The Hype:

The Ab Circle Pro claims that using it will burn fat whilst trimming and toning your abs, buns, hips and thighs, with results guaranteed.  You get the machine itself, a nutritional guide and instructional DVD lasting three minutes; there are optional extras, including a calorie-counter. The Ab Circle Pro boasts different levels of resistance to cater for all fitness levels, and it sells itself as a treadmill for your abs, combining the fat-burning benefits of cardio work with specific toning of the stomach and waist areas.

The Ab Circle Pro costs around $200 and there is a shipping and handling charge of $34.95 (Steep!).  The company also offer a $14.95 30 day trial offer and a guarantee that you can send it back if you don’t get results.

So what are users really saying about the Ab Circle Pro?  Read on and find out!

Pros:

People saw visible results within a month, with waistlines shrinking and buns and thighs feeling more toned.  Shoulders and arms were also worked, due to the positioning on the machine, and several users also commented that their backs felt stronger.

The Ab Circle Pro was easy to set up and store, and didn’t take up a lot of room.

Cons:

Customer service left a lot to be desired for many clients, and sending it back and getting a refund took some effort!

A number of users stated that the pads made their knees sore, but admitted that wearing kneepads solved this problem.

There were grumbles about the build quality of the machine, with the paint starting to come off with constant heavy use. The rollers also squeaked, but an application of oil helped.

To Buy or Not to Buy?

The general consensus seems to be that the Ab Circle Pro is a useful addition to any weight loss programme when combined with a reduced calorie diet and other types of exercise.  It will add a bit of variety to your workouts, but used on its own is not enough and it looks like the machine will not stand up to constant heavy use! It has to be said that the ad does recommend you do other kinds of exercise as well and use the Ab Circle Pro for 3 minutes a day.

Visit the Ab Circle Pro Site

The Ab Circle Pro Review is a post from: As Seen On TV Fitness Reviews

Good Workout
Easy To Use
Value For Money
Overall Rating

You’re promised phenomenal results with your own personal gym to get into the best shape of your life. The Firm Wave from thefirmwave.com  offers you over a hundred total-body exercises, supercharged calorie burning, and 24/7 fat burning. The Firm is a US company that is well established and well recommended for weight-loss DVDs, and they claim that the Wave is the only piece of exercise equipment you need to slim down, tone up and get a perfect flat tum.

You get the Wave, which is a two-sided platform, plus an exercise band, a dinky little mat for the Wave to sit on, and three DVDs with various length Cardio, Toning and Ab workouts on. You also get a diet guide and wallchart, and 30 days free membership to the Firm Believers Club which has an online forum, Q&A, and you can chat to the master instructors and other people “just like you” who are trying to lose weight. The cost for all this? Usually $99 but currently being offered at $60.

So will the Wave rock you to fitness and give you a perfect body like those instructors? Read on and find out!

Pros

Simple design, easy to store and you get all you need in the package.

It works really well! Cardio, toning and core workouts are combined to give you excellent fat burning, muscle toning and ab training all the same time; great if you don’t have much time to spare.

It’s amazingly versatile and can be used either side up. You can do exercises standing, sitting, lying and rocking on it. And it’s fun.

The workouts are really professionally produced and all different.

Cons

The design of the Wave is good but the actual product is a bit cheap and cheerful! And it creaks when you use it. And it has a weight limit of 275 lbs.

There’s quite a steep learning curve for the workouts, and the instructors go pretty fast. If you’re a complete beginner you have to stick with it, because you’ll get lost and left behind the first few times.

If you’re a bit unsteady on your feet, don’t be tempted to try the rocking side for a while; if your foot slips off, you get a whack on the ankle!

If you forget to cancel membership of the forum after the free month, you’ll be charged.

To buy or not to buy?

For the price, it’s a good product that you’ll be able to stick with and challenge yourself with for a long time, even as you get fitter.

The Firm Wave Reviews is a post from: As Seen On TV Fitness Reviews

Good Workout
Easy To Use
Value For Money
Overall Rating

KettleWorkX is a complete fitness programme built around exercises using Kettlebells.  First developed in Russia and till recently the territory of huge grunting muscle builders, the kettlebell – basically a metal weight with a handle – has now been tailored for the general fitness market.

The infomercial promises you’ll melt away the pounds and tone a perfect, sculpted body in just 3 20 minute programmes a week and transform your body in six short weeks so that you look good naked. Hmmm! Weird selling point or what?
Suitable for both men and women, the programme combines cardio and toning exercises to burn fat and tone lean, sexy muscle.  The cost of the package is $89.95 (plus S&H) and for this you get 10 different DVDs plus a 5lb Kettlebell.

The Pros

There’s a lot to be said for KettleWorX.  For your money you get a great selection of workouts including cardio, toning and core to sculpt your whole body; each workout lasting just 20 minutes, plus various workouts focusing on specific parts of the body such as Legs & Thighs and Butt & Hips.  Plus, you get a nice, shiny, brightly-coloured 5lb kettlebell.

The Cons

I haven’t really heard any Cons; the only grumble I have noted is that the kettlebell included with the basic package only weighs 5lb – this is not enough of a weight for most people to get good results with. It’s an ok starting weight if you’ve not exercised before or are very out of condition, but you’d get accustomed to it and need a heavier one pretty soon.  Your package is easily upgraded to include a 10 or 20lb kettlebell, but this of course costs more.  Also, bear in mind you will be swinging this weight around, which could be dangerous if you lose your grip.

To Buy or Not To Buy?

I’d say a resounding yes to this.  Even upgrading to a 10lb kettlebell (a good starting point for most women in good health) this is a good value exercise regime that will provide a first-class work out and you should see results within six weeks, although probably not as spectacular as they make out!  There is a learning curve of course as some of the DVDs go quite fast, but they are all well presented and easy to follow, although for pity’s sake be careful when you are swinging your kettlebell; if you let it go in mid-swing it will either smash a window or give the dog concussion!

You can find more information on the KettleWorx here.

The KettleWorx Reviews is a post from: As Seen On TV Fitness Reviews

Good Workout
Easy To Use
Value For Money
Overall Rating

The Hype:

The T-Bow claims to offer Cardio, Power, Strength Training, Balance, Core Stability and Stretching all in one package.  Similar in shape to The Firm Wave but larger, sturdier (takes up to 660 lbs) and better designed, the T-Bow offers a complete home or studio workout.

There are no bells or whistles with the advertising, and no overexcited video presentation, just a visual run-through of everything that can be done with it.

And very impressive it is too. Very calm, very precise, very Swiss. And they make the best chocolate in the world as well

Developed by a Swiss physiotherapist, the T-Bow combines all the elements of fitness in a workout that’s just about perfect for anyone from a couch potato to an international athlete.

The T-Bow complete set costs $199 and you get the T-Bow, a workout DVD that’s presented in a very workmanlike fashion, and an exercise band and  wallchart. The basic T-Bow on its own costs $139.

Pros:

Much higher quality than the Firm Wave as far as manufacture goes, and will take much more weight — this thing will last for ever and comes with a five-year guarantee.  The workout is effective and easy to follow, even if you’ve got two left feet, and will work every muscle you never knew you had!  Can be used either side up and is dead easy to store and carry, making it absolutely perfect for the home user.

Cons:

The price. At $199 it costs twice as much as the Firm Wave.  And the DVD, although perfectly acceptable, is just one 70 minute workout, which is then broken down into shorter workouts, so although they advertise over three hours of exercises, it’s really just the same workout revamped – which is a bit of a disappointment.  And the workout is presented in both English and German, which is a bit disconcerting!

To Buy or Not to Buy?

Perfection would be the T-Bow board combined with the Firm Wave DVDs!  But it’s not a perfect world and if I had to choose, I’d spend the extra money and get the T-Bow – the difference in quality of manufacture is staggering.  But it has to be said that they’ll both do a good job of improving your fitness and toning you from top to toe.

The T-Bow Reviews is a post from: As Seen On TV Fitness Reviews

Good Workout
Easy To Use
Value For Money
Overall Rating

The Malibu Pilates Chair

Described as the affordable, portable way to get Malibu slim and sexy in your own home, the Malibu Pilates Chair offers a full body sculpting and toning workout with adjustable spring resistance and easy-to-do flowing cardio moves.

It looks like a stool with some pedals attached to some springs which you work with your arms or legs one at a time or together to burn fat and tone lean muscle while working your core – all at the same time.

You can use the Malibu Pilates Chair in many different ways; you can sit on it and push the pedals with your feet to tone calves and thighs, or lie across it and use the pedals to tone your arms while strengthening your core muscles and flattening your stomach. And so on.

It’s advertised as easy to use and simple to set up and take down for storage.  For your money you get the Chair along with a mixture of DVDs (three, including the bonus one, slickly presented by diddy Susan Lucci), plus the usual healthy eating guide and wallchart.  Cost? Around $300.

The Pros

It’s far less gimmicky than some of the other exercise machines on the market, is fairly sturdy in construction and a lot of the comments I’ve seen regarding results are positive.  The accompanying DVDs are well made and professionally presented.  Adding cardio moves to a toning workout is good as it burns more calories in the same amount of time. It seems that several Pilates instructors have bought it and like it, which is always a plus.

The Cons

It’s expensive and if you want to send it back it’ll cost you a fortune in postage!  The presenter goes overboard on the results you’ll achieve, and frankly you won’t get to look like the models unless you do lots of other types of exercise as while.  And live on lettuce leaves.  Some people have found that balancing on the Malibu Pilates Chair is quite challenging and a lot of people have found it uncomfortable, especially on their feet. And many people have commented that you need to know a bit about Pilates to get the best out of it.

To Buy or Not To Buy?

Again, comes down to budget, but there seem to be some good offers around online, although if you buy from eBay be careful you get the authentic Malibu Pilates Chair as there are some inferior-grade copies around.

Follow this link to learn more about the Malibu Pilates Chair

Malibu Pilates Chair Review is a post from: As Seen On TV Fitness Reviews

Good Workout
Easy To Use
Value For Money
Overall Rating

Enthusiastically advertised as the way to turn that spare tyre around your middle into rocket-hard abs, not forgetting the Flexmaster attachment (costing more, of course), that can help turn your Ab Rocket into a sort of Pilates machine for a full-body workout.

The hype burbles on, telling you that if you want sizzling hot abs and bikini-ready results, you should try the Ab Rocket for easy, effective crunches to get your body into the best shape of your life. Heady stuff – I was exhausted just reading it! The infomercial includes the usual shots of ripped guys and stunning girls in teeny-weeny bikinis. You know what I mean

The unique selling point of the Ab Rocket is to get you up off the floor and into a perfect position for doing crunches without hurting your back, and the padded rollers of the backrest are meant to give you a soothing massage at the same time.  For your money you get the Ab Rocket machine, 4 fat-busting DVD workouts, variable resistance springs and the usual low-calorie meal planner.  A 30 day risk-free trial is offered and you get all this for $99.99.

So does it work?  Can you Rocket your way to perfect abs with this machine?  Read on and find out!

Pros

Does indeed get you up off the floor and into a supported position to work your abs; very good if you have back/neck problems or don’t know how to do situps properly.  A number of users began to see reductions in their waistline within around three weeks.  The Ab Rocket is convenient to use and is portable, and the Flexmaster attachment gives a reasonable Pilates-style workout.  And how many other exercise machines can you get for under $100?

Cons

Yet again, poor customer service and misguiding free-trial information caused the worst complaints about the Ab Rocket.  The quality of the machine is just about acceptable, but some users grumbled that the resistance is not strong enough and the machine can be quite uncomfortable to use.  And the back massage seems to be nonexistent!

To buy or not to buy?

For $100, the Ab Rocket is reasonable value for money and will indeed do what it says on the tin – strengthen your abs while supporting your back.  But that is all it will do; you can spot tone your abs till you’re blue in the face, but this machine will not help you reduce the fat covering them. You need to do other exercise as well.

The Ab Rocket Review is a post from: As Seen On TV Fitness Reviews

Good Workout
Easy To Use
Value For Money
Overall Rating

Claims to get you fit with a twist, as the handlebars twist from side to side while you work your legs on the bidirectional stepper. There’s a 30 day trial offer for $14.95 which includes the machine, diet guide, workout DVD and the user manual, with optional extras of a low-fat, low calorie diet planner, a digital training computer and an extra DVD workout.

The Cardio Twister System promises to give you a full body cardio, muscle toning and core workout with weight loss guaranteed, shaping you to the core with a whole new twist!  The resistance on the stepper has 7 levels to move you smoothly from a fat burning to a muscle toning workout.  The cost?  Around $200, depending where you shop.

So what are users really saying about the Cardio Twister?  Read on and learn more:

Pros:

Quite fun to use and makes your workout time go quickly.  The stepper is based on the old Lateral Thigh Trainer (which was actually pretty good – I’ve got one!). The Cardio Twister Exercise engages all your leg muscles, quickly working up a sweat.  The handlebars move from side to side which means you get an upper body workout, and the twist tones your abs and waist.  The resistance can be increased so that you work harder to maximise the toning and fat burning possibilities, and the DVD is professionally produced and slickly presented.

Cons:

The grumble that comes up time and time again with the Cardio Twister is the quality of build, as the patented “Dual-Drive Gearbox” does not seem to last very long before it breaks down. And although you get a good workout for your legs, the upper body workout is fairly minimal and you will definitely have to do some other types of exercise for your shoulders and arms.  Opinion is split on the quality of customer service, some users being pleased, and others moaning a bucketful about unhelpful staff and poor communication.

To buy or not to buy?

All I can say is this; if you get a good one, all will be well!  When the Cardio Twister works properly, it gives a good workout which will definitely burn off the pounds and shape you up.  $200 is a reasonable price point, but the general opinion seems to be that it should cost a bit more and be better built.

The Cardio Twister Review is a post from: As Seen On TV Fitness Reviews

Good Workout
Easy To Use
Value For Money
Overall Rating

Yet another ab machine that claims to give you the incredible, sculpted, ripped six pack and hourglass waist that you’ve always dreamed about.  This one is innovative as you’re up off the floor kneeling on pads and swinging your knees in a Unique Reverse Arc Motion so that you can blast all of your abdominal muscles at the same time.

The floating kneepads also allow you to twist your legs from side to side so that you can target your obliques, and you’re not putting any strain on your neck and shoulders because you’re in an upright position.  And the resistance can be altered to make your workouts easier or harder as you get fitter.

The Ab Flyer costs just under $120 (not including S&H), can easily be used in a small area and folds neatly for storage.  You get the usual product guide and exercise system, a DVD and a low-calorie meal plan with the package as well as a digital timer and counter.

So will the Ab Flyer Glide System give you the stunning sculpted abs that it claims it will?  Read on and find out!

Pros:

It’s actually endorsed by a couple of US Olympic gold medallists, which is always a good sign.  It’s easy to use and easy to store and most users claim to feel it really working their lower abdominals and side muscles.  Maintaining a straight back and square shoulders throughout your ab workout will also strengthen your back muscles and your arms, and used correctly there won’t be any of that awful neck pain that comes from doing floor crunches incorrectly.

Cons:

The Ab Flyer arrives only partially assembled and can be a bit fiddly to finish off yourself.  Anybody with knee problems will find it painful to use and you have to be really careful not to let your shoulders slump during use, or your neck will take the strain.  Also, a friend of mine who is a Personal Trainer commented that unless you keep your feet and ankles relaxed and concentrate on using your abs for the movement, your hip flexor muscles at the top of your thighs will do most of the work and your abs won’t! And some fitter users commented that the resistance wasn’t enough. But they were already very fit ?.

To buy or not to buy?

Not a cheap way of working just your abs, but if you don’t mind the financial outlay, the Ab Flyer is a useful addition to any exercise programme that will also strengthen your back and shoulder

Ab Flyer Reviews is a post from: As Seen On TV Fitness Reviews

Good Workout
Easy To Use
Value For Money
Overall Rating

Now it appears that shoe and trainer makers are jumping on the bandwagon with so called exercise footwear. Reebok have recently introduced a whole line of footwear The Reebok EasyTone range which they claim can help give you a firm butt!

The weight loss claims are based around creating a shoe that is unstable to walk in and therefore (they claim) causes your body to have to work harder to stay upright / balanced.

I believe there are two major flaws in this argument:

1. The amount of extra calories burned because of this instability is going to be very small indeed compared to just walking for the same amount of time in ordinary footwear.
2. I don’t like the idea of any device which will change your natural gait. It’s a recipe for injury particularly as the people who are most likely to use them are going to be over weight and out of condition.

My recommendation is to avoid this type of footwear and just go for a walk in your normal trainers. After all 95% of the benefit you’ll get is from the walking alone so why pay over $100 for a measly 5% and an increased chance of injury to boot

If however you just have to have a pair then go take a peek at the Reebok EasyTone Sneakers.

Reebok EasyTone Trainers is a post from: As Seen On TV Fitness Reviews

I still smile when I see them – they make it sound ohhh so easy. Sorry to rain on your parade but I’m afraid losing flab isn’t that easy, simple yes, easy no.

One of the simple tests I like to use when deciding if a piece of exercise equipment is going to help or hinder your weight loss efforts is does it look easy to do? In other words do the well made up models with washboard abs look as though they are working hard or even better maybe sweating just a little bit?

If they aren’t and the product claims sound to good to be true then guess what they probably are to good to be true and the equipment is unlikely to do you much good.

If you look at the higher rated exercise products on this site like The Firm Wave, The T-Bow and The Kettleworx and then if you check people out working with the equipment you’ll notice it looks like they’re really working hard. That’s because it’s true they’re really working hard. Now if young fit models and fitness instructors are finding it challenging there’s a good chance you will be to.

So, don’t be fooled this time, get exercise equipment that makes you work hard not equipment that lightens your wallet but not you

To Exercise Gadget Or Not Exercise Gadget? is a post from: As Seen On TV Fitness Reviews