The Ab Circle (And Other Fitness Gadgets)
Yesterday I watched an infomercial for the Ab Circle. A client of mine and her friend were interested in purchasing Ab Circles for themselves, and they asked me to take a look at it.
The infomercial was typical and still a little bit surprising- one by one, they showed overweight people gliding effortlessly on a device that looked suspiciously similar to a Sit 'N Spin toy. The small word "simulation" appeared under a scene where an obese person turned into a fitness model within a period of maybe 2 seconds while riding the Ab Circle.
There is no doubt in my mind that any person with common sense would know that this was only a "simulation." Still, the ad seemed shockingly deceiving and misleading to me.
The Ab Circle goes for just under $200 + about $40 shipping and handling. It looked to me like it would last about 2 months if someone were to use it regularly, but the chances of that happening were not good. It looked like it would keep an exerciser's attention for 5 minutes, tops.
So, why am I so against an ab device that I've never even tried? My main complaint is the misleading advertising. The commercial implied that riding this thing would cause you to go from overweight to ripped with little effort. My analysis of the movement is that you would have to do it for at least 5 hours a day to get those kind of results without other exercises and improved diet. A hula hoop would give you a better workout for under $5, and it would take up a lot less room in your home.
There is no one piece of exercise equipment that will change your body composition alone. You need to do many different exercises, including strength training and cardio, and improve your nutrition to permanently lose weight. The key to weight loss is personalization and variety to your fitness program. This is why I designed the MyFitnessTrainer.com program to personalize and vary every aspect of your fitness regime to encourage constant fat-burning. Losing weight is really not all that difficult, as long as you don't waste time with "get thin quick" schemes.
So, are there any great fitness gadgets that you really might want to consider? Sure. In fact, many of the devices that have appeared in infomercials in the past make great tools to liven up your ab workouts. The secret is to remember that ab devices do not work alone. You should do more than one type of ab exercise for variety and challenge, and these exercise must be combined with cardio and full-body strength training. None of these efforts will make much of a difference without the proper nutrition.
If you'd like to see some of my favorite ab and fitness gadgets, click here. I especially love the Perfect Pushup (which works abs more than you'd think!) and the ab straps on the last page. Ab rollers are also a lot of fun.
In summary, please think of ab devices as a fun new way to work your abs. They are great for variety and motivation. They will not singlehandedly melt away your midsection fat.
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