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 The major feature of the Total Gym XLS is how compact it is. I use to workout on a total gym, and I could easily store it upright against the wall, where it took up minimum wall space. The other attractive feature is the versatility. You can engage in a variety of strength exercises that can target a wide range of muscles.
For those who are not familiar with how the Total Gym XLS works, it uses a pulley system. You pull your weight on a sliding board using grips that can attach to your hands or legs. To increase or decrease the resistance you just raise or lower the incline of the board. It is a "gravity based" resistance system that gives you a smooth a fluid motion. The included chart displays 35 different exercises, although with some creativity you probably can come up with more.
Note: As of 4/263/20/12 the Total Gym XLS was selling for $699 with free shipping at www.Amazon.com .* There are also a number of positive customer reviews.
With the variety of exercises you are able to workout both your upper and lower body. In addition, there are abdominal exercises. I might suggest you compliment your Total Gym with a set of dumbells to better target your biceps and triceps. They are cheap.
Hype vs. Reality
 Now the hype from the informercial, that includes Wesly Snipes (Isn't he in jail for tax evasion), is that all you need is a few minutes a day on the Total Gym XLS to get into shape. Get real. If you want to tone your body you need much more than a few minutes. And if you want to seriously burn calories, you are going to need some other form of cardio exercise to compliment your strength training on the Total Gym. Although you can work up a sweat, but for burning calories you need a sustained cardio workout. Also, I would suggest that the 400 lbs. user weight limit is extremely high. I would put it more at 280 lbs.
Some people may find exercising on the Total Gym XLS awkward initially. It is not like free weights or the machines you use at your health club, but you get use to. If I had my choice I would rather use free weights and a pulley home gym, and in fact that is what I currently have in my home gym, because I have the space. But during my younger apartment living days the Total Gym was a godsend. It allowed me to get a well rounded workout within a confine space for not a whole lot of money.
The bottomline, the concept behind the Total Gym works, that is why they have sold hundreds of thousands of these machines, and why they are still popular after 20 years.
Go to www.Amazon.comto learn more!
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