i need equiptment reccomendations!

caribeals

i need some equiptment reccomendations! i am ready to invest in another piece of workout equiptment. i currently have a treadmill, recumbant bike, and the wii fit (and fit plus). i would like to invest in either the ab circle pro, ab lounger, or something along those lines. i don't have a ton of space or money, i have a $200 budget. i need suggestions!!

weaklink109

The ab circle pro is one of the items on the 10 worst pieces of equipment that I got today in an email. Lots of hype and not much else. They had one set up at my Sears store, so I got on it over the weekend. I was not impressed. It seemed very awkward to use, and seemed to do more for muscles on the sides of your body, rather than those in front where your abs are. I think I would get bored very quickly on it.

IMO, take it off your list. Maybe a stability ball, and or some dvd's targeting your abs, and take the money you will save and put it toward the new wardrobe you will eventually need if you keep up your good work.

Whatever you are looking at getting, do a Google search for reviews, and make sure you don't just read the ones on that product's website.

guidosgal

Check Craigs list I found 2 Ab Lounger Plus in my area for 25 and 30 Dollars each. :bigsmile:

smae1980

What about the Total Gym , anyone used that? The infomercial was very convincing

Lululuv

I tried the Ab circle pro at Sports Authority. I really wasn't that impressed,I thought it was hard to use and didn't feel much in my abs. It also seemed as if it wasn't tracking right?? I know a lot of people probably had tried it out, but I think it shouldn't have seemed to been falling apart so soon.
I have a bender ball...I know I know fell for the info commercial. Thing is, I really like it. The only problem is when you buy it you are automatically put on a list to ship out extra videos, I kept the first two, but promptly called and cancelled for the next shipment. In all, it came with the first three videos, and I got two shipped. After a while you can do the exercises on your own too. But beware if you have a dog that likes balls, it makes exercising difficult

Azdak

If you are willing to make the personal investment to learn the techniques and think you might enjoy the movements, the best way to spend $200 on fitness equipment that I know of is to purchase the TRX Suspension System from fitnessanywhere.com.

I am a big believer that the only "best" exercise is the one that you are willing to do and find enjoyable, so I know this might not be to everyone's taste. So I am not going to overhype this or say there is nothing better. It is kind of unique, so, like I said, you would have to be willing to to learn a new system. But it is the only thing I have seen that is portable and truly lives up to the description of being a comprehensive strength system that you can carry around in a bag.

sendmoretigers

a good pair of running shoes(good doesn't mean the most expensive or coolest looking but make sure they are actually meant for running) and enough room on your floor to do push ups. make sure to use both every day. that should come in under $200.
stay away from junk you see advertised on t.v. if you see a fitness product advertised on t.v. and you're not sure if it's any good, here's a simple tip to help figure it out. if it's advertised on t.v. it's junk ( all kidding aside, there's about a 99% chance that it's junk and the 1% that isn't is ridiculously overpriced; how else do you pay for advertising stuff on t.v.?) look at professional and olympic athletes...do you think they use stuff peddled on info-mercials?(don't believe testimonials from has been celebrities, by the way) track down interviews with people like lance armstrong and you'll be surprised by how "basic" their regimes are, very little in way of flavour of the month exercises or equipment. say, speaking of lance, for $200 you can probably pick up a bicycle...

weaklink109

What about the Total Gym , anyone used that? The infomercial was very convincing

There are many different versions of the Total Gym, and lots of "Accessories." It also costs consirably more than $200 for a new one. If you do a "Search: on the threads for "total gym" you will find prior comments from other MFP'rs about its merits or lack thereof.

The one limitation I see w/ the total gym is the resistance you are working with is your own body weight, so as you get lighter= less resistance. And I don't buy into their assertion that you can raise your resistance by changing the incline. Up to a point, ok, I'll give them that, but their own website features a bar you can purchase to put free weights on the machine to increase the resistance.

OddSquid

Generally speaking, any machine that starts with "Ab" and ends with an agent noun (verbs that end in "er" -- rocker, lounger, doer, blaster, smasher, etc.) is overpriced and useless for the average person. They're oversimplified in design and explanation, and prey upon everyone's insecurities.

DOES the Ab-Lounger work? Sure, it can, for a specific subset of people like those with spinal injuries, are overweight to the point where regular sit-ups are dangerous, etc. For the average person to whom those conditions don't apply, $175 is a waste of money when regular sit-ups do the same thing, require no equipment, and takes up no additional space.