Like other total trainers, the Weider Total Body Works 5000 uses your own body weight as resistance as you push or pull yourself up and down inclined rails on a padded glide board. The higher you set the incline, the more of your body weight you’re lifting; four bungee cords offer additional optional resistance.
One of the Total Body Works’ biggest selling points is its versatility. According to the Weider marketing material, you can perform more than 50 exercises with the Total Body Works. Practice a few exercises at a time until you feel you’ve mastered them; doing a few exercises correctly will bring more benefit than doing all 50-plus exercises with poor form.
Chest Press
Step 1
Sit on the glide board, facing the squat stand. Grasp one pulley handle in each hand. The cable should run underneath your arms.
Step 2
Exhale and extend your arms straight out in front of your chest, pushing the glide board up the rails.
Step 3
Inhale and bend your arms, lowering the glide board. Stop when your elbows are even with your shoulders. Your hands and the pulley handles should be directly in front of your elbows. Repeat.
Row
Step 1
Sit on the glide board, facing upslope. Grasp one pulley handle in each hand.
Step 2
Sit up straight and pull the handles back, exhaling as the glide board slides up the rails. Keep your elbows tucked against your sides, and stop when your hands are approximately even with your body. Shorten the range of motion if you experience shoulder discomfort.
Step 3
Inhale as you extend your arms, lowering the glide board. Repeat.
Side Squats
Step 1
Lie on the glide board on your right side. Place your right foot on the squat stand, as far forward as possible, and extend your left leg in front of you to keep it out of the way.
Step 2
Squat down on your right foot. Stick your hips out behind you as you squat, so that your right knee remains behind an imaginary vertical line leading up from the toes of your right foot. Stop when your knee is bent at a 90-degree angle.
Step 3
Straighten your right leg, then squat down again. Repeat for a full set on your right before switching sides.
Tips and Warnings
- As long as you’re using adequate resistance, a single set of 12 repetitions is adequate for building strength, as published on MayoClinic.com. Once you can do 12 repetitions of any exercise without resting or cheating, increase the resistance slightly. To adjust how much of your body weight you lift with each exercise, grasp the Total Body Works top frame in one hand and pull the spring-loaded knob out of the adjustment bracket with the other. Slide the adjustment bracket to the desired incline setting, center it over the nearest hole in the frame, and release the spring-loaded knob so that it slides all the way into the hole, securing the Total Body Works 5000 at the new incline. To add additional resistance, pull one or more of the bungee cords down from the glide board and insert the end of each cord into the bungee bracket.
Member Comments