I’ve made a couple videos on my Youtube Channel comparing the Total Gym to free weights (barbells dumbbells), and thought it would make sense to eventually cover resistance bands as well. Also especially since they likely are the most popular form of resistance training that someone is doing in their home or at least outside of the gym.
And for very good reason, given they are cheap, versatile, easy to transport either around the house or traveling.
I know a lot of you have both resistance bands and a total gym, and having both is certainly better.
But this is really for those either on the fence of picking up a total gym and ultimately just an article emphasizing why I believe the sliding bench trainer is the best form of resistance training for the home when you factor in most people’s needs and common goals.
So I’ll be going head to head on my main points on these two forms of popular home resistance training and provide why I think the Total Gym or a Sliding Bench Trainer is the superior device. But please share your thoughts on what you find most advantageous, what you prefer, or just simple likes and dislikes between the two.
Of course this is my opinion and everyone has different preferences, abilities, space availability, and even budget concerns (but I will address that as well).
PRICE
Figured might as well talk about this first. Aside from space requirements. The price is most likely a huge factor in why someone picks up resistance bands versus a sliding bench trainer. For sure, it’s a cheaper alternative to buying hundreds of dollars worth of weights. In fact there’s some really good quality bands like the SUNPOW BANDS (which I’ve reviewed on my Youtube Channel) that are not only affordable but also decent quality
Some of the advertising that these bands really do over sell this however, making claims that you can save and replace hundreds of dollars worth of free weights if you simply buy this $50 dollar band set. Basically equating band weight or tension to free weights. I don’t want to go down this rabbit whole, but it’s simply not the same type of tension and overall stress that’s placed on the muscle. Again, not to say you can’t build your body using resistance bands, because I’m sure I will upset someone with this and maybe some following statements.
But considering the type of resistance band you buy (tube or loop style) it generally won’t set you back too much for just the bands. However if you are in the market for some premium bands, I consider the Undersun Bands to be the best loop style and the bodylastic bands to be the best tube style. But regardless, I’m always saying even with expensive or better quality bands. They all will eventually lose their integrity over time and possibly break.
But if you’re looking to use them for a period of time, you’ll probably at least eventually invest in a high quality band like the ones I mentioned above. Then there’s things like bars that go with them and these boards or packages that you can find.
Some these get really expensive. Like that x3 bar is over $500 dollars. …… At that point, I’d just opt for an entry level sliding bench trainer, like the Total Gym APEX G1.
Which goes for as low as $299 and I’ve said and will continue to say that even these base models are awesome. I could easily get by with one of those if I had to.
Efficiency
With efficiency, I’m really going to stretch this to a number of areas;
Which for one is easer to set up
Which allows more ease to transition between exercises
Which one has more variety exercises
And for all of these, a sliding bench trainer wins out
Yes, the total gym depending on model and for certain people can be heavy or awkward. But once it’s set up, all the exercises are available to you. With bands, yes you can just bring them out anywhere and start working out, but you’re really limited to what you can anchor them to. Whether that’s a bar, one of those stands, a good door anchor (and a good door). I use my squat stand that’s weighted down, which can make it easier to try and set up various exercises, but even that has limitations.
And obviously, the more limited you are to setting up, the more limited you are to the exercises available to you, the more limited in the tension that can be place on a given muscle, and just the time it takes to switch exercises up.
That’s really a big reason why I don’t use my bands that much. It’s just too cumbersome for me to not only switch up the exercise, but also to fine tune the resistance. So whenever I was using the bands by themselves, it usually was just the occasional bicep curl, shoulder press, maybe deadlift.
FUN FACTOR
This leads us into another huge variable that will ensure which one is right for you or provide the most amount of results and that’s the “fun factor” or you could say level of adherence on the machine. Basically what device are you more apt to use because you find it more engaging or interesting.
Again hands down it’s the Total Gym. Even with the all the time I have on the machine. I find myself if I’m talking to someone on the phone or even just my wife and I’m in the basement next to the Total Gym, I just find myself wanting to do reps for no reason than to just glide up and down on the machine.
I could gone on about this, so I’ll spare you my rant about just how inviting the machine is, but at least for me, I really have not gotten sick of it at all.
I know there’s a lot of die hard resistance band purists out there, but I really don’t know how you do it. I tried using my bands for about a week awhile back when first got them. And I really couldn’t do it. But don’t get me wrong, you can still get lost in the flow of exercises and have a good time as well. I just find that I’m really just cycling through about a few different exercises.
And final as just being engaging. Given the sliding and balance requirements of the SBT, you really have to be present in the exercise which I think translates to the
EFFECTIVENESS
I’m going to wrap all this up by talking about effectiveness. Which what I started with really depends on your preference and which one you’ll actually use and adhere to. And if you agree so far or are sold on what I presented thus far in the previous points then a sliding bench trainer is for you. Because I already made the case on why it’s effective.
But from someone who’s been using the machine as my only form of resistance exercise coming from training in a gym for most of my adult life. I’m really seeing nothing but good if not better things as far as how effective these machines are to giving time efficient, fun, and most importantly muscle stimulating workouts.
When I’m saying “muscle stimulating” I’m really just saying that despite using them so much, I still feel like I can adaquetatly stress my muscles through a variety of adjustments and progresses to various exercises. I’m still discovering new exercises and ways to work different muscles that I really don’t think I would find (or at least would be interested in finding) with resistance bands.
Bands come with some unique variable resistance tension, that’s great for sure. But I feel that a SBT provides that perfect tension that to me, feels like how a good cable machine feels in a gym. Also with the added benefit of being a bit more dynamic (or moving) rather then staying in a static fixed position that purely isolates one joint.
And this is within my general long term goals of having muscle definition, healthy joints that arnen’t aching, increased flexibility, and just overall good function throughout my life. And most importantly doing so in a way the really doen’t feel like work or a chore.
Now if you want to gruelling workouts on these things you can, but you really don’t have to.
So wrapping it up, these are just some thoughts. Not saying they are going to be right for everybody. But if you have the resources, you like the things I’m saying, and your on the fence of picking one of these up.. I’d say do it. But the probably the best decision, which I didn’t highlight for the sake of time is that both are great and these two modes of exercise really work well together.