Five Items To Buy Instead of a Tonal
I love new gym equipment. And I love when I see new companies and ideas enter the space. But sometimes I think the equipment misses the mark. The Tonal is a piece, for me, that does just that. It is overly complicated in a world that is already, arguably, very complicated, and doesn’t need to be. In this article I’ll dig into a few reasons I don’t like the Tonal and why I think you should skip it, as well as add in a few alternatives that I think are a better investment.
What Is a Tonal?
A Tonal is essentially a functional trainer with some built in flashy smart home tech. It will run you through workouts, track all of your various performance metrics, and manage the load (weight) you are working with. So instead of lifting weights, you are working against their electronic system that provides the tension necessary. At the end of the day, I don’t personally care, and neither do your muscles, if you are working against gravity, weights, friction, or anything else. Your muscles just care that they are working, producing tension, and moving through a range of motion.
The unit has a full Glass Touch Screen not unlike your phone, adjustable arms like a functional trainer so you can perform a number of exercises, full steel construction so it both looks and holds up well, with an adaptable design that supports athletes of all shapes and sizes.
Tonal will run you through assessments to recommend the right resistance, adjust the weight on the fly in 1lb increments as you progress, provide form guidance and more. You can even have the system work in a dynamic mode, similar to how bands works, so that you strengthen in relation to the strength curve of an exercise. Pretty slick. But here are a few negatives I see.
High Price
This one is easy. As of writing this, the Tonal costs $3500 and requires professional shipping and installation, plus taxes. So expect well over $4k when you are done. That is over double what I spent when I set up my garage gym. This included multiple bars, a rack, and more from a US Manufacturer that is often considered fairly high end. You are ONLY getting a functional trainer cable machine in terms of the actual equipment.
Pair this with the $49 a month subscription fee and you are now looking at an extra $600 a YEAR. That is more than I spent on a gym membership for me and my wife combined. I just can’t get behind that when JuggernautAI costs $30 a month, even cheaper when you use one of the many discount codes available (ours is GGC). JuggernautAI will track your workouts, provide adjustments to each workout, let you choose your exercises based on your equipment and personal choices, and much more.
Low Total Weight
Tonal claims that their weight is ready for professional athletes, in fact they have Serena Williams on their homepage. What seems a little wrong is that the entire system can handle 100lbs per arm, or 200lbs combined. Keep in mind, this is plenty for the average person on most lifts. It is FAR below the necessary requirements for a more experienced lifter or professional athlete. I’ve done rows with close to 300lbs before, and doing any kind of leg exercise like RDLs or Squats would require much more than that. I’m not sure this is a HUGE issue, but certainly something that should keep it out of a decent chunk of avid lifters’ homes.
Limited Functionality
This is honestly the biggest issue for me. The Tonal does some cool things, but it is extremely limited. There are only so many combinations of cable exercises you can do before you run out. And for the price tag, I should have a full fledged gym in my house. You are limited to THEIR workouts, to THEIR weight limit, and to THEIR recommendations.
I think for MOST people, that is going to end up being a deal breaker.
Who Should Buy a Tonal?
If you have a decent chunk of money, like new flashy toys, want someone there with you to walk you through every step of the workout, don’t plan on getting too strong, want to just “get in a good workout” throughout the week, and this kind of investment and support will help keep you motivated… then this is likely a solid choice. There is no right or wrong way to continue to exercise and maintain your health. If that sounds like you, here is the Tonal link, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. I have seen some home gym people own them and love them. No harm no foul on owning something that you enjoy and keeps you healthy.
If you read the above and think, nah… I’d like to consider something else, keep reading.
What Should I Buy Instead of a Tonal?
Ok, so the Tonal is expensive, light on weight, and light on function. It does some cool things, but not really your jam. Cool, me neither. Keep in mind that there continues to be more and more Tonal “knock-offs” on the market. Companies doing the same thing but cheaper, or slightly different approach but same price. Here I am going to take you down a road of a little more “gym” than tech.
Kabuki Kratos
Kabuki is a household name in the powerlifting world, but their most recent product launches are a little different. The Kratos uses a Flywheel to mimic cable type exercises. The difference is that mot cables use weight, the Flywheel uses kinetic energy. So instead of fighting gravity, whatever you put into the flywheel, it will throw right back at you. You fight inertia!
This means the system can be super compact. In fact, their newest offering is portable. Members of the Kabuki team have been seen taking it to a park, hooking to a bench, park pole, and other objects, and getting a workout in. Like the Tonal, you don’t need a huge investment in weights, you don’t have to lug around a ton of weights, and it works as a cable system would. But even the most expensive set-up is just $2600, with the smallest set up at $1000. You can also use whatever cable attachments you want, and considering how world record powerlifters are using it effectively, the weight limit isn’t a concern. I also like that you don’t have a monthly fee. This can much more seamlessly be added to a current workout program, be it’s own workout program entirely, or simply be your go-to for vacations and travel. At 1/3 of the price, no monthly subscription, and limitless potential, this is a BIG win in my books.
Prime Fitness PRODIGY | HLP Selectorized Single Stack
Prime Fitness is best known for their commercial gym equipment. Machines, racks, and more that take up a massive footprint in the best gyms across the planet. But they also cater to the space limited athlete, and their Single Stack option is a perfect fit. Now, this is much more like what you would see in a gym. Plenty of metal, hols, cables, carabiners, pulleys and more. The big call-out here is that the unit has a high cable, low cable, AND a fully functioning adjustable cable column so you can do a HUGE assortment of exercises.
They also have a handful of attachments for the unit, and because it is 3×3 tubing with 1inch holes, you can purchase items like a Dip Attachment, Chest Pad, and other options to add some versatility. Prime is always cooking up something delicious, so I’d be shocked if they didn’t have more coming your way here. Check out the Prime Single Stack here. Code GGC saves you 10% on accessories btw!
Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2
Ironmaster makes a wide assortment of items, but their Super Bench line is one of their best known secrets in the Home Gym space. Not only is the bench a fantastic bench, it takes a HUGE assortment of accessories. Leg extensions and curls, dips, pull-ups, cable tower, preacher curl, back extensions… This thing is a BEAST. All of that breaks down and stores away easily, meaning you could seemingly stow it away in a closet. Add in a set of their adjustable dumbbells that can exceed 100lbs EACH and you have a full fledged gym with an endless amount of accessories and options in a small package.
I’ve owned Ironmaster gear myself, and it is fantastic. Check out their full line-up here.
All In One Option
Strength Warehouse USA stocks and ships quite possibly the largest selection of home gym equipment on the planet. They might even beat Amazon! What that means is you can dig into options from over a dozen different manufacturers and pick the one that fits your budget, space, and goals. Whether you want a company all in one Single Stack, a do-it-all Multi Stack, or a blend of free weights and machines with a leverage gym. Obviously you need to do some research here, but I can attest for the Body Solid machines myself.
Surplus Strength UPS System
Already have a rack, just looking for a high end classy way to get some cable work in? Surplus Strength makes the UPS, Universal Pulley System. It is meant to attach to any standard rack from the main manufacturers, and give you a high end cable experience. The Standard High Unit will take care of your lat pulldowns, triceps exercises, and more. And the add-on Low Unit will tackle the low rows, curls, and other creative lower body exercises. This is obviously an “add-on” to an already established gym, but it is something that can add some bang to your buck while keeping things classy.
We’ve covered the ARC Series Power Rack from Surplus as well. Check out the UPS here.
Wrap Up on Tonal
I can’t possibly cover EVERY option out there. You have offerings from companies like Rep Fitness with their new ARES and other rack options. StrayDog Strength offers some excellent functional trainer and rack combo units. Bells of Steel has new functions in their Hydra Racks and their Cable Towers. The list goes on.
The take home point is… I think the Tonal is a cool concept, I just think it is more marketing than performance. With them having multiple ULTRA high end athletes promote it, a monthly subscription, required installation, and more, the price is outrageous. The limited weight functionality can be a burden for stronger athletes, and the need to do what THEY want you to, is just out of the question for me. If you are feeling the same, I hope you consider some of these alternatives.
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