The 5: Worst infomercial fitness products EVER
Posted on Nov 12th 2007 8:44PM by Chris Sparling
I'll be the first to admit it, I find infomercials to be some of the most entertaining programs on television. I don't really watch all that much TV, but the few times I do, I can't help but at least stop and watch an infomercial for a few minutes. My favorites definitely have to be the fitness infomercials.
Where else can you see such bad acting, even worse efforts of making "the old version" of an exercise look like it can break your back, and at the same time make absolutely mendacious claims about being able to make you fit almost overnight? Nowhere but in the magical, wonderful world of infomercials.
Here are, in my opinion, the worst 5 infomercial fitness products EVER:
5 - The Thigh Master. Suzanne Somers may look fantastic for her age, but let's face it -- it ain't because she used a Thigh Master. Squeezing together two pieces of plastic a total distance of about ten inches will do about as much for your thighs as squeezing a zit would. Even more ridiculous is the marketers' attempt to make it seem possible to get a bicep workout by squeezing the Thigh Master with your arm. Good luck not punching yourself in the face.
4 - Soloflex. Fine, I'll admit it ... I owned a Soloflex. Although it's a decent idea in theory, in practice it just doesn't cut it. The biggest problem with the Soloflex is that its resistance band "technology" (I always loved it when they called it that in the infomercial - as if they invented rubber bands) provided almost no negative resistance. Being that most of your muscle-building is done during this portion of the exercise (this is the lowering portion), you only received half of a workout. FYI: I ended up selling mine (at a huge loss) about eight months after I bought it.
3 - Osim iGallop. Amazingly, this one is still on the market. Designed to work your leg and core muscles, this machine is probably just as effective an exercise as spending twenty-five cents to ride the kiddie horse outside of Wal-Mart.
2 - Power Glide. In case you've forgotten, this was the thingie that required you to wear special shoe covers (that made you look like you were about to investigate a crime scene), while the exercise itself involved gliding back-and-forth across a slippery surface, mimicking the lateral movement of a speed skater. While I'm sure this gadget actually produced some physical benefits, I can't imagine they are worth spending any solid portion of your life sliding around your living room in booties.
1 - Bodyblade. It took me a while to even find the name of this freakin' thing. Never mind the fact that I couldn't remember the name, it was damn near impossible to describe this piece of equipment in a Google Search without coming up with links to porn sites. "Long Metal Pole Grab in Center" and "Vibrating Fitness Rod" turned up some pretty funky websites, let me tell you. Nevertheless, these descriptions are pretty much spot on, for all you do with the Bodyblade is hold it (it being the long, metal blade) in the center and then shake it back and forth. That's it. How the hell does that constitute a workout? If, by chance, it even causes you to break a sweat, it's probably less to do with the exercise and more to do with the realization that you probably can't get your money back.
Have you ever fallen victim to any of these, or any other, infomercial products? Or, have you actually found some of these products to be useful? Inquiring minds want to know.
