Chuck Norris, along with Christie Brinkley, endorses the various Total Gym home gym systems. The line of home gyms includes the Total Gym Sport, Total Gym GTS, Total Gym PowerTower and Total Gym XLS. All home gym systems rely on your body weight to provide all of the resistance. Some of the models can be upgraded with attachments, but all of the models offer many of the same exercises.
Chest
Total Gym offers up to 17 different chest workouts. Exercises include arm pullovers, chest flyes and chest presses. To perform arm pullovers, lie flat on your back on the gliding bench and bring your legs in, resting your heels on the bench's edge. Grasp the hand grips behind your head and keep your arms extended. Slowly bring your arms straight above your head and toward you knees, contracting your pectoral muscles. Exhale and hold for one count, then slowly return your arms to their starting position as you inhale. Perform two to three sets of eight to 10 repetitions.
Biceps and Triceps
Some of the 17 biceps exercises for the Total Gym include forearm curls, preacher curls, reverse grip triceps press-downs and triceps dips. To do the preacher curl, you need the preacher curl attachment. Sit on the sliding bench facing the pulley system. Place your upper arms and elbows on the attachment and grasp the grips. Keep your back straight and curl your arms up toward your shoulders. Squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement, then slowly return to the starting position. Repeat eight to 10 times and do two to three sets.
Abdominals and Back
You can do 14 different abdominal and 19 back exercises on the Total Gym, including crunches, incline situps, lat rows and low back extensions. To perform the lat rows, sit on the sliding bench facing the pulley system. Keep your legs on the bench, with the inside of your feet resting against the sides of the bench. Grasp the hand grips and keep your back straight and arms extended. Pull the grips toward your rib cage. Your elbows should be slightly behind you at the top of the movement. Hold for one count, then slowly return to the starting position. Repeat eight to 10 times and do two to three sets.
Shoulders
The Total Gym offers up to 21 different shoulder exercises, including front deltoid raises, cross-cable reverse flyes, military presses and upright rows. Perform the military press by lying on your stomach on the gliding bench facing away from the pulley system. Place your hands on the grip attachment secured to the base of the Total Gym. Push yourself up along the track until your arms are extended. Keep a slight bend in your arms. Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position. Point your lower legs upward to clear the gym's frame as you push yourself backward. Repeat eight to 12 times and do two to three sets.
Legs
The Total Gym offers 25 different leg exercises, including hamstring curls, calf raises and leg thrusts. To perform the calf raise, you need the squat platform attachment. Lie flat on your back on the gliding bench with your feet firmly planted on the platform at shoulder-width apart. Hold on to the bottom of the bench with your hands. Begin by raising your heels off the platform as far as you can. You should stand on your toes at the top of the movement and contract your calf muscles as hard as you can. Hold for one count, then slowly lower yourself to the starting position. Repeat 10 to 15 times and do three sets.
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