Leg Day: Top 5 Workouts for Quads, Hamstrings, and Glutes

Leg day is often viewed as one of the most challenging yet rewarding workout sessions in any fitness regimen. When executed correctly, leg workouts can significantly enhance your strength, power, and overall physique. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced lifter, understanding the best exercises and how to incorporate techniques like the leg accessories workout, as well as exploring the debate of leg press vs squat press, can set you on the path to building impressive legs.

In this blog …

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Leg Day: Back Squat vs. Hack Squat

Leg day is often seen as the most challenging yet rewarding workout of the week for any fitness enthusiast. Not only does it target large muscle groups which are vital for building overall strength, but it also plays a significant role in improving athletic performance and functional fitness. Among the many exercises that can be performed during leg day, two stand out for their effectiveness and popularity: Leg Day: Back Squat vs. Hack Squat.

Additionally, incorporating chain lifting into your …

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The Power of Recovery: Techniques for Muscle Repair and Growth

In the pursuit of strength, muscle growth, and overall fitness, people often focus intensely on their training regimen, pushing their limits and seeking the best workout routines. However, one critical aspect that is often overlooked is the power of recovery. Recovery is an essential part of any successful training program, and understanding its significance can enhance your performance, prevent injury, and lead you to your ultimate fitness goals, whether you’re looking for mass-made simple or simply seeking an alternative to …

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Arms of Steel: Best Workouts for Biceps and Triceps

When it comes to building a strong and impressive physique, well-developed arms play a significant role. Whether you’re aiming for visually striking 14-inch arms or simply looking to enhance your overall athleticism, focusing on bicep and tricep training is essential. The arms are often the most visible indicators of strength and fitness, and mastering effective workouts can lead to remarkable arms of steel.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the anatomy of the arms, the importance of biceps and triceps …

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Ultimate Guide to Chest Workouts: Build a Bigger, Stronger Chest

Building a bigger, more muscular chest is a key goal for many fitness enthusiasts, as a well-developed chest not only enhances your physique but also improves overall upper body strength and stability. The chest muscles play a major role in various pushing movements, supporting functional exercises like bench presses and push-ups, as well as aiding in daily tasks that involve lifting or carrying. Whether you’re a beginner just starting out or a seasoned lifter looking to break through a plateau, …

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Pre-Workout Supplements – Everything You Need To Know

When it comes to maximizing workout performance, many athletes and fitness enthusiasts turn to pre-workout supplements. These products are designed to enhance energy, focus, and endurance during exercise, allowing you to push through tough workouts and achieve your fitness goals. Among the myriad of exercises that may benefit from an optimized training session are Skull Crushers, an effective isolation exercise for enhancing triceps strength and definition. In this blog, we’ll explore the various aspects of pre-workout supplements, their ingredients, and …

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Post-Workout Recovery: The Key to Optimal Performance

After an intense workout, especially when lifting heavy objects like barbells, the importance of post-workout recovery cannot be overstated. Recovery is a vital part of any training regimen, as it allows your body to heal, rebuild, and prepare for the next workout. Understanding the recovery process, including the essential practices and principles behind it, can significantly enhance your performance. In this blog post, we will dive into the intricacies of post-workout recovery, exploring its significance and answering the question: how …

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A Total Gym Restorative Pilates Flow

Thankful for Movement: A Total Gym Restorative Pilates Flow

Maria Sollon, MS, CSCS, PES

The holidays arrive in a rush, full of plans, obligations, and endless to-dos. Amid the chaos, it’s easy to lose touch with your body, your breath, and the simple act of moving with intention. Taking a moment to pause isn’t indulgent ~ it’s essential.

Movement is a gift, one our bodies graciously allow us to experience every day. Pilates is a way to honor that gift.  It’s not about perfection or pushing harder; it’s about awareness, alignment, and presence. Moving with focus reminds us of what our bodies are capable of and how much they support us.

This awareness becomes even more tangible in a gentle, restorative Pilates session on the Total Gym. It’s a chance to slow down, reconnect with both mind and muscles, and build strength from within. At the same time, it creates space to reflect on gratitude in motion.

Gratitude in Motion

Gratitude often focuses outward, on the people, moments, or accomplishments we recognize each day.  But how often do you give yourself gratitude for the simple pleasure of movement?

Gratitude isn’t just a thought. It’s something you can feel through movement. When you move with focus and intentional breath, you notice the details that matter: how your core supports you, how your muscles coordinate, and how your body responds when effort meets ease. 

Once you’ve grounded yourself in breath and awareness, Pilates provides the perfect framework to explore that connection. The practice emphasizes control, precision, and alignment.  It invites you to notice how your body moves, responds, and supports you.  It draws attention to what’s working rather than what’s missing by teaching the art of being fully present both mentally and physically.

So take a moment to pause, give yourself gratitude for your ability to move, and take notice of how your body moves through a gentle, Restorative Pilates Flow on your Total Gym.

A Thankful Flow: Restorative Pilates Flow on the Total Gym

This short, restorative flow centers the body, calms the mind with gratitude, and promotes strength, mobility, and flexibility. It’s perfect for an energizing morning routine or a gentle evening reset.

Set Up: Medium Level, Toe Bar

Directions: Perform each movement slowly and mindfully, focusing on breath, alignment, and controlled motion. This flow isn’t about counting reps or sets.  It’s about feeling each movement, listening to your body, and moving with intention.

Be sure to check out the video for a clear demonstration of each exercise on your Total Gym.

  1. Footwork & Breathing (Connect Mind to Movement)

Perform three variations:

  • Parallel and turned-out feet
  • Single-leg kicks (right/left)
  • Running

 

  • Parallel & Turned-Out (heels together) Stance
    • Lie supine on the glideboard with feet on the Toe Bar in parallel or turned out feet.
    • Extend the legs straight, lower the heels, press to the toes, then bend the legs to repeat.
    • Focus on resisting the motion in both directions while maintaining proper alignment.
  • Single Leg Kicks Over & Under
    • Place one foot on the Toe Bar (leg is bent) and extend the opposite leg over it to start.
    • Extend the leg on the Toe Bar to open the glideboard while bending the opposite leg toward your chest, then close the glideboard as the leg threads under the Toe Bar.
    • Alternate this over-and-under motion on both sides.
  • Running
    • Place the balls of the feet parallel on the Toe Bar with legs extended.
    • Bend one knee while lengthening the opposite leg and drop the heel under the bar.
    • Repeat this motion by alternating the bending legs.
    • Maintain core engagement and coordinate the movement with intentional breath.
  1. Roll Down & Spine Twist (Mobility)
  • Sit tall on the Glideboard with the feet positioned on the Toe Bar rails.
  • Tuck the pelvis and slowly articulate the spine down and back up to seated.
  • Allow the glideboard to move with your spine to enhance articulation.
  • Add gentle thoracic twist pulses to each side to facilitate spinal mobility.
  • Explore these two motions in a seamless, spinal flow.
  1. Side-Lying Leg Lifts (Strength & Stability)
  • From a side-lying position, place the top foot on the Toe Bar in a turned-out stance; the bottom leg extends straight alongside the bar.
  • Press the glideboard up the rails to work the outer thigh; on the return, lift the bottom leg to engage the inner thigh.
  • Alternate these motions slowly and with control.
  • Focus on smooth, precise execution to strengthen the hips and develop core stability.
  • Repeat on both sides.
  1. Mermaid / Side Stretch (Restorative Stretch)
  • Sit to one side of the glideboard with legs in a Z-sit (90/90) position and place one or both hands on the Toe Bar.
  • Press into the bar to open the glideboard.
  • If using one arm, reach the opposite arm overhead into a side-bend stretch.
  • If using both arms, lengthen through the spine as the glideboard opens, then extend the spine as the glideboard closes.
  • Progress by adding your own variations.
  • Focus on opening the lateral body, stretching the obliques, and releasing the shoulders.
  • Repeat on both sides.
  1. Runners Lunge (Restorative Stretch)
  • Place one foot at the bottom base, kneel the opposite knee on the glideboard for a supported lunge, and hands are on the Toe Bar.
  • Use the Toe Bar to open the glideboard and deepen the lunge.
  • Stretch the hip flexors and quads while maintaining a long, lifted torso.
  • Breathe deeply to release tension through the hips and lower back.
  • Progress by adding rotation of the spine and side bends for variation.
  • Repeat on both sides.

Gratitude transforms movement. When you approach exercise with appreciation, every motion becomes a chance to honor your body. This mindset fuels strength, eases the mind, and turns effort into enjoyment.

This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to move with awareness and honor the gift of what your body can do.

In love & gratitude,

Maria

@GROOVYSWEAT  

Let’s Connect on Social Media

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4 Pilates Moves for Your Total Gym

4 Awesome Pilates Moves for Your Total Gym

Hey, Total Gym Team! It’s Master Trainer JayDee back to help you get the most out of your Total Gym. This blog, and several blogs to follow, will show you how you can benefit from the wonderful discipline of Pilates.

Basically, your Total Gym is a Pilates reformer! Yes, you own the machine that millions of Pilates enthusiasts pay big bucks to use. The main difference is that the reformer uses springs for resistance, and our Total Gyms use gravity and our own body weight.  Both get the job done perfectly, and in a very Functional, Safe, and Versatile method.

Here is Joseph Pilates’ Philosophy in a nutshell:

            If you strengthen, stretch, and stabilize all the muscles that support your spine – the rest of your body, and all of its movements, will fall into place.

I find it hilarious that Joseph Pilates was a man; he developed his entire discipline working with men, but women tend to be the ones who are smart enough to benefit from it!

Getting certified in Pilates 21 years ago is actually the reason I bought my first Total Gym. My body had broken down from years of playing sports and teaching die-hard, high-impact fitness classes. My wife dragged me kicking and screaming into Pilates, and it eventually returned my body to its proper balance and took me out of pain. I was hooked!

By purchasing the Total Gym, I could train my personal training clients and my Pilates clients on the same piece of equipment. It was a no-brainer when opening my home studio. It saved me a ton of space, two tons of money, and all my clients love it!

Here are 4 Challenging Pilates exercises for your Total Gym that will give you the following juicy benefits:

  • Strengthen Your Core
  • Increase your Spine’s Flexibility and Stability
  • Increase your Body Awareness and Proprioception
  • Make you Richer & Better Looking (OK, this one I’m still working on!)
  1. Roll-Ups & Roll Downs – Traditionally, this is a very challenging Pilates mat exercise done on a flat floor. Most people will use momentum and their legs to get up and never truly experience, nor benefit from, this functional move. The Total Gym allows you to change the angle of the floor so you can do the exercise correctly and get stronger through your core.
  2. Bottom Lift – This is an incredible exercise to strengthen your legs, your lower back, your hamstrings, and your Bottom, as the name suggests. Your buns will feel this one Team! Also, the way I have you position your feet and toes will give you a bonus, great inner thigh workout.
  3. Semi-Circle-The best benefit of this move is Spinal Articulation – which simply means keeping your spine supple for life. It is also the “Yummiest” low back stretch I know!
  4. UpStretch– This is a toughy TG Team! But another awesome, multifaceted, compound movement. It starts with a great hamstring stretch and then truly challenges your core as well as your shoulder stability, shoulder strength, and it will pump up your triceps.

Enjoy TG Team! You own the perfect version of a Pilates reformer, so why not throw some Pilates repertoire in your fitness mix? I’d love to hear your feedback to let me know if you want more great exercises from the Pilates world.

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Total Gym Yoga for Athletes

Total Gym Yoga for Athletes: Power, Presence & Performance

Maria Sollon, MS, CSCS, PES

Yoga isn’t just for rest days or flexibility fanatics. For athletes, it’s a secret training tool that sharpens movement, deepens control, and builds long-term strength.

This practice isn’t about nailing a handstand or folding into a pretzel.  It’s about moving better, feeling stronger, and staying in the game longer. Whether your “game” is on the field, in the gym, or navigating life with purpose, yoga delivers the edge to recover faster, stay resilient, and perform at your peak.

Why Total Gym Yoga Works

By pairing yoga-inspired movements with the incline of your Total Gym, you get a total-body workout that builds strength, flexibility, and mobility simultaneously. These sequences can fit anywhere in your routine as a warm-up, a cool-down, or a stand-alone flow.

This athlete-driven flow stretches what’s tight, strengthens what’s weak, and restores balance where your body needs it most. Plus, you’ll get all the recovery benefits of yoga, with the added bonus of breath-focused core activation.

Total Gym Athletic Yoga Flow

Set-Up: Low to medium incline
Format: 1–2 rounds, moving with your breath. Aim for control, not force and let your breath guide the transitions.
Mindset: Focus on how each move feels, allowing the glideboard to assist flexibility and challenge stability.

GB = Glideboard

Warm-Up: Sun Salutation Flow

Wake up your muscles and sync breath with movement using a Total Gym-friendly Sun Salutation.

  • Upward Facing Dog
  • Downward Facing Dog
  • Child’s Pose

(Need a visual? Check out the Sun Salutation tutorial here.)

Pose 1: Runner’s Lunge + Hamstring Rocks

Focus: Hips, hamstrings, core stability
Benefits: Opens hip flexors, lengthens hamstrings, activates deep core for stride power
Why It Levels You Up: Improves running mechanics and lower-body mobility while testing balance and mental grit.

On the Total Gym:

  • Face the vertical column in a runner’s lunge stance (one foot on the floor, the other lengthened on the glideboard.)
  • Rock into the runners lunge stretch, hitting different trigger points that may be tight.
  • Exhale and gently rock hips back to stretch the hamstring, then flow forward to hit tight trigger points.
  • Move slowly between positions for 6–8 controlled reps per side.

Pose 2: Forearm Plank Saws + Child’s Pose Reset

Focus: Shoulders, core, spinal decompression
Benefits: Builds rock-solid shoulders and abs while releasing tension through the back.
Why It Levels You Up: Combines high-tension core strength with calming recovery in one seamless sequence.

On the Total Gym:

  • Start in forearm plank facing the vertical column.
  • Open and close the GB in a saw-like motion while maintaining the plank stability 8–10 reps.
  • Then, sit hips back into Child’s Pose, reaching arms forward and to the sides to release lower back tension.

Pose 3: Bridge + Roll-Up Twist

Focus: Glutes, hamstrings, lats, spinal mobility
Benefits: Strengthens posterior chain, opens chest and hip flexors, enhances posture and breathing mechanics.
Why It Levels You Up: Fires up glutes and core while mobilizing the spine for rotational sports.

On the Total Gym:

  • Lie supine on the glideboard, head at top, feet flat.
  • Press through heels to lift hips into a bridge, pause, then roll the spine down.
  • Roll up to seated, rotate to each side, then return to supine with control.
  • Repeat for 10 slow reps.

Pose 4: Boat Pose (Navasana)

Focus: Core activation, hip flexor strength
Benefits: Strengthens deep abdominals, improves balance, sharpens focus, supports spinal alignment.
Why It Levels You Up: Builds powerhouse abs while challenging concentration and breath control.

On the Total Gym:

  • Sit tall on the glideboard facing away from the tower, knees bent, feet flat.
  • Hands can support behind knees or reach toward feet.
  • Roll up into a V-sit and lift feet to balance on sit bones.
  • To advance: extend legs straight and reach arms forward.
  • Hold for 20–30 seconds, breathing steadily.

Cool-Down Flow

Reset and restore with a static sequence to lengthen muscles and calm the nervous system:

  • Forward Fold + Rotation
  • Pigeon Pose
  • Child’s Pose
    Repeat on opposite side.

The Takeaway

Total Gym athletic yoga blends strength, mobility, and mindfulness into one powerful package, helping you perform at your best. Train with intention, breathe with purpose, and let every movement remind you that flexibility isn’t just physical — it’s a mindset.

Stay fluid. Stay strong. Stay in the game.

Maria

@GROOVYSWEAT  

Let’s Connect on Social Media

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