The Hype

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 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

Or if you’re prepated to put in a little more work to get the results you’re looking for take  a look at The Truth About Abs just solid information with no bull.

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

When it comes to exercise people seem to be obsessed with the abdominal area.  The drive for many people working out seems to be to get those washboard abs they’ve seen on the TV.  Now there are many reasons why people won’t get the same results as the models demonstrating the equipment.

For one models have spent a lifetime working on their bodies.  Most people don’t have the time or motivation to do what is necessary to get that type of physique.  I’d also have to question whether it was desirable anyway but that’s another story.

The number of gadgets that claim to be able to give you these highly desirable abs and at the same time help you lose shed loads of weight must number in the hundreds.

The latest gadget that claims to be able to give you a perfect situp is called believe it or not the perfect situp.  This device claims to be able to give you a better situp then you could do on your own without any equipment.

It claims to relieve tension in the neck and to work the abdominals is twice as hard as a normal situp.  Now this may be true for someone who can’t do a situp in good form.  That can’t ensure their abdominals don’t dome and who haven’t been instructed in the correct way to do a situp.

If you do situps correctly you shouldn’t get any tension in the neck and by adding some simple progressions you can target both the upper and lower abdominal region.  All this can be done with no equipment at all in the privacy of your own home.

Situps are just part of a balanced workout. To get the best results we need to focus on functional all body exercises not just isolate one particular muscle group.

So forget the exercise gadgets and just get a personal trainer to teach you how to do situps correctly and how to incorporate a balanced and healthy diet into your lifestyle.

Or if you can’t afford a Personal Trainer take a look at The Truth About Abs good solid information with no bull.

The Perfect SitUp Unmasked is a post from: As Seen On TV Fitness Reviews

Good Workout
Easy To Use
Value For Money
Overall Rating

The Hype

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

The Hype

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

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

Although not a new piece of exercise equipment the Air Climber is once again being advertised heavily on the Infomercial channels.

This machine is basically a stepper but resistance is provided by a pair of air filled chambers which can be adjusted to provide different levels of resistance.

Although this machine looks a little bit gimmicky and it’s durability might be brought into question I don’t have any strong negative views on it. If used regularly I’m sure it would help in any weight loss goals you might have.

What I don’t like is the sales pitch which claims  “Lose 10lbs or 10 inches in 10 days” Now 10 lbs in 10 days is about 7 lbs a week. Losing 7 lbs a week is in my opinion far to quick and I wouldn’t recommend doing it.

I prefer slow and steady (1-2lbs a week) helped by a sensible eating plan (not dieting) and regular exercise which would include both a cardio and  strength training component.

Giving people an unrealistic idea of how fast they can lose weight does everybody a disservice and I don’t like it.

If however you just want a piece of exercise equipment that may motivate you to exercise then maybe the Air Climber is for you.

It comes with a 30 day trial which will cost you $14.95 + $24.95 S&H and then 3 payments of $39.99 = $159.87.

Take a Look At The Air Climber Here.

On the other hand if you’re prepared to work for your fat loss take a look at The Truth About Abs just solid information with no bull for less than $40.

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

Good Workout
Easy To Use
Value For Money
Overall Rating

The Thigh Glider from www.thighglider.com infomercial claims it’s the ultimate thigh, bun and hip shaper. Well at nearly $180 + S&H it had better be

This piece of equipment is aimed at the ladies particularly those ladies obsessed with their inner and outer thighs (that would be most of us then).

The sales blurb is right when it says no matter how hard or long we use the inner and outer thigh trainers at the gym we don’t seem able to be able to make a difference and there’s a very good reason for that.

It’s well known that spot reduction doesn’t work. Trying to lose weight (fat) from one body part by exercising it more just doesn’t work. When we lose fat we lose it fairly evenly from all parts of the body at the same time and research has backed this up.

Now we can spot tone but not spot reduce (we can tone the muscles and make them stronger but we can’t lose fat in one particular area)

That being the case using the Thigh Trainer Workout is going to be no different. No matter how good the machine is at working your inner and outer thighs fat loss from these areas is not going to be speeded up.

Having said that I’m not implying this piece of equipment is a complete waste of time. I’ve no doubt if you were to use it regularly even for the recommended 10 mins a day three times a week it would make a difference. Anything that encourages people to exercise is in my mind a good thing and you’d certainly get results using the Thigh Glider it would just take you a long time.

The best use would be to incorporate into an existing workout which would already include a Cardi and strength training component. That way you could help keep your workouts fresh and interesting.

I have a number of exercise machines and gadgets some good and some rubbish but I use them all to spice up my workouts. This helps me prevent boredom (the curse of regular exercisers) and helps prevent my body from adapting and therefore avoids the dreaded plateau.

So bottom line does the Thigh Glider really work?

If you have a spare $200 and want to spice up your workouts and tone your inner and outer thighs then this may be a great buy for you.

If however you want a training system that actually works but requires some effort on your part take a look at  The Truth About Abs no bull just solid information on how to lose fat and keep it lost.

Thigh Glider Reviews is a post from: As Seen On TV Fitness Reviews

Good Workout
Easy To Use
Value For Money
Overall Rating

The Hype

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.  $130 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

The Hype

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