Total Gym 1100

I found myself going to the gym less and less in the last year. I was just getting tired of waiting for the equipment I wanted to use to free up, and even the 10 minute drive each way would sometimes deter me from leaving home when I was tired after work. I decided to order this Total Gym. I was skeptical how good the workout would seem on it, but I figured for a couple hundred bucks, I might as well give it a try.I have it for a few months, and I have to say that I am probably a Total Gym lifer now! While the resistance for exercises like bench press doesn't sound like much on paper, the fact that you are using cables instead of a barbell makes the exercise very challenging. It will probably be years before I am able to complete the bench press exercise at the highest setting. (I usually consider bench press a good indicator of all-around body strength. I normally max out around 170-180. My all time best max would probably be around 225. I'm including this information so people can compare their own upper body fitness and decide if they think the Total Gym would be a good workout for them. Keep in mind, I currently bench at resistance level 3 or 4 out of 7 and find getting reps in the double digits challenging).I started out with the advanced workouts suggested in the instruction manual. I feel very thorough full body workouts after completing the Day 1 and Day 2 routines. I do switch a couple of things around, as the suggested workouts combine chest, shoulders, and biceps on Day 1, while focusing on back, legs, and triceps on Day 2. I think it makes more sense to focus on the triceps on the same day as chest and shoulders, so I switch the triceps and biceps.I'm guessing that the resistance levels and pulleys might be a little bit easier to switch on a more expensive Total Gym model. But for an entry level unit, this machine will deliver high quality workouts for all major muscle groups for a low price!

I just bought this total gym 1100 and got it for just under two hundred bucks. I used to own the expensive upgraded model yrs ago. I gave it to my brother when I moved. I recieved that one in trade, but I know they were $900 back then for that model. The only difference between the expensive total gym and this cheaper version is the tower and a few accessories like the weight bar and dip handles. The older more expensive one had a wider tower that had button locks. This new/cheaper design has pins only to hold it. In my opinion this one is just as good as the pricey one. As far as a workout. It has some drawbacks with the leg excercises, But I have no complaint for the upper body. It has been 9 yrs since I last worked out, so I am starting slow. Before when I had one,I worked out everynight,actually a couple times a day. I absoloutely loved it. My muscles became well defined, and my back and neck quit hurting. I had back pain for yrs and this helped. Now the pain is back,so thats why I bought another. You may not get ripped with big muscles, but what you do have will become well defined and strong. I am a massage therapist, and highly reccomend the total gym. Especially the 1100. Because it is the same workout at a fraction of the price. If you wonder why it helped my back? My muscles were unevenly strong. My neck would always hurt and pull to one side. The great thing about the total gym is it allows for an even workout on both sides. It eliminates you favoring one arm over the other like with free weights. After just a couple weeks of using it, my neck eased up almost completely, and I saw results. Especially in my lats and abs. My girlfriend could tell a huge difference. So if you are going to get a total gym, just get the cheap one. Bottom line save money and get in shape cheaply and quickly.Its easy,fun,cheap and actually addictive

It may be too soon to tell but so far so good. I've only used it 3 times but it's exactly what I wanted. I love weight training but at 300+ it is a little intimidating to do this at the gym, plus all the inconveniences of going to the gym. For the cost of 1 year of membership at the cheap gym, I got this great machine I can use in the privacy of my own home, for hopefully longer than a year.I am usually pretty good at assembly and setting things up but for some reason I just couldn't get on board with the directions of this. May be simple to some but my brain was just not into it. My boyfriend who is notorious for ignoring instructions got it set up and kept saying he thinks he did it wrong. I noticed the arm pull things weren't attached to the glide board so he hooked that up and it's working just fine!It's kind of a pain to fold it to stand up to take up less space, so I put it in an area out of the way where I can leave it unfolded and ready to go at any time.It uses your own weight, and I haven't done any weight training in 2 years, so it's a little hard for me right now, can only do about 5-10 reps on each arm exercise but it feels good to get back to it and my strength will improve.One thing to note is the weight limit is 275, I am currently 320 and had no issue. I decided to buy it after reading a review from someone who started at 375 and had no problems.