The Total Gym uses an adjustable glideboard and incline to convert bodyweight into scalable resistance for full-body training. It offers low-impact, space-saving workouts suited to toning, conditioning and rehabilitation. While efficient for short 15-minute routines and good for endurance and fat-burning, it's not ideal as the primary tool for maximal strength or bodybuilding. Many models fold for easy storage and are popular for home use.
What the Total Gym is
The Total Gym - often associated with Chuck Norris from its infomercial era - is a compact, incline-based home gym that uses a sliding bench and adjustable angle to turn your bodyweight into resistance. It was designed to deliver smooth, low-impact movements with a single piece of equipment that can target the whole body.
> Note: The system was widely marketed with celebrity endorsements in the past; some current marketing still references those ties .
How it provides resistance
Instead of piles of plates or heavy cables, the machine relies on two variables: your bodyweight and the incline of the glideboard. Raising the incline increases the percent of your bodyweight you must move, making exercises harder. That simple mechanism creates a continuum of resistance levels without changing weights.
Types of workouts and benefits
You can perform pulling, pushing, pressing and leg-focused moves: rows, chest presses, leg curls, squats, triceps pressdowns, and core rotations, among others. The result is a system suited for:
- Strength endurance, toning and calorie burn
- Low-impact conditioning and rehabilitation-style work
- Efficient full-body sessions when time is limited
What it's not ideal for
The Total Gym-style machines are not optimized for maximal hypertrophy or very heavy strength training that require progressive overload with heavy free weights. Lifters seeking large increases in maximal strength or muscle mass will usually prefer barbells, dumbbells and heavier resistance systems.
Practical features: size, storage and usability
A major appeal is the compact footprint and foldability of many glideboard systems, which makes them practical for apartments or small home gyms. They typically assemble quickly and present fewer setup barriers than multi-station gyms. That convenience is often why people choose them for regular, time-efficient workouts.
Who should consider one
This style of home gym fits someone who wants a low-impact, full-body option that saves space and simplifies exercise selection. It also suits people recovering from injury or those who prefer guided movement paths. If your primary goal is heavy strength or bodybuilding, pair it with free-weight work or consider a different primary system.
Final takeaways
The Total Gym approach preserves core benefits: versatile exercise options, bodyweight-plus-incline resistance, compact storage, and approachable programming. It remains a practical choice for toning, conditioning, and low-impact strength work, while not replacing heavy-resistance training for serious hypertrophy goals.
- Confirm whether current Total Gym marketing still uses Chuck Norris's name or endorsement (as of 2025).