5 Best Total Gym Models In 2026: Comparison Chart & Alternatives

What I like

• I’ve watched clients fight a fixed board on side-lying leg work for years, sliding down a steep rail between reps. One six-month owner says the level board ends that. It also keeps your head above your heart on inverted moves, which can cut the dizziness when you get up.
• The height column has a little window that shows the level. It sounds trivial until you’ve squinted at a pin hole between sets with a client waiting.
• By the same owner’s account, the cables run smoother than on older Total Gyms. Ball stoppers keep the handles from slapping into the pulleys when you let go.

What I don’t

• The same owner rates the padding about the same as the cheaper FIT, with a pillow headrest thinner than the rest of the board. On the flagship model, I’d want more.
• The wing attachment’s handles are shorter than the FIT’s and the foam doesn’t cover the whole grip, so leg curls press metal into your skin. He also found the arm cables catch on the folding pin, which a Velcro strap sorts.

Pros

• 500 lb user rating, the highest on our list and 100 lb more than the FIT Anniversary Edition’s 400 lb.
• 4-position adjustable glideboard used in 40+ exercises, so you get reformer-style work without buying a second machine.
• 2-year parts cover on top of a lifetime frame, double the GTS’s 1-year parts term.

Cons

• 100 lb, heavier than the GR8FLEX (90 lb) and the APEX G3 (about 53 lb), so wheeling it between rooms takes some effort.
• Folded height is 8.5 in on the product page and 10.5 in in the manual, so measure under-bed space against the bigger number.

Heavier users used to get a raw deal from Total Gym.

Before the EVOLVE, Total Gym’s home models topped out at 450 lb, and the steps between levels were coarse. The EVOLVE lifts the cap to 500 lb and adds a 16-level column, the most levels of any fold-flat model here. For a big client coming back from a knee or back problem, those two numbers decide whether a Total Gym is even an option.

The glideboard is the other big change. On older Total Gyms the board sits flat on the rails and tilts as they rise, while the EVOLVE’s board props up into four positions to stay level.

The manual adds a safety rule the sales page skips: don’t use the adjustable board above level 8 on the column, and keep it clipped down when you aren’t using it.

Total Gym calls the squat stand its largest to date, which helps if your knees or lower back grumble on a small platform. Once 16 levels feel easy, the manual shows a hole for an optional weight bar, so plates can take you past bodyweight. The maker’s demo below shows the board moving between positions.

Against the FIT Anniversary Edition, you’re paying a tier more for three things: the level board, two extra levels, and a higher user rating. If none of those matter to you, save the money.

It takes the top slot on our weighted overall score:

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The Total Gym EVOLVE is our top Total Gym model for three reasons:

1. It carries 500 lb. No other incline trainer on our list is rated that high, so it opens the Total Gym up to bigger users.

2. It keeps you moving forward. Sixteen steps, a board that levels out and a weight-bar option give you years of room to progress.

3. It’s still a home machine. It arrives assembled and folds flat enough to slide under a bed, which the GTS can’t match.

The EVOLVE might be for you if… you’re a heavier user, or you want Pilates-style work at home on a machine that still folds flat.

It’s not for you if… you want the classic Total Gym for a tier less (the FIT Anniversary Edition) or clinic-grade range (the GTS).

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What I like

• The horns are why I’ve rated the FIT for years. They’re thick and tilt forward, so inverted rows and pull-ups feel solid instead of nervous, and every cable move rattles less.
• A long-time FIT owner who moved up to the Anniversary Edition calls it the same machine with more steps and a fresh board. That matches my years on the standard FIT: same horns, same glide, more notches on the column.
• The fully coated frame matters more in a garage than people think. The rust complaints we see come from chrome-railed machines like the XLS and GR8FLEX, not the FIT.

What I don’t

• Without a level board, side-lying leg work at a steep setting has you gripping the frame to stay put. It’s fine low down and fiddly higher up.
• Some FIT and XLS owners report the plastic base covers, which double as transport wheels, snapping off. It isn’t universal, but I’d tip and roll it gently rather than drag it over a door sill.

Pros

• The fullest standard box in the range: AbCrunch, leg pulley, upgraded squat stand, 2-piece wing, press-up and dip bars, and a training deck, so there’s nothing extra to order.
• 14 levels, two more than the old FIT’s 12, so each jump is smaller.
• Folds to 8.5 in high, low enough to slide under most beds.

Cons

• Fixed glideboard and sold only at totalgym.com, so there’s no level board and no Amazon returns route.
• Its own spec page contradicts itself on user weight (400 or 450 lb) and parts warranty, so get the terms in writing before you order.

Next to the EVOLVE, the cheaper machine gives up two levels, a level board and up to 100 lb of user rating. If you’re under 400 lb and won’t miss the level board, that’s a fair trade for a tier less.

It earns the best Value score on our list, 92. You get the FIT frame and its coated finish for a tier less, and the box adds dip bars that the EVOLVE leaves out.

Buy it from totalgym.com, the only US store we found selling it new. A FIT on Amazon is a different product, the FIT Ultimate bundle, and Total Gym’s own pages don’t spec it. With no Amazon safety net, read the returns terms at checkout.

Total Gym’s page mentions a yellow or blue board, but only yellow was listed when we checked. That yellow trim and the “Celebrating 25 years on TV” badge are how you tell an Anniversary Edition from an older FIT in a listing photo.

The brand’s storage walkthrough below is filmed on the standard FIT, which shares this frame.

On build, only the EVOLVE scores higher:

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You get most of the EVOLVE experience for a smaller outlay, with more in the box. If you’re under 400 lb and can live without the level board, it’s the one to save money on.

The FIT Anniversary Edition might be for you if… you’re under 400 lb, you want the classic Total Gym with plenty of attachments, and you don’t need a level board.

It’s not for you if… you want an Amazon purchase and returns route, or the adjustable glideboard. Look at the EVOLVE.

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What I like

• Clip the bands on and the load jumps past what the angle alone gives you. It’s the quickest way I know to make a Total Gym-style machine hard again without buying a weight bar.
• The rubber stops at the ends of the rails earn their keep on jump squats. The board can’t run off the end, which makes plyometric work feel a lot less risky.
• Because GR8FLEX prints the percentage for every level, I can tell a client exactly what they’re moving. On a Total Gym, I’m reading a chart in pounds.

What I don’t

• We’ve had the cables sag and go slack, and the height selector has stuck on us more than once. Neither stopped a session, but both get old.
• The glideboard cover feels a touch cheaper than the FIT’s. An owner who has used both says the Total Gym feels denser and glides a little smoother, and I’d agree.

Pros

• The biggest box on our list: wing bar, dip bars, leg harness, EZ curl bar, ab crunch, XL squat stand, bands, floor mats and a phone holder.
• 450 lb user rating and 15 levels, level with or above the FIT Anniversary Edition on both.
• Limited lifetime warranty on the whole machine, parts and accessories included, when you buy right and register.

Cons

• Warranty void if you buy from an unauthorised seller (GR8FLEX policy since June 2023), and plenty of marketplace listings are exactly that.
• Chrome glide rails that can rust in a humid garage, and it won’t take the Total Gym weight bar.

Plenty of Total Gym copies never say who stands behind them. GR8FLEX, a California company, puts its name on everything.

My test for a lookalike is simple. Would a company that cut corners on steel rate its machine for 450 lb and back it for life? GR8FLEX does both, and the manual confirms the 450 lb figure. You’ll see 300 lb quoted in places, but the maker’s own paperwork doesn’t support it.

The warranty is the catch. Since June 2023, GR8FLEX refuses claims on machines bought from unauthorised sellers or third-party resellers. To keep your cover:

• Buy from GR8FLEX direct or a listed authorised seller. When we checked in October, the Amazon listing we link to was sold by United Outlets, the US seller GR8FLEX names, but check the seller name before you pay.
• Register the machine the day it arrives.
• Skip second-hand if the warranty matters. Cover is for the original owner only.

Rust is the other thing to plan for. One owner had rusted parts replaced under warranty, which is good service but proof it happens, so wipe the rails down after sessions in a damp garage.

The finishes (Military, Patriotic, Golden, Pearl White and Carbon Fibre Black) share one spec as far as we can find. Only the Carbon Fibre Black special edition adds anything: a storage box. That’s the edition our Amazon link goes to. The photo shows the camo Military finish.

On value it lands fourth, because the seller-restricted warranty, chrome rails and pricier special editions eat into what the bundle saves you. On accessories, though, nothing here beats it.

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Pick the GR8FLEX if you want the most attachments and built-in bands, and you’ll buy from an authorised seller. Pick a Total Gym if you’d rather have the FIT’s coated frame, a weight bar and a lifetime frame warranty bought straight from the maker.

The GR8FLEX might be for you if… you want a full kit on day one and published resistance figures you can plan around.

It’s not for you if… you train in a damp garage or want to load plates. The FIT Anniversary Edition covers both.

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What I like

• The 1% bottom setting is the start I want for a client fresh out of physio. It’s close to weightless, and from there you climb in tiny steps.
• On a 180 lb machine, the hydraulic rail lift is what makes folding realistic. And I’d want those automatic rail locks under any client doing jump work.
• One owner who has trained on both says the GTS makes the home FIT feel shrunken, and the telescoping squat stand, with three heights, surprised him most.

What I don’t

• It folds upright and rolls like a hand truck, which is clever. You still need a 38 in wide corner and a clear path from the front door to get it there.
• One owner’s used GTS arrived with a snapped hydraulic lift. Check the lift and rails before you sign for the pallet.

Pros

• 22 levels from 1% to 62% of bodyweight, the widest range on our list, so rehab starts gentle and strong users still have room.
• A 7-position, 16 x 48 in adjustable glideboard plus a pulley tower, the most reformer-like setup here.
• A commercial frame on 1.7 x 3.2 in aluminium rails, built for clinic hours rather than home hours.
• Every add-on Total Gym sells fits it, including the weight bar (up to 650 lb total with you on it), toe bar and dip bars. None of them are listed for the home models.

Cons

• Top price tier by a distance, and it ships by pallet freight at 265 lb.
• 350 lb user rating and a 5-year frame warranty, both short of the EVOLVE’s 500 lb and lifetime frame.

This is the machine you’ll find in physical therapy clinics, and that tells you who it’s built for.

Total Gym has been in physical therapy since 1988, and it launched the GTS in 2011. Clinics and studios buy it for one reason: range. It starts low enough for a post-surgery knee and climbs high enough for a fit athlete. Add the board and tower, and it gets close to a Pilates reformer.

For most home users, it’s overkill, since the EVOLVE gives you a level board and 16 steps in a machine that slides under a bed. The GTS earns its place for a narrower group of buyers.

• You do Pilates or reformer-style work and want the real thing.
• You’re rehabbing under a clinician’s guidance and need that 1% start.
• You train clients at home.
• You’re tall, up to the 6’5” limit.

One set of numbers trips people up. Total Gym’s page rates the GTS for a 350 lb user and 500 lb of total load on the board. The owner’s guide adds a separate 650 lb cap for the weight bar, counting you and the plates together. Plan around the 350 lb user limit for yourself. The page doesn’t say how much assembly it needs either, so ask when you order.

Nothing else comes close on range:

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The GTS is the most capable Total Gym on our list, and the hardest to justify at home. Buy it if you’ll use the 1% start and the reformer-style board.

The GTS might be for you if… you do Pilates or reformer-style work, you’re rehabbing, or you train others at home and have the room.

It’s not for you if… you want a machine that slides under the bed, or you weigh more than 350 lb. The EVOLVE handles both.

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What I like

• You can fold it and carry it on your own. An owner we follow even takes his APEX on trips, which you’d never try with an EVOLVE.
• The wing and leg pull work the same way as on the bigger models, so anyone who has used a FIT feels at home straight away.
• The height adjusts and locks itself at each setting, so changing level between sets takes seconds.

What I don’t

• The stock rollers give a harsher, bumpier ride. The owner we follow swapped in aftermarket rollers, and I’d budget for it.
• On the APEX G5, our old budget pick, the light frame showed once you pushed hard. The G3 shares its size and weight, so don’t expect it to feel as planted as the FIT on heavy cable work.

Pros

• The lowest price tier on our list, the cheapest way into a real Total Gym.
• The lightest frame here at 53 lb, so one person can move it, and at 16.5 in wide it still suits a small room.
• Has a weight-bar hole (bar sold separately), so bodyweight isn’t your ceiling.

Cons

• 8 levels and a 300 lb cap, the fewest steps and the lowest limit here.
• A short warranty. Twelve months, and only for the original owner.

The APEX G5 now shows as unavailable, which leaves the G3 holding the budget slot on its own.

The APEX range saves its money on the number of levels, the heft of the frame and the rollers. The attachments and the basic glide stay the same, so it’s still a real Total Gym. Those rollers matter most once you add a weight bar. The owner we follow says to upgrade the wheels first on any small-frame model you load with plates.

The G3’s manual gives a folded size of 50.5 x 16.5 x 8 in, the lowest here, so it slides under most beds. You’ll find the G3 on Amazon and Walmart rather than totalgym.com, so check the seller’s returns window before you order.

On value it finishes second, behind only the FIT:

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If you weigh under 300 lb and want the cheapest genuine Total Gym, start here. If you can stretch, the FIT Anniversary Edition is the better long-term buy.

The APEX G3 might be for you if… you want a light, low-folding Total Gym for a small room and you train at a moderate level.

It’s not for you if… you want fine steps, a higher weight limit or a longer warranty. Spend up to the FIT Anniversary Edition.

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