Total Gym APEX Versatile Indoor Home Gym Workout Total Body Strength Training Fitness Equipment

I used to have a knockoff of the Total Gym called Weider's Ultimate Bodyworks, and it served me well for about five years, but then one of the cables got frayed and it no longer seemed safe to use. Since Weider apparently no longer makes the Ultimate Bodyworks, I had to switch to the much more expensive Total Gym. In case anyone else is in a similar situation, I figured it might be helpful to do a review that compares the Apex G5 to the Ultimate Bodyworks:Assembly: One really nice thing about the Apex G5 is that it comes fully assembled. Just take it out of the box, and you're pretty much good to go. You'll just need to attach whatever particular attachments you want to use, but that's simply a matter of using some metal pins. Compared to the Bodyworks, this is a nice start, since the Bodyworks did require some assembly. Noise: Another really nice thing about the Apex G5 is how much quieter it is than the Bodyworks machine. I usually have the tv on while I exercise, and now I can keep it at a normal volume and hear everything just fine. This has the added benefit of making me more tempted to use the Apex G5. It feels like less of a hassle when it's so quiet. There's just a very low rumble as the glide board moves. Stability: The Apex G5 also feels a lot more stable than the Bodyworks ever did. I'd gotten used to the Bodyworks, so its rickety nature never bothered me, but this is definitely nicer, especially when doing certain exercises where you're kneeling on the board. Resistance: This category goes to the Ultimate Bodyworks. That machine had bungee cords that you could attach from the glide board to the frame, increasing the resistance, but the Apex G5 does not have the cords. So even when I have the Apex G5 at its maximum incline, some exercises are still a bit too easy. The good news is that there is a weight bar you can add to the Apex G5, which allows you to use free weights to increase the resistance, but it's an additional purchase. Considering how expensive the Apex G5 is compared to what I'd paid for the Ultimate Bodyworks, this is a bit disappointing (and when I say "free weights," I do not mean "weights that don't cost anything," I mean removable weights. So you need to purchase the weight bar AND the weights just to add more resistance.)Attachments: The attachments on the Apex G5 are mostly comparable to those that came with the Ultimate Bodyworks. There's the "wing attachment" for doing chin ups, pull ups, shoulder presses, etc, and a pretty feeble squat board. But the Apex G5 also comes with dip bars, which are really nice to have. Putting on the attachments (and taking them off) is very simple, so it's easy to switch between exercises. The Apex G5 also comes with a leg pulley attachment, which I have to confess, I have not used enough to really comment on it. It's slightly more complex to attach than the other attachments (but not at all difficult.) One other point about attachments-- on the Bodyworks, the pulley cable was not detachable. This meant it was always clanking around even when you were doing exercises that didn't need it (chin ups, squats, etc.) The pulley cable on the Apex G5 is easily detachable when you don't need it.Comfort: As mentioned above, the Apex G5 is more stable than the Bodyworks, which adds to its comfort. It also has really nice padding. I never found the Bodyworks uncomfortable, but the padding on the Apex G5 is a bit thicker. I also find that I don't slide around as much on the Apex G5. On the Bodyworks, I tended to slip down the board when doing some exercises. So far, that never happened to me on the Apex.Folding: Both the Ultimate Bodyworks and the Apex G5 are simple to fold up and move out of the way when you're not using them. I think I slightly prefer the Bodyworks' folding mechanism (maybe I'm just more used to it), but the Apex G5 has the advantage of being smaller when it's folded. So, all in all, I'm quite happy with the Apex G5. I'm not sure if it's SO MUCH better than the Bodyworks to justify the huge price difference (I spent about $150 on the Bodyworks, and about $500 on the ApexG5), but I guess that will depend partly on how long it lasts. I'd gotten five years out of the Bodyworks (using it about 4 times per week.) I'm hoping the G5 lasts longer than that considering the much higher price.

Can’t say enough good things about this gym! I have a really bad back, so it saves my back while allowing me to work my abdominal muscles and legs. There are so many different exercises and modifications you can try.Very pleased with this purchase!

This is great for those who want to work out but may not have money(or time)to regularly get to a gym. it has served me quite well and is a core part of my home workout.

This arrived quickly. It serves numerous functions, but it doesn’t serve the functions that I need/wanted for my current physical abilities. I will still use this total gym, as my abilities increase (I still have lifting, bending, and twisting restrictions among other things. Unfortunately, I thought I saw a picture of the bench part being able to be flat and about 18 inches from the floor. I must have viewed a similar item and gotten things confused. I just finished physical therapy, which followed a major back surgery. I used a device called a Shuttle. I was looking for a less expensive piece of equipment that I could use the same way. This device has 8 resistance levels, but instead of using bands for resistance, it uses height adjustments for its resistance levels. The angle of the foot board isn’t the same and there isn’t a place to put your other foot when doing only one leg at a time. It doesn’t have handles for you to use at the sides when doing my leg exercises. Like I said before, it does have many other functions and exercises one in better physical shape can do. It doesn’t seem as durable as I had hope it would be. I will be able to use the pulleys for arm exercises, so it will benefit me some. It is easy to set up. It scoots around all over our linoleum floor.

You won’t see this Total Gym on their website, but it’s made by the same company and seems to be very high quality. I’ve only had it five days now, but I will update this review if anything changes.Quality: Very high. Stated weight limit is 375 and I believe it. I’m 225, and this feels very sturdy to me while using. Tubular steel and attachments all feel very sturdy and high quality. Cables do too. Heavy duty pulleys as well. The pad on the glide board is not super-thick, but I don’t think it is on any of the Total Gyms. It’s not Trying to be a bed or couch.Experience: So far a big thumbs up. Glides very smoothly and the included exercise book and cards show you some creative and challenging ways to use the machine - a wide variety of exercises. The attachments fit perfectly, and I have total confidence they will support the weight as needed. It is pretty easy to switch the machine’s configuration to perform various exercises, and I like that it’s so quick, as it does not introduce an unintended cool-down time. I haven’t come across any configuration changes yet that take more than 15-20 seconds. The exercises are all super-smooth and non-jarring if you do them correctly. Great full range of motion.Setup: comes fully assembled. Several boxes to open that contain the attachments. Read the directions for how to “unfold” it if it’s not clear to you.Storage: no wheels, so if you plan to store it away a lot, you might not like that, but I just leave mine out unless I have company over. Opening and closing takes a minute to sort out, but it’s easy once you understand it.In the box: I went with this model over some others like the XLS mainly due to cost and the fact that it includes the leg rope, the wing attachments, the squat stand and the dip bars.Other stuff: Although it’s not included, this model does have the holes if you want to add the weight bar, so that was a nice plus to discover.That said, this is a tone machine more than a hulk-out machine. At the highest setting, you’re using 60% of your own body weight and I think if you add the weight bar it supports up to another 180 pounds (not positive on that though). So if you need more weight than that for your workout, this won’t really work for you.It’s also a long machine when open. Plan on having a good 10 feet available length-wise and, depending on the types of exercises you do, and how long your arms are, at least 5or 6 feet of width clearance.Overall, I am very happy and even impressed with this machine so far.Update 6 months in: Still love it. No complaints.Update one year: I added the optional weight bar. It is great for tweaking the “feel” of the resistance to get it just right. It’s still a great machine. I use it four times a week for about 30 minutes and over the year have dropped 30 pounds and greatly increased my strength. I’m surprising myself how easy it is to lift things I used to struggle with. The absolute best thing about this machine is how easy it is to change the difficulty. At one point, I had hurt my back working in the yard. I was able to set the resistance way back - all the way back to #2 - and still do some really light work while my back healed. No idea how I would have done that with most other equipment. And, if I had completely taken off the four weeks it took for my back to get right, I might have stopped exercising entirely. Instead, over those four weeks, I slowly moved from 2 back up to 8 as I could handle it. That’s a really great thing about this equipment that isn’t obvious at first.