Does it Work?Unsure if the latest product or service lives up to it's claims? From popular products to the latest scams, discuss it here before you buy!
This same product came out in the 60's and was called the "Slim Jim." Of course, I had to have one. I used it a couple of months (without any results) and then sold it in a garage sale for a fraction of what I paid for it. I saw the Ab Lounger in Walmart tonight for $96. IMHO, I think crunches on the ball (or floor) will produce the same results.
My sister bought an Ab Lounge. It 'does' work the abs, but it's HUGE, and it ONLY works the abs. That's a lot of money, imo, when you're better off getting a Stability ball, like Suzanne, and others, wisely advised.
My friend bought an Abloung and she lost 60 lbs. doing it 20 minute, 4 days a week. I'm on my way to wal-mart in a minute to buy one for myself. My stomach is the main place I need to loss weight. I'll let ya know how it goes.
My first day one the AbLounger... I wasn't on there even 30 seconds and I could feel it working. This morning I got on it for 3 minutes and my abs are sore. It takes a lot of strain off my neck and back... I'll let ya if I can see a difference in a couple weeks :-)
I tried the Ab Lounge when I saw it at Walmart. I have Core Secrets with Gunnar Peterson, and I feel my abs are more engaged working out on a stability ball. I also saw the Bun and Thigh Roller advertised on television, but it has been designed from the stability ball. I would rather spend the $10 for the ball than $100 for the Ab Lounge, but that is just me.
I feel like I can go longer with the AbLounger and get more crunches in. I could only do about 20 crunches at a time before cause it would strain my neck so bad and I'd start getting headaches. Lossing my stomach is definatly worth $100 to me.
Two points I think are necessary to make at this juncture:
1. Spot reduction is a myth (short of having liposuction). When your body burns fat, it takes it from whatever area of the body it wants to - you can't force it to take the belly fat or thigh fat or whatever.
2. If your friend did lose 60 lbs I'm sure she was doing more than just 20 minutes/4x week of crunches. Most of the infomercials making these claims for these types of exercise gadgets usually say on the bottom of the screen in tiny print: "when following the recommended diet and exercise program - results not typical".
Here's a portion of an article from Krista Scott Dixon's website that pretty much sums it up (check the link for the rest of the article which is well worth reading):
Quote:
Seems like the abs are the big focus for infomercial fitness products these days. The latest one I saw was a little gizmo that you strapped on to your tummy. It would vibrate your abs so that they turned into a rippling granite mountain range. Perhaps, dear readers, you have stronger intestinal resistance than I, but I imagine that several minutes of forcible ab vibration would result in me talking to Ralph on the porcelain phone. And then I always wonder, what if those ab gadgets actually did work, what do you do if the rest of you is all squashy and out of shape? I envision a strange hybrid person with a tiny bumpy midsection, and large amorphous everything-else, like a cross between a wasp and a jellyfish. Anyhoo, let's just get this out of the way right now: most of those ab products are crap, and the only thing they'll whittle down is your wallet.
So, assuming that we all want abs that will make Brad Pitt look like Homer Simpson, how to go about it? Maybe it's best to eliminate two nasty myths immediately.
myth #1: You can spot reduce the abdominal region by doing situps or crunches.
There is no such thing as spot reduction, no matter how badly we all want it to be true. You will not "tone" your abs by doing crunches. Waist size is determined by bodyfat levels, which are dependent on your diet and overall exercise patterns. In other words, boring old calories in versus calories out. Grrls who put on fat through the midsection (and menopausal women whose fat deposition patterns have shifted to midsection) will have a hard time getting lean enough to see their abs, while women who put on fat primarily in the lower body can often see abs, especially upper abs, at relatively higher levels of bodyfat. Women who have had multiple pregnancies, or abdominal surgery such as a C-section or abdominal hysterectomy, may notice some laxity in the ab region, or some separation down the centre, as a result of trauma to the tissues. To some degree this is correctable through sensible training, but there's a good chance that the area which had the incision will not regain its original condition. You can strengthen them pretty well, though. However, in general, if you want to see your abs and/or lose inches from your waist, you must lose bodyfat. No quick fixes, sorry. Aw, don't cry. You knew it was too good to be true! Here, have a Kleenex. Blowing your nose will give you some ab work.
myth #2: You shouldn't use weight for abdominal training because that makes abs bulky.
Abs are like any other skeletal muscle and require resistance. What we call the abs is a thin sheet of muscle. Given their shape, abs have very limited capacity for hypertrophy (size increase) compared to muscles like the quadriceps. Women especially are unable to exhibit hypertrophy to any great degree, due to much lower testosterone levels than men (I know, I keep harping on this, but people don't seem to get it). Yes, competitive male bodybuilders often get that weird bloated gut with bumpy abs on top, which makes it look like the guys have swallowed a tortoise. It's not from using weight for their ab exercises; it's from excessive drug use. So breathe easy. Unless, of course, you're also injecting growth hormone.
Personally I think it's awesome that I don't have to do crunches till my hair goes gray in order to get good, strong abs. I was the kid in gym class who'd fake an asthma attack to get out of the situp test. God, I hated situps SO MUCH! There'd always be some snotty little natural jock who could crank out a hundred of them without messing up a single shiny hair, and then there'd be me, lying on the floor, wondering if it was possible to die from an ab cramp. These days my abs are one of my best body parts, and I do only a few sets of them, maybe 10 reps a set, 1 to 3 times a week. Using resistance, and treating abs like any other muscle, has given me a whole new lease on life. Or at least on my childhood situp trauma...
when do i do all this stuff?
As I've mentioned, many folks do too high a volume of ab work at too low an intensity. A good frequency for direct ab training is two to four times weekly, with perhaps one weighted ab exercise per workout, done for 2-4 sets of 8-15 reps. Put your heavy ab training at the end of your workout so that you don't fatigue the midsection too early and compromise torso stability (though you can use lighter ab work, such as standing pelvic tilts, as a warmup for something like squatting). These are general guidelines, of course, and you can adjust them to suit your needs. But bear in mind that as always, more isn't better, better is better!
I must also say that I'm continually amazed at how these infomercial merchants keep coming up with new ab machines...it just seems that we went through this just a couple years ago with the electric ab belt that was supposed to stimulate that jelly belly into a rock hard sixpack (until it was recalled by the FTC that is!) and all those ab rockers - and we were here at 3FC saying the same thing back then. The old bodybuilder saying is "Abs are made in the kitchen" and that definitely rings true.
I HIGHLY recommend Pilates for the abs - it'll give you a better core workout than any of these gadgets will! (and incidentally, it's not necessary to do dozens of reps to get results...the Pilates philosophy according to my instructor is to do a few reps of each movement with perfect form...just like weight training - FORM is essential to results).
Hi Jessica i'm glad to hear that you are pleased with your purchase keep me posted on how you make out If it helps you to do more then IMO it was money well spent
I must also say that I'm continually amazed at how these infomercial merchants keep coming up with new ab machines...
You don't know the half of it Attached is a diagram of the first patented ab machine in 1902, and they've continued to come in a steady stream since. It's been over 100 years, and our middles are bigger than ever!
That looks like "the rack" (an old torture device for the young ones out there) or something that Vincent Price would have used in his horror films btw, where can I get one?
Anyone still using this? Anyone have results? I saw the "Ab Lounge Sport" model at Wally-Mart the other day.....they seem to sell out continually.......hmmmm? Always wondering if I'm *missing* something....
I really DO need a new outside lounge chair for summer reading....could this do double-duty? of course if I'm in the relaxing mode and have a drink while "lounging" I might pinch my fingers!
I feel like a big dummy! I just purchased an ab lounge sport. I've only been on it 3 times. I feel it burning when I'm doing it but I expected to be sore the next day and wasn't. After reading everyone's comments I'm wishing I hadn't bought it! Aphil suggested to me the winsor pilates but i'm so uncoordinated and clumsy that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do the exercises correctly thus it being a waste of money! In the past when I've bought exercise tapes I just feel so awkward and am unsure as to whether or not I'm doing it right! Oh Brother..............!!!
I haven't tried it yet (too embarrassed to climb up on Wal-marts display shelf and let others see me....) but I would think it all has to do with your positioning and where the arms come into play....I do have a stability ball but I'm rather clumsy with it....then I saw that Target sells a "bagel" to keep the ball from rolling out......geeze it is getting rather complicated.......
you can always return it, for the price of $93.XX, its a lot of $$.
i'm glad to hear that you are pleased with your purchase 
keep me posted on how you make out 
If it helps you to do more then IMO it was money well spent 
Attached is a diagram of the first patented ab machine in 1902, and they've continued to come in a steady stream since. It's been over 100 years, and our middles are bigger than ever!
That looks like "the rack" (an old torture device for the young ones out there) or something that Vincent Price would have used in his horror films 
btw, where can I get one? 
