Although not a new product this Rhythm Rocker Review has been written because it looks like it’s being relaunched in time for the New Year.

Yes, this is the time of year when we all suddenly decide that enough is enough and that it really is time to lose all the excess fat that just seems to have appeared over the festive season. Fitness professionals all know that January is a bumper month for picking up clients clients, gym membership soars and sales of exercise equipment goes through the roof.

Sadly come March all the new clients have given up, Gym memberships plummet and the new shiny gadget that was going to be your saviour languishes in the corner gathering dust. It was just to damn hard after all to get fat loss results does require effort, discipline and time.

So along comes a new gadget in this case the Rhythm Rocker and we all forget all the other failures we’ve had and wonder if this piece of exercise equipment will be our saviour.

Will it?

With the best will in the world I doubt it it’s a spring loaded seat with handles attached and is touted to be able to tighten your Abs, Obliques, Shoulders and arms and strengthen your back all while performing dance moves!

The idea is that you move your body against resistance created by the springs and therefore over time get stronger and burn calories.

Now I agree that any type of exercise is better than nothing but I like to get the biggest bang for my exercise buck that I can and believe that you could more effectively use your time by just doing body weight exercises on their own.

Why spend over $100 on a gadget when all you need is yourself (some dumb bells would help but aren’t essential), some time and a sensible eating plan (notice I didn’t say diet).

The quicker you accept that there isn’t a magic bullet for fat loss and the only thing you need to be successful is the correct mental attitude the quicker your going to be able to take that first step to a healthier you. The longer you hold on to the “Magic Wand” mindset the longer it’ll take you to take the first step.

However if this device will spur you on to start exercising then as I’ve always said any exercise you do is a great and good luck to you.

Related Posts:

Best Exercise Equipment For 2011
The USA Protege Suspension Trainer – Great Value For Money

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Rhythm Rocker Reviews

I love the names manufacturers are coming up with these days and Rip 60 is no exception. As always when a new fitness product comes to market Rip60 Reviews (honest ones written by actual users) are rare and those that do exist are written by people who have no fitness qualifications and are only trying to sell you the latest fitness gadget.

So first a disclosure I do not have this product although I’d love to get hold of it but as I’ve said before I live in the UK and currently Rip 360 is unavailable to me however I can give an honest opinion on this equipment and if you have it please consider adding a review in the comments section below.

The Rip60 is a suspension training system that’s endorsed by Georges St Pierre and Jillian Michaels of the biggest loser fame. It claims to be better than the P90X and the Insanity workoutsalthough at $120 + S&H it’s a lot more expensive (if you shop around the P90X can be purchased for under $20).

Suspension training is highly effective and has been available for many years by the manufacturers of the TRX suspension system  and it’s the system that most people will use to compare with the Rip360. The TRX Suspension Training Pro Pack is the closest match and that retails at $189.95 + S&H so the Rip360 does come a little cheaper.

The Rip60 will hook onto any door and will hold a person up to 300lbs and is made with high quality aluminium and has heavy duty nylon straps which are guaranteed for life. It comes with 8 DVD’s one for each of the eight weeks of the program and 4 additional bonus DVD’s including Gillian Michaels and Georges St. Pierre Workout DVD’s.

All in all a great package but much depends on the quality of the equipment and the workouts. Many workouts in this type of package are impossible to follow and consist of elements cut and pasted together in order to bulk out the workouts.

If the equipment is of good quality and the DVD’s well put together and deliver a balanced program I’m sure this system will deliver great results. I love body weight training because it’s so effective and by adding an instability element by doing exercises suspended will deliver great results.

However I don’t like the training schedule as much  as the equipment because for the first three weeks you train every day for 5 days and rest on day 6 and 7 then for the next 5 weeks the rest periods are a little more mixed but still only allow 2 / 3 rest days.

I’d prefer to see workouts alternated with a rest day with no more than 3-4 hours of work per week.

Bottom line: As a training system suspension training works powerfully well as long as the equipment is of good quality, is safe and the workouts are challenging but balanced.

If you have first hand experience with the Rip60 please consider leaving a comment / review and help everyone make an informed decision on whether to purchase.

Related Posts:

The War Machine Suspended Pulley System
KettleWorx Exercise System

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Rip60 Reviews On The Latest Suspension Trainer

A question that’s often asked is why do Ab Exercises give me a pain in the neck?

Firstly when exercising you should experience no pain at all. If you’re working hard you may feel some discomfort but never any pain. If you’re working out and it’s painful you should stop and get it checked out and not work through the pain in an effort to make it go away. Working through pain is stupid and can be down right dangerous so please don’t do it.

Pain when performing Ab Exercises (or any exercise)  is a sign that either:

• You have a structural problem
• You’ve pulled a muscle
• You have a muscle imbalance
• You’re not doing the exercise correctly

The first two points mean you need to see a Physician / Physiotherapist and follow any advice and exercise prescription they give and the last two mean you need proper instruction so that you can perform the exercise correctly and address the imbalances.

Purchasing a device that claims to eliminate pain while you’re exercising is pointless as it doesn’t address or correct any of the above points and just masks the original problem.

So if you’re getting a pain in the neck and you’re confident it isn’t physical damage consider employing a Personal Trainer who can correct your form and help you correct any imbalance you may have developed.

Another great option is Pilates which is fantastic for correcting muscular imbalances and will work your Abs pretty well to boot not just the six pack muscles but also the deep stability muscles which are so important for spinal and pelvic stability.

Bottom line:

If you have pain when exercising STOP and get it checked out otherwise learn how to do the exercise correctly and work on correcting any muscular imbalances you may have.

It’s possible that a Physiotherapist may recommend you use a machine to help you rehabilitate and in general that’s the only time I’d recommend machines over a functional workout. Unless that is the machine in question makes an exercise more challenging and doesn’t isolate muscle groups.

Related Posts:

The Perfect Situp
The Step360 Reviews

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Why Do Ab Exercises Give Me A Pain In The Neck?

I keep a close eye on what’s happening in the exercise equipment and workout related topics because it’s what I Blog about and I’m seeing a disturbing trend emerge.

Talking to management at my local gym which is part of a large chain I’ve discovered that new memberships this year are down and existing members are not renewing. Things have got so bad that they’re discounting gym memberships deeply (shaving off up to $15 a month) at traditionally the busiest time of year.

I’ve noticed the same thing with new pieces of at home exercise equipment and DVD’s. There’s some new stuff out like the Supreme 90 Day Workout and The Step360 but unlike last year where there was a new piece of exercise equipment coming out almost weekly (remember the Ab Circle Pro anyone?) and people were clambering to buy wallets at the ready.

It looks like either people don’t want to lose weight anymore (unlikely) or the recession has bitten so deeply that even the health and fitness industry has been hit. When people stop spending money in an effort to lose fat you know times are hard.

The good news is it’s possible to get a great workout with little or no equipment at home with a little bit of dedication and discipline.

A complete body workout can be done using just your own body weight (press ups, squats, crunches etc) and if you have $20-$50 available you can add a pull up bar and a set of dumb bells. It’s really not that hard to get a great workout you just need the discipline to do it

Going to a Gym is great as you can vary your workouts and take Aerobics / Step / Zumba classes which makes it more interesting but please don’t use the excuse you can’t afford to keep fit because it simply isn’t true.

Related Post

The WarMachine Suspension Training

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Recession Hits The Gyms And Exercise Equipment Sales Fall

The War Machine Suspended Pulley System is another suspension trainer made by CrossCore with similarities to The TRX Suspension System and the USA Protege Suspension Trainer.

It takes suspension training to the next level by incorporating a pulley into it’s design. The pulley can remain fixed so that it won’t rotate or you can pull out a pin and allow the War Machine to rotate freely.

Because it has an attached pulley it’s also possible to add a counter weight so that the amount of resistance required can be varied. By attaching different handles like the gymnastic rings the War Machine can be configured to provide many different types of resistance training.

Like all suspension trainers this one would give you a fantastic workout enabling you to get maximum results in the shortest period of time and I love the integrated pulley which allows more challenging options to be incorporated into an already challenging workout.

My only complaint is the price at $249.99 it’s expensive and even the Ceiling / Wall mount will coat you an extra $29.95.

Even when compared to the TRX it still works out more expensive although if you have the money the War Machine would be my favoured product.

If you can’t afford the War Machine why not take a look at the USA Protege Suspension Trainer which doesn’t have a pulley but is inexpensive coming in at about $40 well within most peoples budget and will enable you to do at least 80% of what the War Machine will do.

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

The War Machine Suspended Pulley System

Another piece of at home exercise equipment to hit the market recently is the GymFlex Transformer. At first glance it looks like a basic step but looks can be deceiving. This device can change from a step to a bench and then to an inclined bench.

This means that with one piece of equipment you can do cardio, strength training and circuits in one easy to use, durable and portable piece of equipment. It reminds me of another similar piece of equipment (whose name slips my mind for the moment) which was heavily advertised on the Infomercial channels last year which looked the same but didn’t convert to a bench or inclined chair.

The GymFlex comes supplied with resistance bands that are attached to the base of the unit that when combined with the leg and arm attachments allow you to perform hundreds of different strength training exercises.

You’ll be able to work:

• Core
• Chest
• Arms
• Shoulders
• Back
• Legs

Combined with great cardio (it is a step after all) it should be the only piece of at home exercise equipment you’d ever need to buy.

Pros:

• Combines cardio and strength training in one simple to use piece of kit
• This should be durable and last a lifetime
• Portable and easy to use
• Easy to move from exercise to exercise as you don’t need to move
• You can use other cardio (step) DVD’s you already have

Cons:

• It’s fairly new so not a lot is known about it’s durability and effectiveness
• It’s fairly expensive at just under $400

Bottom line:

I like the idea of a single piece of exercise equipment being able to do it all. No messing around moving from one piece of equipment to another and if I had a spare $400 lying around (I wish) I’d buy it because it’s a simple idea done well. However in the real world $400 is a lot of money and I could buy a basic step, exercise bands and a set of dumb bells for under $150 which would allow me to do most of what the GymFlex can do.

Other related posts that might interest you:

The KettleWorx
The Step360

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

GymFlex Transformer Reviews

You can tell it’s the new year can’t you? The new batch of exercise related products has already hit the streets and it’s only the January the third.

One of the latest is The Supreme 90 Day Workout.

I’ll declare up front I don’t have this system so I’m asking anyone who has purchased it to post a review in the comments area below. I would love to try it out but sadly they don’t ship to the UK

On the face of it it looks like any other Get Ripped Abs in 90 days product. On the plus side it does at least say 90 days and not 7 also it’s resonavly priced at $19.99 + $6,99 S&H

Using terms like muscle confusion (what is that anyway) this product has been created by Cal Pozo and includes 10 DVD’s so at least you’re getting a big package!

On the plus side it does look like real exercise as the infomercial shows people actually using dumbells which I have to say is a plus and combined with the more realistic 90 day time line this may be a product worth taking a look at.

Sadly no real reviews appear to be available at the moment but with a bit of luck someone will buy it and post one here as I’m really curious about this one.

So if you have a spare $27 lying around after Christmas why not take a look and tell me what you think. You never know it might actually be a great product.

The Supreme 90 Day

Other posts that may be of interest:

The Truth About Abs
The Step360

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Supreme 90 Day Workout Reviews

The season for stuffing ourselves with turkey and mince pies will soon be at an end for another year. As you look down at your waistline you may decide enough is enough and start the anual hunt for that magical piece of at home exercise equipment that will help you lose that excess weight.

Many will be seduced by the latest exercise gadget that happens to be out at the moment that promises fast results with little work but sadly they rarely work.

Better would be to take a look at my Top 3 pieces of exercise equipment that I believe will work for you if you’re prepared to put in a little bit of work and use them regularly.

The Step360

The Step360 takes traditional step to the next level. Circular in shape like a pair of donuts stacked one on top of the other the Step 360 is a pair of inflatable tubes with a platform on top. This simple device is more challenging than a normal step because it’s unstable and wobbles when you step up and down. This instability not only makes your workout more challenging but also a lot more fun.

Unlike other pieces of exercise equipment on the market today it’s not a gimmick it really works. I’ve had one for over for weeks now and love it. You get a great cardio workout and if you attach the supplied exercise band a fairly reasonable strength training workout as well.

Take a look at my Step360 Videos page for more information.

The TRX Suspension System

Although more for the seasoned and fairly fit exercisers the TRX Suspension System is a great addition to anyone wanting to get more from there body-weight exercises.

The TRX is basically a pair of elasticated straps that can be attached to a doorway. Using the straps you can extend and make more challenging a variety (Over 300) body-weight exercises. The TRX is lightweight, easy to use and will introduce not only challenge but also fun to your existing workout.

The BodyWeightCultureUSA Protege

Similair to the TRX it’s a suspension body weight trainer that comes complete with straps, door attachment and carabineers. The Protege has one big advantage over the TRX and that’s price it comes in a only $39.99!

The KettleWorx

The Kettleworx system uses a KettleBell and a series of great workout DVD’s to give you a fantastic workout. Because you combine both fat burning cardio and strength training in a single short workout you can get great results in a much shorter time than cardio only training.

This system isn’t for those that don’t want to work hard as it’s very challenging and will get you hot and sweaty. It’s major advantage is its simplicity and the speed you can get results if you use it regularly.

The three pieces of exercise equipment above aren’t the sexiest pieces of equipment on the market (although The Step360 is close) but they’re simple, well made and will without a doubt help you in your fat loss goals.

Sadly I think people will be seduced by the new and shiny gadgets that claim to do all the work for you and the equipment that really works will be ignored.

Still I’ve done my duty the choice is as always yours

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Best Exercise Equipment For 2011

The Air Climber has been on the market for some time so it can’t be classed as a new piece of at home exercise equipment. It would appear that the manufactures are heavily promoting this equipment on the Infomercial channels so I thought I’d have a quick look and report my findings.

The Air Climber is a stepper and it’s claim to fame is the inflatable chambers that that provide resistance as you step up and down.

Because the chambers are air filled it’s supposed to eliminate any impact while you work out. How much of an advantage that is remains to be seen because even with traditional steppers there really isn’t any impact anyway.

The Air Climber comes with 4 DVD’s totaling 1.5 hours worth of workouts and includes Easy Air Express, Air Tight Abs, Super Pump 7 and Platinum Burn & Firm (where do they get the names from). Also included is a resistance cord, jump start diet plan and a workout computer.

The Good

If used regularly the Air Climber could help you lose weight by providing a good cardio and an OK resistance workout although the strength training component with the resistance cord would be limited. It looks like it would be a lot of fun to use and if used in conjunction with other equipment / workouts could give you great results. The Air Climber is light weight and very easy to store.

The Bad

Build quality could be a problem because of this devices air filled chambers. This makes it a fairly complicated device. If the air chambers spring a leak the machine would be useless.

The Ugly

As always the sales team of this product have gone overboard making claims like “Lose 10lb or 10 inches in 10 days” and “No More Crunches to get sexy abs”. My pet hate is fitness products that make losing weight seem quick and easy. If it’s taken many years to pile on the extra weight how can we expect to lose it in a couple of weeks? Well you can’t and I’m sure you’re well aware that successful and permanent weight loss takes both time and effort and there are no shortcuts.

Verdict

As a piece of cardio equipment that would be fun to use I think you could do worse than purchase this. Myself I would prefer something less complicated with no moving parts (except you) like the Kettleworx or an exercise system like The Truth About Abs. Whatever you choose remember it’s not the equipment that helps you lose weight it’s YOU using the equipment that counts.

Take a Look Closer Look At The Air Climber Here

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Air Climber Reviews

Another device that claims to be able to give you six pack abs. Not only will it give you six pack abs it’ll actually do all the work for you.

Whenever I see a fitness product that says you don’t have to do any work my hackles go up.

The Flex Belt uses EMS (Electric Muscle Stimulation) to directly stimulate the nerves which in turn causes the muscles to contract. Great in theory but in my opinion not so great in practice.

EMS technology was designed originally for injury rehabilitation and the machines used for that purpose are much larger and more powerful than the Flex Belt and where designed to help maintain muscle tone not build muscle.

This type of device like vibration technology promises great results with no effort on your part. I’m sorry to break it to you but there is no such device available on the market today (I doubt there ever will be) that will enable you to lose fat, get ripped six pack abs and help you meet your fitness goals without putting in some effort.

The longer you hold onto the belief that there is some sort of magic bullet that will help you build muscle and get the sexy body you desire the longer it’ll take you to take the required action.

Forget the gimmicks and false promises and just realise you’re going to have change the way you think about fat loss.

You need a sensible healthy eating plan (not diet) and an exercise program that is going to require some effort (sweat) on your part. You’re then going to have to stick to this plan for the long term. It does take some effort but it really isn’t that difficult the hardest part is getting stared.

Bottom Line.

If you want to take the easy road then by all means take a look at the Flex Belt. Be warned though it’s a slick advertising campaign and almost had me convinced.

If you want a better more permanent weight loss outcome and are prepared to put in some effort then instead of paying $199 on another  gimmick take a look at The Truth Aboat Abs which costs less than $40 and if followed will help you get the body you desire.

Or take a look at The Kettleworx functional exercise that actually works but does require some effort on your part.

No batteries required for either

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

The Flex Belt Reviews