Total Gym opinions

Hi Nanllyn. I am a TotalGym user. I've had one for over 10 years I think. Probably longer. Mine is an 11000 model I bought on Ebay. I took a look at the 1800. It appears to be their basic home use model. Mine was designed for sports clinics. I bought it because I thought it would possibly stand up to longer term use. My weight is 250 and I believe the gym has a limit of 300. I also add about 50 lbs of free weights to a number of the exercises I do to increase the resistance so I am pushing it to it's max. I have had to replace the stock wheels with better wheels and they have held up well.

I also have a Smooth Fitness elliptical and I had an ab lounger that I broke a weld on. I re-welded it and used it more and it broke again. I replaced it but shortly after that, I found out how to use the TotalGym to exercise the abs in a way the ab lounger was not doing. I was up to 500 reps on the ab lounger and not feeling it but doing ab exercises right on the TotalGym can kick your butt.

I was doing a lot of cardio on the elliptical but now I have gone more toward strength on the TotalGym. I can see and feel a huge difference in my muscle mass but weight wise I am not losing. I put the blame for that on myself. I have a bad habit of snacking which I am trying to overcome.

You do not need much in the way of accessories with the TotalGym. However I am not sure what the 1800 comes with standard. For the exercises you mentioned, I have found a footboard (squat stand) and what they call a wing attachment on this page (http://www.totalgymcatalog.com/accessories.php) to be valuable. To workout the legs and the gluteus, you can do a squat, unilateral squat, skiing squat, toes out squat, buns up squat and a single leg lateral squat which kicks my butt. This is a good example of how the TotalGym works... it's not enough to just squat. You have to figure out how to exercise all the muscle groups. For a few years I was using the total gym with no results. The reason was that I was using it wrong. Then I found this website, totalgymworkout.com and it showed me how to use it right and it designed and redesigns my workout programs depending on my needs. It is a paid subscription site. I have found it useful. You may want to try it just a couple of months and then end your subscription after you have had a chance to design a custom program to meet your goals. Of course you can use the TotalGym guide but I like using the website's online trainer.

The key for me was to use the TotalGym right. Perhaps you can find a fitness club or a sporting goods store that sells them. Try it out right in the store and see if you can feel any burn before you invest any money. If you do invest, consider upgrading to get a model that will last and consider that website. Or just write me... maybe I can help you workout a program to get you started.

I just bought the total gym from QVC and love it also. It came with Todd Durkin's DVD's for beginner intermediate and advanced which you can follow along with him. That's the way I do it. He times you at 30 seconds per exercise and takes about 45 minutes It even has a shorter version of the workout if you don't have time for the full workout. It comes with all the attachments. It is quite a bit cheaper than the website and is a good buy with the DVD's and attachments included. You can also pay no interest monthly if you want. I also use a treadmill for cardio. I am 58 years old and can do almost all the exercises and you can start lower and then progress as you improve.