If you haven't seen a Total Gym infomercial, you probably don't have a TV

The Total Gym infomercials seem to have been running forever. So does this piece of fitness equipment live up to its billing? Most of the people who own one seem to think so. It's just important not to expect the Total Gym to accomplish goals it's not designed for.

The Total Gym is promoted as having the major advantage of requiring the user to stabilize themselves as they sit on the bench. This definitely can be a good thing, as bringing all those small stabilizer muscles into play strengthens them, something that is not done with fitness equipment that supports a user's back.

However, that Total Gym advantage can also become a disadvantage, in that the user will be limited by the amount of weight the stabilizer muscles can handle. For example, if the user is doing a chest press, the chest muscles can't be worked with more weight than the back muscles can handle. If the back was supported, much more resistance could most likely be handled, thus supplying more muscle building stimulus to the chest.

The Total Gym's a good choice for home workouts

Still, the Total Gym is easy to use, portable, versatile, easy on the joints, convenient, and, like most home gym equipment, a time saver. For many people with busy lifestyles, the only way to fit a work out in is to do it at home. The Total Gym is one good way to do that.