Jul
19
19
Total Gym Exercises: Tom’s Weekly Tip – Pull-up
Who can do pull-ups??
One of the best upper body exercises is the pull -up, but not many people are able to do them using their full body weight.
Total Gym allows you to unload your body weight using the incline plane so you can do higher-repetitions of pull-ups that you can’t do on a static pull-up bar in the weight room. Do these exercises with your Three-Grip Pull-Up Bar attachment for your Total Gym 14000 or 26000 (for Total Gym XLS accessories click here), or your Total Gym GTS or PowerTower model with folding LAT bars.
Check it out!
I have been using the total gyn for approximately 2 months and I have not gotten the results that I thought I would especially in the inner thigh, quads, and glute areas. I am a ex-excercise instructor so I know about form when it comes to exercising, but apparently I don’t know the kinds of excercises that are truly beneficial on the total gym when it comes to legs, especially inner thighs. I would appreciate some help.
thanks, Linda
Linda,
Thanks for writing in. My name is Rob Glick, certified personal trainer and GRAVITYMasterTrainer with Total Gym. The best way to answer your query is to know what Total Gym model you have? Do you have the Leg Pulley attachment?
Think in terms of body position instead of exercises to keep your workout moving. Within each position on the Total Gym, there are tons of exercises you can do, so when you get into position do as many exercises as possible. For example, when you are lying down on the glideboard with you head at the top, here are just a few exercises you can sequence together:
Boxer Crunches
Lat Pulldown
Triceps Pressdown
Armpullover Crunches
Armpullover Crunches with rotation
Iron cross
That’s 6 exercises you can perform without a break. These exercises target: abdominals, triceps, back (lats), obliques and more. You can visit our Exercise Library for more exercise ideas: http://efisportsmedicine.com/home/education/exercise-library/.
The big bonus is that without stopping, you keep your heart rate up which means you’ll burn more calories! Hope this helps.
Thanks,
Rob Glick
http://www.glofitsol.com
I was hesitant to use the TG because of a deteriorating disc in my lower neck. A friend who has been using it for quite some time now assisted me with the exercise and form. I started out at full range of motion with the exercises, then tried half range of motion because I could feel my disc being aggravated and the surrounding muscles getting very tight as it pinched my neck. I felt horrible pain and heat and stopped immediately. I even had the bench at the lowest angle but when I thought of how the angle of the handles were in relation to my neck I understood why I was getting pain. The handles were terribly awkward and I am a physically fit person and have worked out on nautilus machines for a long time without any problems to my neck used at the right angle and lower weight. The key is the angle in relationship to the joint being used.
So any input or suggestion would be very helpful to me…Thanks, Sarah
Sarah,
First, let me say how happy I am to hear you are listening to your body. If you are experiencing pain you were smart to stop. Please check with a doctor to make sure training with your condition is a good idea right now. If you and your doctor agree that based on your injury you are sound to start training again, then the Total Gym is an excellent choice. There is less compression on your spine when you are at an angle to gravity on Total Gym. This should be more comfortable for training and less problematic for your neck. What you may find works better for you then being on the lowest level is to be at a slightly higher lever with your feet on the floor to assist you until you build your strength up enough to lift your feet without straining. Form, as you know, is more important than intensity at this stage but the higher level may be more comfortable for you, so finding the balance between the two may be the perfect solution. Hope this helps.
Rob Glick
Total Gym GRAVITYMasterTrainer
Co-founder Global Fitness Solutions (www.glofitsol.com)