Total Gym is the brand name for a line of fitness training equipment, created by Total Gym Global Corp, marketed and sold by Total Gym Commercial LLC and Total Gym Fitness, LLC. Total Gym equipment is used by
physical therapy clinics, hospitals, collegiate and professional sports teams, health clubs, fitness studios, and home exercisers. The relationship between the two companies is not clearly outlined on their websites.
History
Total Gym CEO
Tom Campanaro designed the first Total Gym incline trainer in 1974. Campanaro and partner Doug Marino developed the machine, and named the brand “Total Gym” while sitting on the beach in
San Diego, CA
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
. They brought on business partners Dale McMurray and Larry Westfall in 1976 and the first Total Gym homegrown TV commercial hit the market. In 1988, Total Gym moved into physical therapy. As of February 2022, most or all of the home equipment line is made in China.
Infomercial
In 1996, Campanaro made a deal with American Telecast Products to produce the first Total Gym infomercial, featuring spokespersons
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts champions ...
and
Christie Brinkley
Christie Lee Brinkley (née Hudson; born February 2, 1954) is an American model, actress, and entrepreneur. Brinkley gained worldwide fame with her appearances in ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues'', ultimately appearing on an unprecedented ...
. Total Gym became one of the longest running fitness infomercials in history. Doing business as Total Gym Fitness, LLC, the infomercial has been broadcast to more than 85 countries, with over 5 million units sold.
[{{Cite web, url=https://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/4/prweb9434088.htm, title=Leveraging the Strength of the Total Gym Brand, Total Gym Fitness, LLC Announces Plan to Bring Global Retail Distribution In-House, website=PRWeb, access-date=2019-09-13]
References
Weight training equipment
Exercise equipment
Exercise-related trademarks
External Links
Total Gym website with commercial equipment focus ''totalgym.com'', retrieved on 2022-02-20.
Total Gym Direct website (Total Gym Fitness) with home equipment focus. ''totalgymdirect.com'', retrieved on 2022-02-20.
Better Business Bureau - Total Gym Direct rating and complaints page ''bbb.org'', retrieved on 2022-02-20.