Fitness products seen on TV are all pretty hyped up in the infomercials and leave most of us scratching our heads in frustration. Which of them are  effective and how do they perform in a side by side comparison? The students at Marion High School did a great job in this video review. Seven of the most widely advertised fitness products are tested in a their six week gym program.  Find out how effective the following ab trainers really are. They tested the Body Pod, the Bean, Cross Crunch, 6 Second Abs, Red XL, Ab Lounge Chair and Ab Roller.

Seen on TV Fitness Products Reviewed

Body Pod Review

• Cost $30
• The Body Pod is a blow-up device you can use much like a bench press to do push ups and sit-ups.
• The girls did feel the burn after using it.
• It’s hard or almost impossible to keep your balance on it.
• It works but it’s not something they’d use everyday.
• Grade B

The Bean Review

• Cost $50
• You can use the Bean to do leg crunches, sit-ups and back strengthening.
• It’s a total-body workout.
• It doesn’t stay inflated long and it slides around on the floor so you need to put a mat under it.
• One student lost half an inch off her waist in one week.
• Grade B

Cross Crunch Review

• Cost $30
• There’s not much resistance.
• Not well made and one of the bands broke on it.
• It’s more effective to do regular crunches without the Cross Crunch.
• Grade F

6 Second Abs Review

• Cost $40
• 6 Second Abs allows you to hear a clicking noise that tells you what strength level you’re using. In six seconds you can do one rep of the ab workout.
• It does offer resistance.
• A band on this also broke.
• Grade B-

Red X-L Review

• Cost $100
• It’s supposed to work your midsection as you swivel around on the Red X-L.  You can also do leg lifts on it.
• It’s boring and you don’t feel any muscles being challenged.
• Lauren mentioned that you get more of a workout swiveling around in an office chair.
• This machine broke too!
• The twisting aspect of this machine could be harmful. Marion High trainer and Coach Nate Addison mentioned that “Out of all the products here, the Red X-L is the worst.  I don’t have lower-back issues, and when I used it for a bit, my spine did hurt.  You need to be careful if you use this.”
• Grade F

Ab Lounge Chair Review

• Cost $130
• The Ab Lounge Chair is a favorite among the students.
• Assembling it was a bit difficult.
• It’s more effective than a real crunch and you can work your legs and obliques too.
• Grade A

Ab Roller Review

• Cost $20
• This is the basic Ab Roller. I noticed that online they offer similar type products with different price tags.
• This one is a popular mainstay in the workout world the last several years. The testers found that not all Ab Rollers are made equal.
• It’s cheap but it does work
• The students couldn’t keep the spring on the back of the machine from breaking and falling off.
• They did feel the results in their abs.
• Grade C+

It’s nice to see these students are learning how to be smart shoppers. I’m sure you’re already aware of the fact that….

Their coaches remind everyone that none of these toning machines will work unless you also combine them with good nutrition and cardio.  We all are built with the same muscles, it’s just a matter of how much fat you have covering those muscles, and you burn that off by proper nutrition, cardio and strength training,” says Rick Champman, Marion Coach/Trainer.

These fitness products seen on tv, all can all be found in local stores, mentions Lauren.  I’m thinking maybe Walmart or Bed Bath and Beyond would be a good place to search for them.  I’m really surprised that almost all of them broke a band. Three of the seven were not so great but the one that came out on top was the Ab Lounge Chair with a score of “A”. If you’d like to check out an Iron Gym review have a look at these two videos. The first one shows you how to set it up and the basic workout moves.

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