Listen to your body when planning a workout schedule. In general, you can do strength-training every other day, but your body will need more of a break from time-to-time. If your schedule means you won’t be able to workout for three or more days, make sure the last workout before your break is really intense. Push yourself to the limit in terms of resistance and duration. Take a couple of minutes to break and do an extra set or two of each exercise. Your body will have plenty of time to recover on your break. Every once in a while, maybe once a month, workout on the Total Gym two days in a row. Follow it with three days off and you will see great results.
Enough of the drum roll, here’s the exercise routine to get results:
After warming up a little bit (maybe 5 minutes of walking or just moving around the room to warm-up the muscles), start with a basic pull-up. Lay on your stomach, with your neck and head positioned above the bench. Use a reasonable weight and use the cords to perform pull-ups. Perform the repetitions slowly and smoothly. 10 slow repetitions are far better than 20 fast ones. Form is of paramount importance. Take a minimal break in between “sets” before continuing with the same exercise. Pay attention to the muscle “burn” when doing an exercise. There’s a distinct difference between a muscle burning and outright pain. A good burn will help your muscles grow, but pain will set you back in your exercise routine, possibly causing injury.
Next is the bicep curl. From the same position as the pull-up (which uses 80% of your upper body muscles by the way), turn over your hands and you are in perfect curl position. The most important thing is keeping your shoulders down (remember this is a bicep exercise) and your wrists strong. Again, perform this motion slowly and consistently. Honestly, the slower the better for muscle development. Women: don’t worry, you won’t turn into a muscle-bound arm wrestling champion with these exercises. Anywhere from 3-6 sets is a good place to start. With these first two exercises being from the same position, you can do them in just a few minutes.
Next is the chest press. Seat yourself on the bench, facing away from the pole. Grab the handles (with the metal to the outside and the cable underneath your wrists) and keep your elbows close to your body. Press the handles away from your body, but without locking your elbows at the end of the motion. A slow pace is not as vital to this exercise. Concentrate on the muscle flex in your shoulders, chest and triceps. 2-3 sets is a good place to start with the chest press.
From the same position, turn your hands (palms forward) so your arms are by your side. From your side, bring the handles up to your shoulder-level in a quarter-circle arc. This will be the equivalent to a chest fly in the gym. Same as before, 2-3 sets to start. Eventually 4+ sets will be a good workout.
The final exercise is the incline squat. The squat works 80% of the lower body muscles and will supplement any cardio exercise you do throughout the week. Lay with your back on the bench, head closest to the pole. You can use the optional bar for the Total Gym, but it’s not required for this exercise. Put your heels (shoes will help, but again, not required) on the optional bar (or the bar of the machine). Lower yourself, bending your knees to between 60 and 90 degrees. Perform the squats slowly with your hands on your hips for balance. You can also perform calf raises by merely turning over onto your stomach.
Performing these exercises back-to-back gives you a great workout in under 20 minutes. Follow up your workout with some good protein consumption (for muscle rebuilding) and a good night’s sleep. I’ve gained 10 pounds of muscle in the past 4 months with this set of exercises and some basic cardio. Best wishes with your Total Gym!
