Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is not a complete review of the features and specifications of the Total Gym XLS. I owned and used a Total Gym 1000 for 8 years, and purchased an XLS in 2010. This review includes my observations as a long-term Total Gym owner. Note: I've updated this review after over five years of ownership (August 2016). Check out the comments too. There is some good advice in them! First: The Purchase Price The 'regular' price is almost $2000. A smart consumer will watch the prices on Amazon and on Total Gym's website, because the machine regularly sells for less. Much less. The offers change everyday (and are almost always accompanied by "Offer Ends Today") but generally hover around 50% of the regular price. Wait. Watch the totalgymdirect.com website. The prices sometimes drop to 60% off. Search for discount coupons on the internet. Many can be combined with the sale price, even when they say they cannot. I purchased mine from totalgymdirect.com for $774 with the ab attachment after using a discount code. But later there was a 60% off sale, which combined with the $200 off discount code got the price down to under $600 with the ab attachment. I wish I had waited! Next: The Qualities of the Machine Think what you will of Total Gym's pricing and marketing practices. The machine is excellent (but definitely NOT worth $2000!). I loved my 1000 model, and the XLS is better. The real strengths of the Total Gym lie in its use of real weight (your body weight) rather than bands or rods for resistance. The feel is excellent and the exercises are perhaps more fun because you're moving (my primal brain loves the motion). The adjustable resistance and configuration of the Total Gym make it possible for a person to undertake exercises they normally would not be able to do: pull ups and 'handstand' push ups with the included wing attachment for example. You can slowly improve and increase the weight over time (and add even more weight with the optional weight bar). I have seen great improvement as a result. The same is true of squats with the included squat board. You can slowly (or rapidly) build up your leg strength from a lower level. Hint: when you need even more resistance, start doing one leg squats with the weight bar on. Killer. Optional Attachments: If you're strapped for cash, I wouldn't necessarily purchase the press up bars (you can use the wing attachment) or the dip bars (you can work your triceps in other exercises. Try the inverted military press with the wing attachment.). Of course, dips are a great exercise, and if you can afford the bars, get them. The weight bar is a necessity when you get beyond the highest setting on the machine (44% of your body weight). You might want to find some spacers to keep the weights from rubbing against the vinyl on the glideboard. Two short pieces of 1 inch inside diameter pvc pipe work well. The Ab Crunch attachment is a tough call. I saw results from using it quite quickly, but ultimately, to get a really visible six pack, I had to use the Total Gym as a slant board, doing sit ups while holding a 50 lb. free weight. Nothing's ever easy, is it? Some Exercises the Total Gym Does Not Do Well The Total Gym is not really a 'total' gym. You would be well advised to purchase a set of dumbbells to use along with the machine. You can use the TG as a bench when you're using them. Why do I recommend the dumbbells? I find the Total Gym bench press and chest fly exercises too awkward to bother with. The cable/pulley position is not right for these exercises, and regardless of the manufacturer's claim that this awkwardness requires you to use all kinds of extra stabilizer muscles, the fact is, you cannot properly isolate the muscles you're trying to focus on. The dumbells are also much better for bicep and tricep curls. And they're cheap! Be Aware of the Length of the Machine / Be Careful to Avoid Injury! Many reviewers have commented on this issue. It's well over 7 feet long unfolded. It will take up a great deal of space in a small room. You will also need a fair amount of space around the sides to allow for your arm movements with the cables during exercises. I leave mine setup, and it takes up most of the space in my exercise room. CAUTION: be careful if you're going to fold it. It is really easy to get your fingers caught in the wrong places. Even when you think you're safe, that glideboard suddenly moves! I've had a few painful pinches that could have been a lot worse if I hadn't reacted quickly. CAUTION: if you have long hair, put it in a ponytail! Your long hair WILL get caught in the wheels if you don't put it in an elastic. Guaranteed. ;) Quality - My Experience So Far (over five years in, as of August 2016). Not long after I wrote this review, I noticed some very light indentations where the wing attachment presses against the rails. They are not in the roll zone (so the glide board doesn't roll over them) and have never increased in depth, despite the fact that I routinely use the total gym with an additional 145 lbs. on the weight bar (a total of about 330 lbs). Someone else mentioned similar dents in their review (and returned their machine), so I thought that it was worth mentioning that I had a similar, albeit better, experience. I'll update if the dents get worse (as of August 2016, they haven't). Reviewer "CRT" had trouble with his wheels. Despite piling the weight onto mine, I haven't had that problem yet, so there must have been quality control problems that affect some units and not others. Obviously, your mileage may vary. The bearings in the wheels on my old 1000 model were still good after 8 years, but the surfaces of the wheels were pitted, so I make sure to wipe off the rails of the XLS occasionally to prevent that from happening. If you get pitting, you can feel it. If you need to replace any parts, I've seen nothing but good reviews about Huck Products. I've never used their parts myself though, so check out reviews of their products for yourself. Overall Impression In 2014, I wrote: "I bought the XLS after using the TG1000 for years, and I still use it daily. I don't regret the purchase at all, and I love the extra accessories. The machine is worth purchasing if you can get it at the reduced prices discussed above. If not, consider a used model or a lesser model." As of 2016, I've outgrown a lot of the exercises on the total gym. I have a bench and squat rack now, but I never would have gotten to this point if I hadn't had the Total Gym. Also, there are some exercises -- especially cable pulls and crunches -- that I still prefer to do on the total gym, so it has remained quite useful.