Does it really work or not? Product purchasing advice

ninerbuff

Dedicated thread to find out if something is worth buying or not.

Ab Carver Pro- this is actually a decent product for those who want to use an ab wheel due to the spring in it to help "slow" down when you're stretched out. It's great for working the abs, but it still comes down to having a lower body fat percentage to see them, which is more about diet than exercise.

Willow Curve- a "thermal kinetic energy" therapy claiming to soothe joints. At $599, save your money since there's really no proof that it does work with the exception of anecdotes.



Let's see 'em and I and others who are well versed in Fitness and Exercise will give our opinions.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

pootle1972

Vibration plates.....yeah or no.

earlnabby

Waterproof IPod: if you are a swimmer, this is definitely worth it. The short cord is much better than the typical earphone cord (you can clip the IPod to your goggles and have nothing dangling) and both the unit and the earphones are truly waterproof.

ETA: several companies do after-market waterproofing. I really like AudioFlood

Packerjohn

ninerbuff wrote: »

Dedicated thread to find out if something is worth buying or not.

Ab Carver Pro- this is actually a decent product for those who want to use an ab wheel due to the spring in it to help "slow" down when you're stretched out. It's great for working the abs, but it still comes down to having a lower body fat percentage to see them, which is more about diet than exercise.

Willow Curve- a "thermal kinetic energy" therapy claiming to soothe joints. At $599, save your money since there's really no proof that it does work with the exception of anecdotes.



Let's see 'em and I and others who are well versed in Fitness and Exercise will give our opinions.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Thanks for posting. I've used a regular $10 ab wheel for years wondered if the upgrade was worth it. Is the "slowing down" assistance really a good thing as opposed to using your muscles to control the movement?

Packerjohn

Val-slides are great, can do do a ton of things with them. However, they are about $30 a pair. As long as your not a professional using them with clients and worried about liability, furniture sliders from the supercenter at less than $10 for 2 pairs are a no brainer and work the same.

Michael190lbs

Not sure if "thick grips" work or not but would like to hear opinions this seems to be the thread for it...

I Did find this article but it is just one article..

http://www.rdlfitness.com/avoid-thick-bar-training/

rainbowbow

pootle1972 wrote: »

Vibration plates.....yeah or no.

vibration plates can be an excellent tool for those who are in rehabilitation, have arthritis, and fibromyalgia. For the everyday person the results you see will be similar to conventional resistance training.

Vibration plates stimulate muscle contractions by generating acceleration (similar to that of the earth's gravitational force) so that muscle are activated without the need for additional load being placed on the musculoskeletal system. This of course requires a high amplitude so some vibration plates may be better than others.

All in all it can be an effective training modality for those who enjoy it, have access to it, and know how to train with it. What it DOESN'T do, however, is burn 10 million times the calories in the same amount of time as advertised. As stated, it is effective, but not any more-so than conventional training.

Packerjohn

Suspension trainers are great.

ninerbuff

pootle1972 wrote: »

Vibration plates.....yeah or no.

Home edition ones.........no. One's that are commercial (platforms are like 5x5 so you can do something like a barbell squat on them) usually found in specific universities of Olympic training facilities........yes.

EDIT: mentioned above for people with RA or fibro.........it's helpful due to pain that comes and goes when trying to be physically active.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

Packerjohn wrote: »

ninerbuff wrote: »

Dedicated thread to find out if something is worth buying or not.

Ab Carver Pro- this is actually a decent product for those who want to use an ab wheel due to the spring in it to help "slow" down when you're stretched out. It's great for working the abs, but it still comes down to having a lower body fat percentage to see them, which is more about diet than exercise.

Willow Curve- a "thermal kinetic energy" therapy claiming to soothe joints. At $599, save your money since there's really no proof that it does work with the exception of anecdotes.



Let's see 'em and I and others who are well versed in Fitness and Exercise will give our opinions.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Thanks for posting. I've used a regular $10 ab wheel for years wondered if the upgrade was worth it. Is the "slowing down" assistance really a good thing as opposed to using your muscles to control the movement?

You can actually stretch out to your ability without too much fear of splatting on your face.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

Packerjohn wrote: »

Val-slides are great, can do do a ton of things with them. However, they are about $30 a pair. As long as your not a professional using them with clients and worried about liability, furniture sliders from the supercenter at less than $10 for 2 pairs are a no brainer and work the same.

These are great too. Lots you can do with them.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

Michael190lbs wrote: »

Not sure if "thick grips" work or not but would like to hear opinions this seems to be the thread for it...

I Did find this article but it is just one article..

http://www.rdlfitness.com/avoid-thick-bar-training/

Definitely increases grip strength.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

NorthCascades

Garmin Varia rear-view radar for cyclists.

ninerbuff

NorthCascades wrote: »

Garmin Varia rear-view radar for cyclists.

Does it really work?

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

queenliz99

Weighted hula hooping?

ninerbuff

queenliz99 wrote: »

Weighted hula hooping?

Only if you can hula hoop I guess!

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

queenliz99

I can still hula hoop, it's like riding a bike.

Pocket__Cthulhu

I bought a Garmin Forerunner 235. It's a pretty awesome tool and the on the wrist heart monitor is as accurate as the treadmill, bike, and elliptical heart rate monitors +/- 1-5 beats per second. I bought it almost specifically for the HRM on the wrist, because I hate the idea of wearing a strap. I needed the GPS feature, as well, because I'm training to pass a PT test and need to know how far and how fast I can run before I finalize my application. It syncs nicely with MFP, and I trust the calorie burn it records more than the generic entries for exercise. The Garmin App is "eh," it just shows me what I need to know about my last jog. It was a hefty investment for a casual jogger, but I have a concrete goal, and find that it's comforting to see my progress in accurate data.

I certainly didn't need the foot-pod, which gives me cadence data I neither understand nor care about as a casual "It's nice out and I need to jog to pass a PT test so I should get out there," mentality. I thought I would need the foot pod for the winter when I was jogging on a treadmill, but the distance on the treadmill and the distance on the foot pod was drastically different. A 2-mile go on the treadmill readout was 1.3 on the foot pod. It was 40 dollars I could have spent on something more useful, like another set of gym-clothes. I'm sure it is better for the folks who eat, breathe, and sleep running though.

ninerbuff

Vertical Wall Climbers
If you get a commercial one, then yes. But the home edition ones (I tried on yesterday) are really flimsy. Not worth the $200 they are asking for it.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition