Maybe one of the biggest reasons why people either give up or stop using a Total Gym or sliding bench trainer is that the machine simply doesn’t “feel” right. By that I mean it feels awkward initially based the novel design or by virtue of how one is performing the exercise. Either way this will limit potential results from the machine can therefore cause the person to stop using it.

This is something that perhaps I need to stress more on my YouTube channel, because as often as I like to claim and promote the simplicity in Total Gym or Sliding Bench Training, in truth it does take some time to get accustomed to and used to the machine in a way that you’ll fully start to appreciate its effectiveness.

So in this article, I want to briefly discuss why it’s important to respect that exercising on a total gym takes a degree of skill and what are some things you can do to help build good form on the machine so that you can maximize results.

Squatting or lifting a barbell never feels natural when one is first learning.

Regardless of any exercise tool, it takes repetition but also some level of instruction and mindfulness to eventually progress an exercise into the most effective movement pattern possible for your goal. Likewise, sitting or lying on a sliding bench trainer might be more fun than a barbell, but it can be equally or more challenging to learn depending on a variety of individual factors. All the Total Gym videos, articles, and resources in the world won’t do much good if you don’t dial down the form on the various exercises.

Not only that, you’ll be much more likely to not see results and therefore give up on sliding bench training.

Now I do have a more direct solution to this being my online coaching options. You can check those out HERE if you’re interested. This is really the only way I can fully address a direct question and give specific form feedback on a particular exercise.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you NEED a trainer or coach to learn effective sliding bench training. But it does (as with any good coach) save you trial and error. I do have some good starter / beginner videos on my YouTube channel as well if you’re interested.

Recording Yourself or Using a Mirror

Other great tool(s) to take advantage of is finding ways to personally assess your own form. A very simple (and probably the most effective) is to record yourself with a smartphone. This will tell you a lot even if you have no idea what to look for. Odds are if something doesn’t look right with regards to an exercise, it probably isn’t. You might not fix it on the next set, but some of the best ways to correct bad form / posture is first to be aware of the problem.

A runner up to this would be to set up a mirror close by. However I say this with some caution. Given the nature of sliding bench training, it can be dangerous to to look at a mirror which may cause you to lose your balance. I found this out personally the hard way when I’m either referencing a near by mirror or if I start talking to someone while I’m exercising. All of this is just a reminder that exercising on a Total Gym can be more engaging than other forms of resistance training.

Be Mindful of your Form

This should go in line with the first set of recommendations, but I often find people simply go through the motions when they train. But this isn’t a Total Gym training problem, but an exercise problem in general. Someone might watch a video, see a poster, or look at an instruction book and think they got the gist of it. And of course I’m not saying you need to hyper analyze an exercise before your start performing it. But I am saying that you need to treat exercise like every other skill. Start practicing, but don’t stop trying to improve and hone in your technique.

Hire a Personal Trainer or Coach

I’m a big fan and promoter of hiring a trainer. I should emphasize a “good” trainer or coach, as anyone can count reps or simply create a “hard” workout. If you appreciate that exercise is a skill (which already is step up), then make sure you find a coach who thinks the same.

Skilled personal trainers regardless if they’ve used a Total Gym before or not, can still provide a lot of solid guidance that will ensure that you’re on the right track and just as important, won’t get hurt.

Be Patient

This is true of ALL health and fitness goals. Aside from consistency, the second variable to success in this area is being patient and or enjoying the process. There’s a certain luxury to starting a fitness goal when we’re young. Results come quicker, we recover faster, and we simply have more energy to put forth greater effort. Don’t let this discourage you if you’re up in age. Because regardless of your state in life, both young and old have to be both patient and consistent long term or they’ll go right back to where they were.

Recognize that working out and seeing results on a Total Gym will take time. It may take longer than expected. But what you can expect (and often it’s the thing people forget) is that performance gains come quickly. Don’t feel discouraged if that weight hasn’t come off as fast as you’d like or if the muscles aren’t as defined as you’d like. Try to remember how hard or awkward certain exercises were or how many more reps you can complete now compared to before.

If you stay consistent, be mindful about what your form, and be patient; you’ll be MUCH better than you were before.