The Fit and the XLS are two of the most popular Total Gym’s to date. Both come loaded with tons of exercise options, heavy-duty frames, and plenty of attachments, which can make deciding between them challenging.
When you look at the specs, it’s easy to see that the Fit is an upgraded version of the XLS, but with such subtle differences, is it really worth the extra cash?
Well, that’s what I’m here to help you answer.
In this head-to-head comparison, I’ll discuss all the key differences between the Total Gym Fit and the XLS.
I’ll also talk price and provide my perspective on which model is the better buy and why.
After reading, you should which Total Gym is the better option for your home gym.
Off we go.
| Total Gym Fit | Total Gym XLS | |
|---|---|---|
| Exercises | 85+ | 80+ |
| Resistance Levels | 12 | 6 |
| Attachments | AbCrunch Leg Pull Upgraded Squat Stand 2-piece Wing Attachment | Leg Pull Ribbed Squat Stand Wing Attachment |
| Weight Capacity | 450 lb | 400 lb |
| Warranty | Lifetime frame 2 year parts | Lifetime frame 6 month parts |
| Price | $1699 | $1099 |
The Total Gym Fit vs The XLS
There are a ton of Total Gyms on the market now and even more if you consider all the older models that are no longer available (even though there are a surprising number of the older models still in circulation).
And even though the look and attachments have changed over the years, they all basically work the same.
They all work around the principle of using your body weight as the resistance- which, when paired with a set of pulleys and a slide board, can be quite effective.
The Total Gyms are effective because they all offer a huge variety of exercises to choose from and they’re very low impact, making them safe for pretty much everyone to use.
You can find a lot of the older models on sites like Amazon, but the Fit and the XLS are both being offered directly through Total Gym Direct.
When comparing these models (or any others), you’ll find the biggest differences are found in a few key areas: resistance levels, attachments, weight capacity, and warranty.
And again, since all of these gyms operate the same way, I’ll be concentrating on these areas to compare the Fit and the XLS.
If you’re interested in learning more about the other Total Gyms too, check my complete Total Gym Guide for a comparison of all models.
Resistance Levels
I mentioned briefly that all Total Gyms are designed to take advantage of the user’s body weight to work as the resistance for all exercises.
This is true, but you can still adjust how much of your body weight you’re working against by adjusting the resistance level.
The resistance level is adjusted by changing the height of the slide board.
If you increase the height, the angle you’re pulling against increases, which means you’re lifting a higher percentage of your body weight.
Lowering the height of the slide board does the opposite, decreasing how much of your body weight you’re lifting, making the exercise easier.
Having more resistance levels is a good thing because it gives you the ability to make smaller changes to the intensity of your exercises.
An important thing to keep in mind is that having more resistance levels doesn’t necessarily increase the total amount of resistance you’re gonna feel at the highest resistance level.
Again, it just means you have more control over making incremental changes.
With this in mind, the Total Gym Fit comes with 12 resistance levels and the XLS only comes with 6.
This is the biggest difference between these 2 gyms.
With 6 additional resistance settings to work with, the Fit allows you to make more subtle changes to the difficulty of your workouts.
This is a good thing because you can gradually make exercises harder, instead of having to jump up significantly all at once or spend more time at a lower setting because the next resistance level is still too hard.
Attachments
If you pay close attention, you’ll notice that there are subtle differences in the attachments that each Total Gym comes with.
The attachments are important too, because these are what allow you to perform the huge variety of exercises that these gyms are famous for.
Let’s take a look at which attachments the XLS comes with first:
- Wing attachment
- Ribbed squat stand
- Leg pull attachment
Ok, and now the Fit comes with the following attachments:
- 2-piece wing attachment
- Upgraded squat stand
- Leg pull attachment
- AbCrunch attachment
So, the biggest difference here is that the Fit comes with the AbCrunch, which is one of Total Gym’s most popular attachments.
FYI, the AbCrunch goes for about $160 sold separately and is also compatible with the XLS.
The wing attachments for each are very similar, some models use the 2-piece and others use the single piece, but there really isn’t an advantage with either.
The upgraded squat stand on the Fit is a little bigger than the one found on the XLS, but they’re pretty similar too.
Overall, the biggest difference when it comes to attachments is that the Fit comes with the AbCrunch.
Weight Capacity
With the exception of the commercial grade GTS, all of the Total Gym’s are lightweight. This is great when it comes to putting them up and taking them down, but when it comes to feeling stable during use, being heavier is a good thing.
When it comes to user complaints about some of the more affordable Total Gyms, it’s usually regarding the lightweight frames that can feel a bit flimsy for larger users.
The best way to get an idea of the “heavy-dutiness” of a gym is to take it for a test spin yourself.
But when that isn’t an option, the second best way is to look at the assembled weight and weight capacity.
Seeing higher numbers in these categories is a good sign of a heavier-duty gym
When we compare these specs for the XLS and Fit, there aren’t that many differences.
The Fit comes with a higher weight capacity (450 lb vs 400 lb), but the XLS actually weighs a little more (68 lb vs 66 lb).
The higher weight limit on the Fit is awesome for larger folks, but both gyms score highly in this category.
There’s isn’t much of a difference when it comes to the assembled dimensions either.
Overall, the Fit has a higher weight capacity, but there isn’t much difference when it comes to the actual weight of these gyms
Warranty
The higher-end Total Gyms tend to come with better warranties. This makes sense and should be expected to some degree.
The XLS comes with the following warranty:
- Lifetime frame
- 6 month parts
And the Fit comes with this warranty:
- Lifetime frame
- 2 year parts
So, the Fit comes with an extended parts warranty, but both gyms come with an awesome lifetime frame guarantee.
It’s great to see a longer parts guarantee, but I’d like to say that these gyms usually hold up pretty well. Partly because there just aren’t that many things that can break down.
The cables are unlikely to snap and there’s not much that can go wrong with the pulleys either.
Price
Ok, we’ve gone over the few differences between the XLS and the Fit.
To summarize, the Fit comes with 6 more resistance levels, upgraded accessories, a higher weight capacity, and a longer parts warranty.
That’s all fine and good, but let’s consider the cost of each too.
Before I quote some prices here, I want to point out that the prices on these Total Gyms will vary from time to time- Total Gym has promotions going on all the time, so don’t hate me if these prices aren’t 100% accurate as you read this.
That said, at the time of writing this, the prices for these gyms are as follows:
Total Gym XLS: $1,100
Total Gym Fit: $1,700
So, there’s a $600 difference between these 2 gyms.
Now the Fit comes with the AbCrunch, which costs $160 on its own, so if we take that out of the equation, there’s really a $440 difference between these 2 gyms.
Are the Fit’s upgrades worth this much?
Final Thoughts
It’s a tough question.
I think the number of resistance levels a Total Gym comes with is its most important feature. Having more resistance levels, in this case 6 more, is a huge benefit.
If you’re looking for the best Total Gym your budget can handle, it all depends on what kind of budget you’re working with.
If you have the budget for the Fit, I think it makes sense to go with it because it is certainly a nicer model than the XLS (especially if you’d plan on getting the AbCrunch accessory either way).
That said, I don’t think it makes sense to stretch your budget farther than you feel comfortable just to get the Fit- there’s no reason to add any unnecessary anxiety.
The XLS is a very nice Total Gym in its own right.
Ha, I realize I’m dancing around the question here…
Ok- yes, I think the Fit is worth the extra cost to get the extra resistance levels and the included AbCrunch.
Yikes, that was hard.
But rest assured- regardless of which model you end up going with, both are great options.
