Get Smart: Tonal Home Gym Review

Like most people, 2020 rocked my entire world—including my fitness world. COVID and quarantine were tough emotionally, physically, and financially. It cost millions of people their lives or quality of life, and it even resulted in enormous shifts in our culture. Beyond all that, it truly changed how we all exercise. Gyms around the WORLD shut down for months, if not indefinitely (which does break my heart).

And because of the big D (I’m talking divorce, guys), I unfortunately lost literally HALF of my gym equipment, the machines and equipment I’ve spent decades acquiring, pinching pennies to save for, and invest in. So, going from having every piece of equipment I could ever need (including the dang cable machine that I didn’t necessarily love but DID rely on) to scrounging for odds and ends here and there to try and do my regular workouts was TOUGH, to say the least. As with most areas in my life, I had to completely pivot my fitness routine. But I do want to add that if there’s one good thing that came out of this pandemic, it’s that we ALL learned how resourceful we can be.

I’ll be honest, it was brutal in the beginning. I literally used whatever I could find in my pantry or cabinets to do a few curls (like most of you, I’m sure!). I have done more body weight exercises in the last year than I had probably done my entire life, and I generally just wasn’t getting the same experience and results from my lifting sessions that I’m used to.

And then the heavens opened up and dropped a little piece of its divine beauty right in my lap.
The Tonal.

A few weeks back, I posted stories highlighting my beautiful garage organization, and my new Tonal happened to show up in the background. Holy cow, you guys, my DMs have NEVER been so flooded asking about a particular product! Seriously, the response was overwhelming and unexpected! It became very apparent (based on the numerous demands for a detailed review, questions about the worth and features, and Tonal workout requests) that you guys were just as desperate for quality, easily accessible home gym equipment as I’ve been. I wasn’t quite ready to share my thoughts just yet because I wanted to be sure that I fully understood and had taken advantage of ALL the incredible features and was certain that it was worthwhile for you guys too. BUT NOW, I can proudly present to you one million and one reasons why I LOVE my TONAL.

What is Tonal?

Click here to read more and purchase Tonal →

It is the ONE piece of equipment that takes the place of EVERY other piece of gym equipment you could ever need, allowing you to perform every move you could ever dream of! I am NOT exaggerating when I say you will NEVER need to step foot in a gym again OR purchase another piece of gym equipment if you have a Tonal. I have to admit, I was skeptical at first because I truly didn’t realize that it would be possible to do ANY move using the Tonal, but you CAN!

Ok, ok, so I could rave about how I obsessed I am with my Tonal all day long (it truly is So. Much. Better. than I could have ever imagined!), but I know y’all need specifics when you’re deciding where to invest your hard-earned money, so without further adieu, here. you. go!

The built-in virtual spotter

No workout buddy’ No problemo! When the machine senses that you’re struggling to complete your reps, the Spotter will lower the weight until you finish the set OR you can even hit a button to automatically release the weight for you. You guys, how friggin’ incredible is that?!?!

Since the Spotter acts just as a real-life spotter would, you can also test yourself, knowing that the Spotter has your back—and the rest of your body—at all times. I definitely find myself pushing my limits more when I’m using the Tonal as opposed to using dumbbells or free weights because I just feel more comfortable knowing I have a little extra support! So, no more taking it easy on yourself at home because your trusty Tonal will keep you safe.

Easily track your progress

Tonal has a handy dandy progress tracker. Tracking progress during workouts is absolutely key to achieving your goals, but it’s often overlooked because it can be so dang tedious. Tonal offers strength analytics, which essentially means the machine will calculate your progress by muscle group and specific areas of your body. It is SUCH an incredible feature! I’ve never seen ANYTHING like it on a piece of home equipment. It’s also constantly measuring things like range of motion, power output, and your overall strength so that it’s easy to see how you are progressing. In addition to tracking your progress, Tonal has two additional features related to moves:

  • Form Feedback
  • Movement Guide

Form Feedback:

Deadlifts are a favorite move of mine, but it’s a move that requires a lot of focus on your form. You want to make sure you have a neutral spine so that you don’t put undue stress on your back and cause injury. That’s just one tiny part of the form, and form itself is one of the things that can hold us back…until now!?

Ever wondered if you’re doing exercises correctly? I actually know that this fear of doing movements incorrectly holds MANY of you back from going to the gym because you don’t want to be embarrassed. Now you can work on perfecting your form with just you and your Tonal! PLUS, injuries can happen so dang quickly if your form is incorrect, which can take you out of your workout game for weeks at a time. In fact, it was reported that 468,000 workout injuries happened in 2019. You don’t have to become one of the painful statistics because no matter what move you’re doing, Tonal will provide you with feedback to help you improve your form and help to eliminate potential injuries.

Moves Catalog:

Ok, this one might be my absolute fave. Your Tonal will come with a massive catalog of 170+ workouts and trainers to keep you motivated, encouraged, and progressing every single workout. I haven’t checked out all the trainers yet but because I use our app, The Transform App, and free flow with my own programming, but there is a whole library of trainers who each have their own unique style and flavor. One thing I fell in love with when I started playing around with the programming is that when you choose which attachment you want to use (either a handle, rope, or bar), you are provided with a list of EVERY single move you can do with that attachment. Or, you can even choose the body part that you are looking to work out, and the library of movements for that particular body part is displayed! You guys, no matter what type of program you like to follow (cross training, bodybuilding, circuit training, etc.), the Tonal incorporates EVERY type of programming you could imagine! It’s insanely genius.

The Ultimate Space Saver

You guys, before I even get into WHY Tonal is the ultimate space saver, just take a look at this photo!!! Tonal is nicely tucked in the corner while the rest of my gym equipment takes up the entirety of my garage.

Even if available space kept you from creating your own home gym pre-COVID, the Tonal takes care of this space problem once and for all. If you have 7 feet of free wall space, a 7X7 foot square of floor space, and at least an 8-foot-tall ceiling, then you now have space for your dream home gym! You can even modify some of the movements if your space doesn’t quite meet those specifications. And with a Tonal, which includes up to 200 lbs of resistance in 1 lb increments (try and get those increments from any set of dumbbells or workout equipment!), you’ve got a mighty, workout-customizing gym in a super small space, allowing you to do lower, upper, core, and total body workouts. At home.

Oh, OH! And the one thing that I thought it was missing but it totally isn’t a bluetooth speaker with integrated music capability!!! It is completely WiFi enabled! You guys, it really is the singular piece of workout equipment you’ll EVER need.

Three workouts. One piece of equipment.

Wanna’ know how I know it’s the ONLY piece of equipment you’ll ever need? Well, for one, I am a proud owner, use it religiously, and am OFFICIALLY obsessed, but number two, I created a couple of workouts using only the Tonal with moves I bet you’d never guess you could do using this thing. Check ’em out:

Lower Body (3 sets of 15 reps each)

  • Single Arm Single Leg RDL
  • Lunge Alternating Overhead Press
  • Deadlift with Bar
  • Front Squat with Bar

Upper Body (4 sets of 12 reps each)

  • X Pull Down with Rope
  • Pull Through with Rope
  • Upright Row with Rope
  • Straight Down Lat Pull Down with Rope

Core & Glutes (as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes)

  • Pullover Crunch (core AND lats!): 15 reps
  • Kneeling Cable Crunch: 15 reps
  • Barbell Glute Bridge (added band for extra resistance!): 12 reps
  • Bulgarian Split Squat: 12 reps (each side)

So, let’s be real for a second. The Tonal isn’t something you can buy with the spare change in your couch cushions. It’s a true investment. But it’s one I genuinely, wholeheartedly feel is 100% worth it. I broke down a little cost analysis, and I’m telling you, it truly does feel like a bargain when you factor in the astonishing amount of features and benefits the Tonal provides.

Total Cost: Is It Worth It?

Click here to read more and purchase Tonal

Even when a global pandemic isn’t happening, gym memberships, personal trainers, and even creating your own home gym can be costly—if you can even get the equipment! Here’s a breakdown for comparison purposes:

  • Average cost for gym membership: $696/year + an initiation fee + an annual fee + possible other fees. Keep in mind that higher end gyms can cost double or more!
  • Average cost for personal trainer: $35-$90 per hour in the US. Cost also depends on experience and whether or not you use a gym-based trainer or a trainer who comes to your home.
  • Average cost to set up a home gym: $1500 or more, depending on the equipment you choose.

However, that home gym doesn’t come with form feedback, a spotter, progress feedback, or a move catalog. And all that equipment takes up a LOT of space!

Another thing to keep in mind when making comparisons is the travel time to and from the gym. Time IS money, after all. Plus, with one subscription, you can add as many users as you’d like, so if you are a household that has more than one user, the value becomes clear very quickly.

Tonal’s base package is $2,995, which doesn’t include any accessories, membership (required for 12 months at $49/month), shipping, and installation. The accessory bundle is $495, which includes smart handles, a smart bar, a bench, a mat, a roller, and a rope (if you already have your own accessories, Tonal does offer adapters).

Click here to learn more about their membership plans and payment offers →

Tonal also offers a payment plan: $149/month for 36 months at 0% financing, which includes everything you’ll need to create your own home gym: the Tonal itself, the $49 monthly subscription (for 3 years), shipping, installation, the accessory bundle, + all the amazing “Smart” features I’ve talked about above. When you compare that $149/month to the cost of a gym membership or setting up your own home gym + the cost of a personal trainer, the Tonal is really a “Smart” deal!

Whew! That was a lot of information, but I just had to share how much I’m loving my new Tonal. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the perfect, space-saving, goal-achieving, smart home gym that can work for anyone and everyone, no matter what your fitness goals might be. To learn more about Tonal, go here.

Tonal Giveaway: **Giveaway is closed and winner has been notified**

To get yourself a jump start, I’m giving away one full Tonal (value $4328). It includes:

  • Tonal
  • Smart Accessories Bundle
  • Shipping and Installation
  • 1-year membership

Enter to win by doing the following:

  • Follow me AND Tonal on Instagram
  • Like my most recent post on Instagram and tag your favorite gym partner (I know, we all miss seeing our friends this workout season!).
  • Comment below with your biggest at-home workout struggle and how you think Tonal will help you be stronger this year!

The giveaway ends at midnight PST on1/29/21, and the winner will be notified on Monday 2/1/21. **Giveaway is closed and winner has been notified**

Ok, enough gushing over here. Does anyone else feel like 2021 is the year you become your strongest self? I hope the answer is a very loud YES!

xo,

**Thank you Tonal, for sponsoring this post! The opinions shared and discussed in this post are my own.**

5,113 Responses

  1. Honestly, at home workouts would be a HUGE struggle because knowing me, I’d lack the motivation to even begin or press play. Then maybe I’d get bored or think of something else I’d rather be doing. I also lack the space to accommodate a typical “at home workout.” Which is why a TONAL would seriously be perfect for me & an answer to prayer!!! I am a single mom and just moved recently so I’ve been quite overwhelmed & financially struggling BIG TIME. I have also been dealing with a Brain Cancer diagnosis for the last 13 years now. (CRAZY!) So health is VERY important to me! Having cancer throughout my adult life has taught me a LOT, but unfortunately I was not able to continue working out for the majority of this last decade and have been getting back into fitness and training recently. Gym memberships seem to be quite expensive where I live, so to have something like this in my home would be a DREAM!!!

  2. My biggest at home work is knowing what to work out and staying motivated. I love classes cause I don?t have to think about what to workout, the teacher instructs me what to do. I have the motivation to do the workout cause others are in there. Also if I won this I would be able to actually work out, I have a two year old and with the gym daycares closed I?m unable to go to the gym. But with this, it?s something I will be able to get up early, so during nap time or when he goes to bed. This would totally change my workout routine and help me see the changes I want to see in me!!!

    1. This machine looks absolutely amazing! I live in SoCal and gyms have legit been closed by me for 9 months. Working out at home has been so difficult due to lack of equipment. Dumbbells were sold out for months! Finally got a few pairs but this machine would help my husband and I so much. I?m six weeks postpartum and trying to get back into shape! Already down 10 lbs, 20 more to go ??

  3. After having our first child & getting to the heaviest I had ever been I started my fitness journey in May 2020. I have not only lost all 62 lbs of baby weight plus an addition 30 all from home, but completely changed my relationship with food, & gain confidence. Enough to feel comfortable going into a building phase to gain muscle, even when the scale didn?t get to the number I thought I wanted to see. Losing more weight wasn?t going to get me to my goal & my body was telling me that. My biggest struggle is not having access to enough weight/resistance or the right equipment for certain exercises. Also gyms are closed down again where we live so at home is really the only option right now. If I had access to what the tonal offers I know I could truly see what my body is capable of!!

  4. Hey there Heidi,

    My name is Tiffany and my biggest workout struggle (is working off that post Csection sag) ugh in truth looking at it in the mirror is enough to set me off into a spiral of depression that I try and avoid at all costs! I went from buying catalogue bikinis and ripping off the crotch guard and wearing it straight out the house without ever trying it on, to wanting to live in baggy clothes and despising trying on anything new. I also struggle finding time to make it to the gym and have someone to watch my little ones between, my school, their school, and work (may have made you a cup of coffee or 2 at the bux) it is really hard to start my abs in the kitchen and find the energy to drag my buns to the gym! I?d be so excited to win this giveaway as would any person who does win <3 so best of luck to all & I hope you and your family are all doing well!

  5. Heidi!!! Oh my goodness! I?ve been following you through your divorces and have been praying for you so it?s so great to always to see how you are doing ? and love you share your struggles. You are so real!!

    Wow! Thank you for this opportunity to maybe win a Tonal! This has been my dream since it came out. But hubby said too expensive ?

    My struggle working out from home.

    Living in Hawaii is hard to have home gyms since most people live in small condos….well at least for me since I live in the heart of Honolulu.

    I know. I can workout outside living in Hawaii and I am so blessed to be able to but I am missing lifting weights. It is hard to lug weights down from the condo even if I had them….they are expensive..and they take up a lot of room. I would also have to drive to wherever to workout (park, beach, etc) and it just takes time to do. The tonal would be such a blessing!!

    I was a member of Egans Bootcamp Next Level classes where I lost 30lbs of body fat and gained 20lbs of muscles since I was working out 5-6 days a week hiit and lifting weights 3 days a week. It took me 1 year to get where I wanted to be (25% BF) so I can be a better mom and wife. I just feel better when I am healthy and in shape. I was on my way to get to 20% bf, my ultimate goal, then my gym closed ;(

    Since Covid hit, I have been trying to workout like I would at the gym and keep continuing my routine to get in shape but it hasn?t been as possible working from home since other people living together and It?s so tight and we have to share space…I have been trying to get back to my bodyfat 25% so I can fit back in my preCovid clothes. I have gained body fat ? and feel fluffy

    I have a Amazon halo so I?m tracking my progress and my body comp has changed so I have lost muscle ;( hence I haven?t been able to weight lift like I was in Next Level.

    I really hope I win since the struggle is so real! I literally have a wall where I do my ?handstands? after 9pm when the space is ?open? and I put quotations because I can?t do handstands yet ? goals and sometimes I have to wait until after 9pm to workout in that space. I will put the Tonal right there on that wall. I am imagining it there now ? I could even put it in my room on the wall too and workout first thing in the morning!! Wow! That would be transformational!

    I read on your blog that the tonal has a spotter!!!!!!!! My world!!! That would be amazing since I understand how important it is to lift weights until you can?t anymore…push yourself as much as you can! When you just can?t lift anymore. Without a spotter, it?s hard to do this.

    I have been on a plan to build my physique before and I just know what it takes and I?m willing and able. This machine would be golden and it will be used daily!!! I would be transformed getting you use this daily!!! ????????

    I?m praying and hoping to be blessed with this. My world would be change more than you know!! ?

    Good luck everyone ?

  6. Thank you for doing this giveaway! I?ve had my eye on Tonal for a while now but it?s costly.

    A struggle I face with at home workouts is lack of equipment which leads to a lack in motivation. Piecing together a bunch of home items every time can be a little exhausting and turn into ?now where did I last see that item??. I also never felt comfortable at the gym figuring out all the equipment by myself surrounded by people. Having the convenience of this equipment in my home with the proper training to go with it would be amazing. I?ve committed myself to 2021 and Tonal would be a great support!

  7. My biggest struggle is space, equipment and uncomfortable going to gyms. My husband and I recently downsized our home and sold all of our equipment since we would not have the space in the home we purchased. This would be great and solve our space issue. Strength training at my age (51) is so important and this machine really is perfect as it solves my struggles and I know my family would love it. My daughter (16) works out with a trainer 2x a week for strength training for her sport (volleyball) so i gave up my personal trainer based on the expense. This really would benefit all of us. Thank you for the opportunity to submit for consideration of possibly winning this awesome piece of equipment and your generosity!!

  8. I think my biggest struggle is variety! I don?t like doing the same thing over and over again. I love toning days and cardio days, sometimes all at once sometimes separate. And music can make or break my workout! Also, being a night nurse with a crazy schedule doesn?t help either:)

  9. My biggest struggle at home is diversity. I love spinning daily, but really want to incorporate other strength building but it is intimidating at add additional equipment.

  10. Biggest struggle is space. When I saw the tonal I was intrigued. I want strength training, I don?t like riding bikes or having lots of different machines (space is my issue). You should have them add your Vacuum twists to their programming. How great to be able to do that move with you as the trainer.????

    Thanks for the great review. A @tonal is on my list and I am already planning a space that will work for it.

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