Every year product companies introduce us to all kinds of new exercise equipment on TV. They usually promise it all for just 3 easy payments of $19.95 or with some outlandish claims like ‘abs in 44 seconds a day!’. I’m sure you’ve seen these advertisements on television late at night. Unfortunately, many of these products are a complete waste of time and money, and while some of the products are flat out hilarious like the gazelle or the notorious shake weight, there are definitely some useful and quality products out there.

So we are going to review some of the most popular products advertised on TV, mention the pros and cons of each, and then provide you with a list of the products we think are worth your money and are worthy of a recommendation. We also recommend what we think are some cheaper and better alternatives to some of the products as well. (Please note, the products discussed below are all under the $150 range, as we feel like products that exceed those amounts deserve individual reviews.)

Exercise Equipment Advertised On TV 
The first category of products that we will discuss are those products that focus on your abs. Some of the most popular ones are the Ab Rocket, the Ab Roller, and the Ab Glider.

The Ab Rocket is about the size of a small lawn chair. To use it you set it on the ground and basically perform a back and forth rocking motion against some provided resistance. The Ab Roller is a device that has been around for several years and you have probably spotted one in the corner of your local gym. They can be effective but have a couple major drawbacks which we’ll get to in a minute. Finally you have the ProForm Ab Glider, now this contraption lays low to the ground, and then you put your knees on a sliding platform. It has two handles in front and you basically swing your lower body from side to side with the idea that you use your midsection to propel you.

While none of these products are terrible, our main issue with them is that they take up a lot of space and are fairly expensive for products which only target one muscle group. The Ab Rocket is around $65 and the Ab Glider can run you upwards of $150 bucks! Now the Ab Roller or similar knockoff can be found for around $25, but the problem with them is they are bulky and ugly, so unless you have a dedicated home gym, we wouldn’t recommend one. Even if you did have the space, we think using something like an ab wheel is a much more effective alternative for targeting your abs, its cheaper, and you can fit it in a drawer or under a bed!

Ab Machines Seen On TV: The Bottom Line

Pros: Can be effective if used regularly and as instructed

Cons: Expensive, bulky, and limited function

Recommended Alternative: Valeo Ab Wheel, online for less than 12 bucks!

Next up we have the shake weight, if you haven’t seen this piece of exercise equipment on television then you must have been hiding under a rock. It is basically a 5lb dumbbell that has a pulsating mechanism in it that is activated by shaking it up and down. Contrary to popular believe it is not battery operated, the weight does not vibrate on its own. While most of the reviews are fairly positive on this device, saying that it engages your muscles and is built well, we would not recommend purchasing one.

Why? Well frankly, you will look and feel like a complete idiot using this thing! Seriously though, it is fairly expensive and is only useful for gaining some muscle endurance and possibly some mild muscle tone. Finally, it is a one dimensional product, you will be doing the same exercise over and over, and once you get bored of doing it, then you’ll simply stop using it. This of course defeats the whole purpose.

So if your goal is to build muscle, but you don’t have a lot of room for tons of free weights, we recommend picking up some resistance bands instead. These are great for building and toning muscles, incorporating all your stabilizing muscles in the movements (and studies have shown that using stabilizing muscles can stimulate faster muscle growth). You can also get a full body workout with just a couple different bands and they are very portable, so you can easily throw them in a suitcase on a trip and get a nice workout from your hotel room!

Shake Weight: The Bottom Line

Pros: Will build some muscle endurance over time

Cons: Looks ridiculous, can become boring and repetitive, gimmicky, looks ridiculous

Recommended Alternative: Ripcords Resistance Exercise Bands (includes a great DVD and accessories.)

The final as seen on TV exercise equipment products that we want to discuss are the Perfect Pushup and the Iron Gym Total Workout Bar. We think these are, for the money, two of the best home workout products on television.

The Perfect Pushup handles were developed by a U.S. Navy Seal, and are essentially a pair of rotating handles which you set on the ground and then perform pushups. They work great because their rotating nature and form take the pressure off your wrists. They also allow you to get a greater range of motion compared to doing pushups on the floor with your bare hands. This is because the handles elevate you off the ground a couple of inches. These are great for building muscle size and strength, and will definitely have you sore after a workout. They are also have a good build quality, with a gripping rubber base, and steel ball bearings, so they will last for years.

Additionally, you can place the handles on the ground at different widths and positions to vary your workout. They target your arms, shoulders, chest, abs and triceps, so its like having multiple pieces of equipment in one portable package. The only thing it doesn’t really work on your upper body is your back, but things brings us to the next review….

The Iron Gym Workout Bar is basically a pull up bar that fits over most standard doorways. What is great about this is that it requires no drilling or installation, it just rests on the door frame and can support up to 300 lbs. This is a great piece of home gym equipment because you can really get a solid back and bicep workout from just doing pull ups with your own body weight. It also has 6 different hand positions so that you can vary your pull-up routine: underhand, overhand, side grip, wide grip and others.

If you combine this pull up bar with a pair of Perfect Pushups you’ll have just about everything you could need to get an entire full upper body workout at home, whenever you feel like it. No having to change or drive to the gym. But don’t just take our word for it, you can see the reviews on the Perfect Pushups at Amazon are great.

Perfect Pushup and Iron Gym Workout Bar:

Pros: inexpensive, only need 2 products to get a complete upper body workout, essentially replicating a home gym, can get a workout in any time of the day

Cons: the workout bar is slightly bulky unless you leave it in the door frame (but you won’t be able to shut the door)

One final note about these products. There are 2 different versions of each. For the perfect pushup you can get the original or the V2, or version 2. The V2′s have an improved grip and a 30% larger base, either model is awesome, but the latter is more expensive. For the Iron Gym Bar, just make sure you get the ‘extreme edition’ The latter only has 2 grip positions and doesn’t allow for as wide a grip.

So that is our wrap up of the top exercise products available on television. As you can see, not all ‘as seen on TV exercise equipment’ is created equal.

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