There are some exercises that are objectively better on Tonal than in a gym.

Take the Barbell Hip Thrust.

In a normal gym, this move mostly hits your glutes in the shortened, contracted position at the top.

There is very little resistance on your glutes in the lengthened position at the bottom of the movement.

That's it. That's the exercise.

But on Tonal, you can do it with Chains Mode one week to build strength in that shortened position...

Then switch to Eccentric Mode the next week to load the lengthened position in order to maximize hypertrophy (muscle) gains.

Same exercise. Two completely different training effects.

Try doing that with just a barbell in a gym.

This is Tonal at its best.

Versatile enough to genuinely beat the gym in certain cases.

Then there's the Lateral Raise.

Which is just bad on Tonal. And I mean bad.

Not like Michael Jackson Beat It bad, but more like Michael Jackson Neverland Ranch bad.

Terrible, I know.

Here's why: Tonal loads peak resistance at the very top of the movement, right where you're weakest.

If this were a Hip Thrust, no big deal. Your glutes are a massive, strong muscle group built to handle that kind of load.

But your delts can't handle that load.

For most people, that means dropping the weight to 10 lbs or less. And once you go that low, the cable gets weird.

Push with any real power and you create slack on the way up. Then the cable snaps tight again at the bottom at the point you want peak resistance.

It's... well, less than ideal.

You can work around it by crossing the cables behind your back and adding cuffs, but that's too complicated for an "official" Tonal move.

I get why they didn't build it that way.

That brings me to the Resisted Lateral Lunge...

This one actually vexes me.

The resistance pulls you sideways toward the machine. Like someone's shoving you over mid-squat.

A lateral lunge is supposed to build strength and stability moving side to side. It targets your adductors (inner thighs), glute medius (side hip), quads, and glutes.

None of that happens when the weight pulls you sideways instead of down.

If the goal here were core strength and balance, this move would be a home run.

It's not.

Toss in a twist and a mini row on top of it, and now it's just confusing.

As Commodus said in Gladiator: "It vexes me. I'm terribly vexed."

It's like we're twinning. In fact, you can call Commodus and I brothers...

Okay, I'm taking that joke way too far.

Here's how to do the Resisted Lateral Lunge on Tonal the right way:

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Two fixes:

1️⃣ Goblet Lateral Lunge.

Hold the handle like a goblet at your chest.

Now the cable pulls you down into the squat, the way a dumbbell would.

Muscles work the way they're supposed to.

This version is easiest if you want to mimic the gym version as closely as possible, or if you don't own a belt.

Here's the trade-off...

You're limited by the strength of your biceps (Taylor & Swift, if you're wondering who the limiting factor is here 😂).

Plus you're putting extra strain on your wrists, elbows, and shoulders just to hold the weight.

2️⃣ Belt Lateral Lunge.

Hands-free. No biceps acting as the limiting factor. Scales best for heavier loads.

👉🏻 Get the belt here: Brute Belt for Tonal​

This is the move if you deal with back pain or if you just want to load up your legs without your arms getting in the way.

The trade-off is at higher resistance, the belt starts digging into your hips. Not a dealbreaker, just something to know before you strap in.

My pick: the belt.

It's also the easiest entry point if you're newer to the move.

Are you working hard, but not seeing the results you want with Tonal? 😩 📲

Feel like you're spinning your wheels a bit?

Watch this video 👇🏻

👉🏻 How we helped 721 Tonal users lose 12,978 lbs of fat and build 1,082 lbs of muscle in the last 4 years​

Time for action,

Coach Jackson