliptical at a very light setting and then begin strength training on the TG. During rest phases on strength, I do 40 to 50 ab crunches just to make use of the time. TotalGymWorkout recommends the sets and repetitions for each exercise and I found the rest phases extended the workout too much with idle time.

I like the Ab Lounger because it supports my back during the crunch. I have read that a lot of people consider it a gimmick but when I first got it, I could only do 40 crunches. Now I can do over 500 at a time so something has gotten stronger along the way. You do not need an Ab Lounger to crunch; TotalGymWorkout will add crunches to the TG workout.

I was never happy with any cardio work I tried on the TG. My son urged me to get the CE7.4 elliptical and I love it. My wife has never used the TG but she gets on the 7.4 almost every day. Often after a TG workout, I'll add a 16 or 32 minute session on the elliptical and I add the calories it reads out to me to MFP.

I have tried a fitness club membership. Hated it. Hate traffic where I live and that was enough to dissuade me from using the membership but I did go once. What I found was all the weight machines were a bit confusing but perhaps over time, you'd learn which ones worked which muscle groups. The cardio equipment was quality stuff and beat the cheap stuff you would find in the sports warehouses but the fitness club cardio equipment did not offer anything beyond what my 7.4 elliptical offered. I canceled the fitness club membership according to all their rules and regulations, got an email from them telling me the membership was canceled and when my final billing date was and guess what? They billed my credit card after the final billing date so now I'm in the process of disputing their charge.

I find the TotalGym offers just about anything I could find in the fitness club and it offers it to me in the privacy of my garage in a small footprint. Combined with the AB Lounger and the elliptical, I feel I have a complete workout system. The website for the TG I mentioned is also useful and has helped me round out my workouts further. I set out to lose about 60 pounds several months ago and so far, I have lost about 24. I think the exercise has been the key.

If I could only have one piece of equipment, I would pick the CE7.4 elliptical though.

I sent all of you a friend request. If you would be interested in me using what I have learned from TotalGymWorkout.Com to help you learn new TG exercises, let me know.