You could be waisting your money if you don’t research fitness products before you buy them.  If they don’t produce results in a timely fashion then they could be a very expensive clothes hanger.   Consumer reports gives you the inside scoop on these highly advertised products. 

What it is: 

A chair with cylinders that add resistance when you rock back and forth. Includes three resistance levels, a workout DVD and a meal plan.

The claims:

Give you the body you’ve wanted in just five minutes a day.

The reality:

Most Ab Rocket exercises were slightly less effective than traditional abdominal exercises in our tests and the head position bothered some. Diet plan was sound but lacked specifics about food amounts and diet duration. Good for most beginners, but we found sit-ups slightly more effective

What it is: 

Mechanical horse saddle. 

The claims:

Back-and-forth motion strengthens, shapes and tones as you rise. Exercises and helps strengthen abdominal muscles and the core of lower-body muscles.

The reality:

Panelists agreed that the machine was easy to use, but they didn’t feel it provided a workout. Some felt ridiculous or creepy on this machine. Our tests showed it was less effective at engaging abdominal muscles than conventional exercises performed with no equipment on an exercise mat.

Red Exerciser Dx

The claims:

Lose four inches off your midsection in two weeks.

The reality:

The “core twist strides” in the infomercial and some advanced exercises in the video engaged obliques at least as much as comparable floor moves but might not work abs as well. Good for obliques, but those four inches aren’t going anywhere without serious dieting. Diet plan provides sound advice, but no maintenance plan.

 Tread Climber

What it is:

A combination treadmill and stair-stepper. Includes an instructional DVD, diet plan and wireless heart-rate monitor.

The claims:

Burn up to twice the calories as on a standard treadmill at the same speed.

The reality:

At speeds of 2 mph and 3.5 mph, burned twice as many calories as on a flat standard treadmill at the same speeds. At 4 mph it was equivalent to running 6 mph on a flat treadmill. A good way to burn calories, but watch your step: Tripping is possible. Diet plan is unconventional

Cardio Twister

What it is:

Stair-stepper that also twists the waist while the legs move up, down, in and out. Includes a workout DVD and diet plans.

The claims:

Burns fat, firms body and helps carve leaner, sexier abs.

The reality:

Burned the same amount of calories as on a flat treadmill at 3.5 mph in the same time. But in our tests, its ab and leg exercises were less effective than conventional exercises. Provides variety to a cardio workout, but out test results show you’ll get more effective abdominal and leg workouts doing conventional exercises. Diet plans provide generally sound advice.

Tony Little Rock ‘N Roll Stepper

What it is:

A stair-stepper with side-to-side rocking motion. Includes a workout DVD and 21-day fat-burning diet plan.

The claims:

Great butt, great legs and great weight loss.

The reality:

Burned the same number of calories as on a flat treadmill at 3.5 mph in the same time. But less effective than conventional leg exercises in our test. Not great for toning the glutes but a fun cardio workout for beginners who can stay balanced on it. Diet plan provides generally sound, if strict, advice.

Perfect Pushup

What it is:

Two rotating handles. Includes instructional poster. 

The claims:

Engages more muscles. Helps reduce strain on the wrist and elbow. Helps stabilize and strengthens the shoulder joint.

The reality:

Some panelists could do standard push-ups, others couldn’t. Most said they expected the equipment to provide an upper-body workout. One said it allowed him to do deeper push-ups than usual and that he could do them without wrist pain. Other panelists said they preferred doing push-ups on the floor. Good upper-body workout for beginners and advanced exercisers who want to add variety to their push-up routine.

Perfect Pullup

The claims:

Rotating handles engage more muscles and reduce joint strain. Do pull-ups and chin-ups together for the first time.

The reality:

Some panelists were strong enough to do standard pull-ups, others weren’t. But most said they expected the equipment would provide an upper-body workout. Some said they were afraid that the shallow hook handles might disengage, though they didn’t in our tests. Good upper-body workout for beginners and advanced exercisers who want to do a variety of pull-up exercises.

Fluidity Bar

What it is:

Floor-standing ballet bar with attached mat. Includes resistance bands, workout DVD, ball and pump, and diet plan.

The claims:

Get the long, lean look of a dancer’s body, just two 30-minute workouts a week. Transform the shape of your body to reveal a sexier, stronger, shapelier you.

The reality:

The advanced workout burned fewer calories than a no-equipment circuit-training routine of lunges, crunches and modified push-ups on the knees. Panelists liked the workouts but found the heavy device hard to move. About half said they’d buy it. Diet plan provides sound advice. A pricey but potentially enjoyable alternative to strength training, plus stretching. Its heft could make it hard to store.

   Out of all of these fitness products,  I own the tread climber, perfect push up and the perfect pull up.  I think all three of these are great fitness equipment that are well worth the money.  However, these product are only good if  used.   A big thanks to “That’s Fit.com” for leading us to this great article. 

Adria Ali

(CES, PES, CPT, BS)

steelers working out

     The Ab Coaster has been an integral part of the Steelers training regimen in 2008. The players and trainers all rave about the effectiveness and quality of the Ab Coaster abdominal workout.

    I actually used the ab coaster at a gym.  I was pretty impressed at how well it worked with a small amount of effort.  I am used to grueling ab routines.  This machine was fun and easy to use.  It also seemed to be stretching me out as I did the routine.