If the thought of developing rock hard abs while drinking a beer makes perfect sense, you have already fallen victim to the marketing of some of the products listed below. From Ab Rockets to Air Climbers, the fitness world is full of exercise gimmicks that prey on the lazy. When it comes time to shape-up, remember—there is no easy way to do it. Here’s a look at some of the worst pieces of equipment on the market, as well as some of the reviews by remorseful customers.
Ab Rocket
The Ab Rocket is the latest piece of equipment for exercising your abs, or as the company likes to put it, “blast your abs like never before.” This reclining chair offers three different resistance levels for you to choose from, allowing you to get the most out of your workout, depending on your own strength level. The problem with this equipment can be deduced from looking at the above image: how would one develop toned abdominal from rocking back and forth?
According to a review below:
“First and foremost, this item is not worth the one hundred or more dollars. The 3 resistance stretch coils did not offer any or very, very, very little resistance. I was able to bend easily all the way to the floor no matter which resistance coils I was using. Truly disappointed. Also, after bending backward, you will use your own strength to bend forward, no matter how far up you want to go. The resistance coils will offer nothing by way of resistance no matter what your weight is.”—Amazon.com
Air Climber
The Air Climber was developed by Brenda Dygraf, a U.S. Aerobic Champion who suffered from chronic joint pain. The machine basically enables users to march in place by stepping on two pedals that use air to eliminate impact. The goal is to shape and tone your legs while burning calories, but reviews show that customers have been left unsatisfied.
“”I liked the air climber but it’s a piece of plastic that won’t last long, so I would not recommend people buy it. It’s not worth it. It’s cheaply made. They should have used some other material to make it. I’m so disappointed because it’s not like they pictured it on TV…. Don’t buy this piece of trash.”—Buzzillions.com
Leg Magic
Leg Magic uses “Pulse Resistance Technology” to work the muscles in your thighs, hips, and buns. The product allows your legs to glide in and out while your upper body remains in one place. This controlled movement against the pulse resistance coil should tone both your legs and your core, but again, users say otherwise.
“If you have a bit of motivation and really want to shape your body, I suggest you stick with a well-equipped gym and professional trainers in addition to other sports that work much better on your problem zones than any miracle infomercial product. For my part I brought the leg magic back to the store after 3 weeks, got my money back with no questions asked and writing this review will be about the last thing I will ever have to do with this product.” –Beautyhealthsource.com
ThighMaster
The ThighMaster is one of the oldest (and most famous) pieces of infomercial exercise equipment, but does it really work? According to the creator, Suzanne Somers, the ThighMaster can be used to “Squeeze…Squeeze your way to a shapely figure.” In fact, she advertises that just a few squeezes a day will leave you with firmed and toned inner thighs. Sound too good to be true? Some say it is.
“Oh, god where do I start! This thing is trash, plain and simple! I got better results walking twice a day (drinking plenty of water) and cutting back on sugar!” –Amazon.com
Total Tiger
The makers of the Total Tiger say it is the only ab machine that can truly sculpt your entire body. How? The machine stabilizes your body in one position, allowing your hands to glide in and out as you curl your legs up and down. Sounds tricky. Is it really possible to sculpt your entire body through the use of just one machine? Some would disagree.
“If an ab machine claims that you get a full body workout, get your hand off of your wallet and run like hell! The Total Tiger is a waste of money. It’s just another ab machine in a long line of too many pieces of junk that you shouldn’t even consider buying…”–Trainersecrets.com
The Bun and Thigh Max
The Bun and Thigh Max aims to firm the inner and outer thighs, as well as tone the quadriceps, calves, butt, and hamstrings. All this, the brand argues, can be done without leaving your chair. The product sits on the floor between your legs and you are meant to simply squeeze away. It seems unlikely that you will achieve the buns and thighs of your dreams, or even break a sweat, through this simple process. One user writes—
“I got this product in a moment of weakness and it was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made…what a waste of $60! It has no fitness value whatsoever. I get more of a workout walking up and down the stairs in my house! Don’t waste your money…it’s junk!!!”—informercialads.com
The Abtronic
The Abtronic was designed for those who long for abs of steel, but can’t find the time to crunch it. The belt uses electrical pulses to contract and relax your abs without you doing a thing. The belt is supposed to be worn once a day for 30 minutes and the product’s developers argue that it will leave you with a stronger and more-toned stomach. So why aren’t we all walking around with rock-hard abs? Here’s what one Abtronic owner has to say—
“I did buy one of these systems thinking it could help define up my abs in the final phases of my training program (I don’t have a big belly.. wasn’t trying to lose weight.. just tone up) and I’ve used this religiously for about 2 months .. result.. wasted time and money on it.”—epinions.com
Gliding
The Gliding disc exercise system was created by fitness professional Mindy Mylrea. The discs can be used under your feet when standing and under your hands when sitting. In either position the sliding of the disc helps you to create smooth movements and engage your muscles. Sounds like a good idea, but why not just wear a pair of socks on a freshly mopped floor? And what about Gliding on the carpet? It seems impossible, but the company says it’s not. Check out what this ex-Glider has to say—
“I saw these advertised on TV, on a fitness channel and in a magazine I subscribe to. I couldn’t wait to get these home and try them. I bought the ones for carpet. I tried them on a new carpet, and really didn’t glide anywhere. Then I waited a few days and tried them in another room, still didn’t glide. I finally just put them away. I buy a lot of fitness products, and this was the most disappointing one that I have ever purchased.” –Walmart.com
Red XL Abdominal Exerciser
The Red XL claims that it can sculpt and strengthen your core all by swiveling back and forth with your feet off the ground. It’s called the power of rotation and the company believes you need this seat to do it. According to the product description the chair supports up to 24 different exercises, yet some users say this isn’t the case:
“Ninety Percent of the benefit that you might get from this machine is from lifting your feet off of the floor. The twisting may feel somewhat strenuous, but it’s because of the tension created by your feet/legs being lifted up , not the twisting itself. In other words; you don’t need this machine, you don’t need anything, just sit anywhere with your feet suspended off of the floor. A little twist wouldn’t hurt…..got a swivel chair? That’s all this thing is, and not a very good one.” –Amazon.com
Shake Weight
Why lift weights when you can shake them?! The Shake Weight uses “Dynamic Inertia” to increase muscle activity by more than 300%. Shaking the weight, it is argued, causes weights at both ends to spring back and forth, and the company says you need only do it for six minutes a day to tone and define your arms. Check out what this user has to say—
“This does not work!!!!!!!! It’s just a hand weight with a spring on either side and you can only perform isometric exercises with it – it’s not a healthy way to train your muscles and is making a very slim connection to vibration training, which is well-researched and documented as ineffective.”—Gadgets-reviews.com
Velform Sauna Belt
The Velform Sauna Belt is meant to be wrapped around any body part you wish to melt the fat, during what should be a 50-minute, daily routine.. As the belt heats up it creates a concentrated sauna around the targeted body part, it causes its wearer to sweat, which in turn releases toxins and shaves of the lbs. Of course, arguments in favor of this product beg the question: If the Sauna Belt works then why not sit in a real sauna and take care of everything at once? Many are skeptical.
“Now I was born in the morning but I wasn’t born this morning. The Velform Sauna Belt System claims to give you instant weight and measurement loss by having you sweat away fat. For a measly $80 you can wrap their belt around your body, push a button and then BAM, the fat sweats away. Wow, a dream come true right! — Well wrong!”—Oneforfitness.com
The Hawaii Chair
The Hawaii Chair vows to take the work out of your workout and you don’t even have to stand up. The seat of the chair moves in a circular motion allowing you to work your core while you work. The chair offers several different levels of speed to choose from so that you can engage in moderate exercise to a full blown workout, however if you watch the infomercial you may find this hard to believe.
Rather than feature a review of the final product in this list, we decided to share with you a video of someone actually trying to use it, in what has become a rather well-known episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
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this is a very helpful post, i was actually planning on buying the Sauna Belt belt for some time, nor that i really need it, its just the ads that puts such things in the mind and makes it looks too good to resist.
List some more of such products, knowing what not to buy helps a lot as well
the ab rocket was a dud, they even lied about your money back, they tried to sell that piece of crap so bad they told me i would get my $14.95 back. when I returned it they refues to give me my money back. I paid over $18.00 to send it back I would have paid a thousand dollars to send it back. this product is no good. I would not tell any of my friends about it.
Hahaha. I love how you chose the only bad review on Wal-Mart's site for the gliding discs. Everyone else who reviewed the gliding discs loves them and is experiencing actual results (including me!). That person who wrote the review you posted either got the wrong discs (in other words, they though they got the ones for carpet, but actually got the ones for hardwood floors), or they expected the discs to magically glide on their own! I think if that person had the right product, and if they put the DVD that comes with the discs into their DVD player and actually followed the workout, it would be a whole different story.
I'll give you this though: The rest of the products you reviewed are, indeed, bogus.