You've waited patiently for the payoff.

Like a teenage boy watching an entire full length movie on Skinamax back in the 90s waiting patiently for just for a glimpse of cleavage...

Now is the moment you've been waiting for: my take on the 25 new Tonal moves.

[cigarette in mouth] Hold on to your butts:

(Name the movie for bonus points.)

The Scoreboard

🔥 Must-try: Suitcase Bulgarian Split Squat, Suitcase Split Squat, Kickstand RDL, Bodyweight Good Morning

👍 Solid adds: Barbell Back Squat, Alternating Goblet Lateral Squat, Pallof Hold, Bench Reverse Crunches, Incline Mountain Climbers, Single-Arm Squat to Press, Barbell Lying Face Curl

🤷 Situational: Bodyweight Squat to Bench, Kickstand Single-Arm RDL, Single-Handle RDL, Floor Press, Middle Chop, Incline Burpees, Lateral Hop Overs, Barbell Sumo Squat to Upright Row

👎 Skip it: Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Incline Press, Triceps Pushup, Racked Offset March, Squat to Alternating Rotational Press, Reverse Lunge to Single-Arm Overhead Press, Barbell Calf Raise

What the rankings mean:

• 🔥 Must-try: Add these to your program this week.
• 👍 Solid adds: Good moves worth doing, just not game changers.
• 🤷 Situational: Great for a specific person or problem.
• 👎 Skip it: You already have a better option in the library (or should buy a bench).

🔥 Must-Try

Suitcase Bulgarian Split Squat(legs)

Bottom line: The best leg exercise on Tonal. Period.

A match made in gym heaven, like tank tops and mirrors... or my wife in yoga pants.

I'm going to take a LOT of heat for this, but Bulgarians are hands down the best leg exercise you can do, especially on Tonal. It's not even close unless they find a way to "transformer" Tonal into a Leg Press.

Bulgarians limit spinal loading, reduce shear force on your lower back, and overload your quads. They also train balance and stability, which decline as you age and are a superpower against injury.

Add the suitcase hold and you get extra core work, which makes this a go-to for anyone dealing with back pain. With a few small tweaks, you can hammer your glutes too.

If you hate them, get curious about them and do them until you love them. As Leo says to his brother in The Man in the Iron Mask: "Wear it until you love it. Then die in it."

Funny enough, most people think they will die if they do these. You won't. You'll actually do the opposite and live forever.

Kickstand RDL (hamstrings & glutes)

Bottom line: Better than the Single Leg RDL every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Weird. Wonder where they got this idea from? (Cough) Watch me demo this here. Do you think they'll give me credit?

I'm like an unpaid intern at this point. Tonal Hacks will live forever. 🤘🏻

But seriously, it takes way less balance than the Single Leg RDL, you can actually overload it, and it builds more strength and muscle. Balance training is great when you can still load it, like the Bulgarian.

Compared to a regular RDL, it's splitting hairs. Go Kickstand if you want more glute isolation, hip stability work, or extra volume.

Suitcase Split Squat (legs)

Bottom line: "Suitcase" anything means more core, and the research backs it up.

A 2024 study in the International Journal of Exercise Science found the suitcase carry beat both the farmer's carry and the plank for activating the spinal stabilizers, the muscles that support and control your spine [1].

It also fired up the abs and obliques on the side holding the weight. Same idea here, just with a split squat attached.

Bodyweight Good Morning (hamstrings & glutes, off Tonal)

Bottom line: It looks "too beginner," and that's exactly why you need it.

It's unbelievably good for drilling the hinge pattern behind every RDL and Deadlift. Being a realist, most of you will scoff at this one and sit down for a break instead.

But great hinge mechanics are hard to master, and most of the 721+ Tonal users I've coached could use a refresher.

👍 Solid Adds

Barbell Back Squat (legs)

Bottom line: Needed to happen, but it's not the best leg move on Tonal.

A great addition. But let's be real: front or back, squats just aren't great on Tonal.

Two cables pulling on either side of the bar make it feel unstable and awkward as the weight climbs. I can squat 350 for reps and still feel shaky at 200 on Tonal.

Here's what you won't want to hear: for loading your quads, the Bulgarian Split Squat is safer and better...

No dueling cables pulling you sideways or forward, way less compression on your spine, no sheering on your low back, and it's easy to shift toward your glutes if you want peaches 🍑.

Pallof Hold (core)

Bottom line: The closest thing to the Pallof Press as it was originally designed.

When we first built the Pallof on Tonal, we had to add a twist because Tonal couldn't (and still can't) count reps unless the cable changes length.

John Pallof's original "Belly Press" was a stability move with almost no movement besides your arms, and this version finally lets you feel that.

To progress it, use my Pallof Press Tonal Hack: tiny pulses left and right for even more core demand.

Alternating Goblet Lateral Squat (legs/glutes)

Bottom line: An underrated glute builder if you really push your hips back and a nice variation working the frontal plane of movement.

They must have watched my Tonal Hack on the Resisted Lateral Lunge, because this looks much closer to my variation and the real intent of a lateral lunge.

Barbell Lying Face Curl (biceps)

Bottom line: The Guillotine Curl, renamed.

This was popularized by one of my heroes and the greatest fitness model of all time, Greg Plitt. Tonal renamed it to something more politically correct.

It won't give you Austrian Alp bicep peaks on its own, but the cable angle keeps tension high right at the top, where most curls let you relax, so you're forced into a hard squeeze.

And if you're doing my Tonal Hacks curl variations, your biceps should be big enough to name by now. (Mine are Taylor & Swift.)

Incline Mountain Climbers (conditioning, off Tonal)

Bottom line: Goodbye, Hunchback of Notre Dame.

After watching 721+ Tonal users train via SmartView, I cringe at the hunched posture most people fall into on standard Mountain Climbers.

For cardio, go fast with short strides. For lower abs, go slow, drive your knee toward your chest, and tuck your pelvis underneath you.

Bench Reverse Crunches (core, off Tonal)

Bottom line: A nice add, but it should be more crunch and less raise.

The way it's demoed overlaps with the Hip Raise. Here's what this move should look like when you target lower abs → Bodyweight Reverse Crunch.

This is a regression from the most advanced lower ab exercise you can do: Weighted Reverse Crunch.

Single-Arm Squat to Press (delts & legs+ conditioning)

Bottom line: A solid single-arm thruster. More variety than breakthrough.

It mimics the kettlebell thruster, and I'm a fan. It's a great cardio move, but not the best squat or the best press because combo moves never excel at either.

🤷 Situational

Floor Press (chest)

Bottom line: Use it if a shoulder issue limits your range of motion.

The first time I saw this, I was 14, watching Ed Coan (the greatest powerlifter of all time) do it with every plate in the gym and two huge chains on the bar.

The barbell version builds lockout power for a big bench, while the handle version is mostly for working around a shoulder impingement or biceps tendonitis.

If you were training for a bench meet, you wouldn't be on Tonal.

Single-Handle RDL (hinge)

Bottom line: A good hinge teacher for beginners with smaller hands.

It mimics a Kettlebell Stiff-Legged Deadlift nicely, but the handle is too small for most adult hands to grip well.

It makes a great progression from the Bodyweight Good Morning.

Kickstand Single-Arm RDL (hinge)

Bottom line: Mostly variety, with a small fix for cable slack at light weights.

If you're not super strong yet, you can use 20 lbs on one arm instead of 10 per arm. That avoids the cable slack that snaps back at you with very light weights (anyone who's done 5 lb Lateral Raises knows).

Not much value beyond that.

Bodyweight Squat to Bench (legs, off Tonal)

Bottom line: Great for beginners and injury comebacks.

This was a natural addition since we already had Goblet Squat to Bench.

It's also perfect for anyone who likes turning squats into calf raises by refusing to get any real depth. In order to tap the bench, you kinda have to get lower.

Barbell Sumo Squat to Upright Row (full body + conditioning)

Bottom line: A decent stand-in for the Kettlebell High Pull if Tonal is all you have.

With a narrow grip and two cables, it loses the freedom and power of the Kettlebell High Pull.

As a fairly early kettlebell adopter and a bit of a purist, I prefer the kettlebell. But it's still a solid strength-plus-cardio option.

Lateral Hop Overs (conditioning, off Tonal)

Bottom line: Only on a third-party bench or a box.

On a firm bench, do these until you melt every ounce of fat off your body. On the standard Tonal bench, it's about as stable as a Bosu ball.

Okay, slight exaggeration. But not much.

Incline Burpees (conditioning, off Tonal)

Bottom line: An inclusive regression of a regression.

I couldn't find this one in the app, so I think it's actually the Incline Burp (a burp has no pushup, a burpee does).

It's a great option for anyone who can't get to the floor due to weight or injury. A regression of the Burp, which is a regression of the Burpee.

Very recursive. Comp Sci 102 flashbacks.

Middle Chop (core)

Bottom line: Pretty mid. Use the Pallof Hold instead.

Many users will confuse this with Tonal's Pallof Press, which also includes a twist (at least as it's officially demoed).

I'd rather keep everything still but your arms and count reps with short pulses like I demonstrate in my Pallof Press Tonal Hack.

👎 Skip It

Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Incline Press (chest)

Bottom line: Buy an adjustable bench instead.

I don't love the Standing Incline Press, so I love a half-kneeling version even less.

And by "love," I mean the way I feel about Dallas summers: I loathe them enough to move to Orange County for only 8 weeks to avoid the heat.

Without a bench, you can't stabilize enough to overload your upper chest, and your shoulder takes over.

With a bench, you'll get 10x more out of your Incline Presses.

Squat to Alternating Rotational Press (delts & legs + conditioning)

Bottom line: Good concept, rough execution for your shoulders.

It's just okay for your legs and just okay for your shoulders.

The demo presses the cable across your body, pulling your shoulder down and to the side, which puts it in a vulnerable position. I'd rotate more so the cable pulls straight down like a dumbbell would.

I actually used to teach these to in-person clients. Here's me demonstrating the exercise with better technique → Dumbbell Uppercut Press.

Reverse Lunge to Single-Arm Overhead Press (conditioning)

Bottom line: Not great at either move it combines.

Your legs are capped by what your shoulder can press, and your shoulder is fighting a racing heart and shaky balance.

When it comes to Metabolic Resistance Training and programs like 4 Weeks to Fat Loss...

I love combo moves like Squat to Row and Barbell Thrusters that spike your heart rate faster than Margot Robbie in The Wolf of Wall Street. This one just feels overly complex and destined to be forgotten.

Racked Offset March (core)

Bottom line: Tonal isn't a Kettlebell.

A cable handle in the rack position just isn't the same as a Kettlebell.

I think this one will be about as popular as the Waiter March. Which, for the record, is sneaky hard and great for shoulder stability when done right.

Triceps Pushup (chest + triceps, off Tonal)

Bottom line: Did this really need its own move?

Going back to last week's budget talk, this feels like wasted money.

Tonal doesn't track weight or reps on pushups, and a separate move actually limits coaching freedom to call regular, military, triceps, or plyo pushups.

Tony Horton has been doing military-style pushups on Tonal since forever. I can't imagine many users requested this one since all you have to do is shift your hand placement on the floor. Not sure why it was added.

Barbell Calf Raise (calves)

Bottom line: How is this different from the Resisted Calf Raise?

It feels like a waste of resources. They'd have been better off checking my Tonal Hacks Library and adding a Belt Calf Raise.

Think I got one wrong?

Hit reply and tell me which move you'd bump up or knock down.

I read every reply, and I'll share the best rebuttals next week.

And if you're ready to finally max Tonal by learning from a pro → Apply for Coaching Here.

References:

1. Ellestad SH, Holcomb TP, Swiergol AM, Holmstrup ME, Dicus JR. The Quantification of Muscle Activation During the Loaded Carry Movement Pattern. International Journal of Exercise Science. 2024;17(1):480–490. doi:10.70252/NWUE9985​