Shake Weight: Gives You a Total-Body Workout in Six Minutes?
Posted on Nov 13th 2009 2:00PM by Mary Kearl
The men's commercial, seemingly aimed at wannabe bodybuilders, asks, "Would you like to get your arms ripped? Your shoulders pumped and your chest sculpted ... Do you hate working out for hours at the gym with big, bulky equipment, or boring, slow dumbbells?"
The Shake Weight for women commercial, meanwhile, is aimed at fans of Michelle Obama's arms. "Work out your entire upper body in just six minutes a day," the ad touts. "You'll get arms you'll be proud to show off. Feel free to go sleeveless."
The commercials go on to explain these claims are possible because of "dynamic inertia." The manufacturers assert that if men use the Shake Weight for just one minute it's equivalent to doing 240 repetitions of regular weight-lifting. For women, the commercial explains, "Scientific studies at a prestigious University prove that the Shake Weight increases upper-body muscle activity by 300 percent compared to traditional weights." All that for a price tag of $19.95 (plus shipping) for the ladies' version or $29.95 (plus shipping) for guys.
When a box of four sample Shake Weights showed up on my desk, it was the perfect opportunity to test out the product and see if these seemingly too-good-to-be-true claims held any actual, um, weight. My initial reaction? "Where are the batteries? I thought it was supposed to work me out, not that I'd have to work it out."
From the commercial, they're churning the Shake Weight so quickly I thought the vibrating-like motion must have been automatic. But no, you're supposed to shake it up and down yourself. Follow-up thoughts: How boring, and, too easy. Fellow teammates Ashley Neglia and Kimberly Papa Wolfson gave the new weight-lifting method a try too. Both were equally disappointed.
"I don't really feel like I'm getting a workout with my arms," Wolfson said. "And I feel ridiculous using it. If anything, it makes my back and shoulders hurt."
"I can't do it with a straight face," Neglia agreed. "I would only do it in the privacy in my own home for fear of obscene comments."
If the product really could give me a full upper-body workout in six minutes I'd maybe give it another try. But Myatt Murphy, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, best-selling author, and men's fitness columnist for That's Fit and AOL Health, shot down any last shred of belief I had in the Shake Weight.
"Whenever you hear about an exercise device that offers women longer, leaner muscles -- instead of big and bulky ones -- your suspicions should immediately begin to kick in," Murphy explains. "That's because there's a misconception with women that regular weight training creates big, bulky muscles. That myth is incorrect, and any product -- such as this one -- that tries to prey on that myth isn't telling you the truth." The reason? "Women simply lack the same amount of testosterone, the hormone responsible for helping your body build big muscles, that men have regularly surging through their bodies (think roughly one-twentieth the amount). Unless you're capable of growing a full beard or have a deep voice that rivals most men, your mind should be at ease of 'ever' getting big from weight lifting."
And the enviable six-minute workout? "Shaking any object back and forth in front of your body may engage your chest and triceps (as you push your arms out) and your back and biceps (as you pull your arms in), but most exercise physiologists, trainers and coaches would agree that the action doesn't place enough stress on the muscles to cause enough myofilamental damage to the muscles to evoke any tangible muscle-building results," Murphy explains.
And as for the men's Shake Weight giving them the equivalent of 240 reps in one minute, Murphy says that if "a full repetition is when you go through the entire motion of an exercise from start to finish, saying it's 240 repetitions is incorrect ... You're doing such a concentrated range of motion -- it's tiny."
Instead, Murphy offers up the fit-in-the-fitness-in-six-minutes workout below, with the following words of advice: "I would prefer someone exercise at least three times a week, performing a combination of exercises that work the entire body, as well as doing some form of cardiovascular activity for at least 20 minutes a session. But, if you literally only had six minutes to spare, only had one dumbbell and wanted a full-body workout (and remember, if that's all you have, then you can't expect maximum results from any plan), then you would be better served doing a series of body-weight and single-dumbbell exercises back-to-back with no rest."
Murphy recommends this three-minute routine. Once you complete the cycle with your left hand, switch the dumbell to your right hand and repeat the cycle. "You'll have worked every muscle from head to toe," he says, "including your core muscles, in six minutes flat."
- Squats with the weight held over your head with (your left hand) for 45 seconds
- Side plank push-ups for 45 seconds (Do a push-up, then immediately turn your body and raise your left arm up towards the ceiling. Reverse and repeat.)
- Bent-over rows/triceps extension with the weight in your left hand for 45 seconds (forward at the waist, row the weight up to your side, then straighten your arm out behind you. Reverse the motion and repeat)
- Curl presses with the weight in your left hand (Stand straight, quickly curl the weight to your shoulder, then press it overhead. Reverse the motion and repeat.)
