Do You Buy Exercise Equipment That You See On Infomercials?

Discussion in As Seen on TV started by Scottf13 • Mar 12, 2014.

  1. Scottf13

    Scottf13Member

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    I have purchased a few different pieces of exercise equipment now and then when I see them on television. The shake weight mentioned in another post was one of them. Most of the time these things are absolutely pointless, but if they don't work for me they make nice gifts for other people. Sure, they probably won't use them either but it's the thought that counts, right? Well, the thought of giving... not the thought that I gave a pointless gift to someone when I did not want it myself.

    I have purchased a few simple items that worked, but those were mostly just over-hyped free weights or the occasional elliptical machine.
     
  2. Bloomatic

    BloomaticActive Member

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    My answer is definitely NO. Many times I was tempted by those sexy infomercials, but I never fell into temptation. I do not deny the effectiveness of these equipments, but I am convinced that to achieve good results we must implement an intense workout and diet according to our caloric needs. True, the commercial will sell a product, not a result, but it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the difference. Anyway I haven't prejudices about it, maybe those products work perfectly if we use it in the right way. Unfortunately I haven't specific experience to share with you.
     
  3. starfox64

    starfox64Active Member

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    Great points all-around. I'd also like to add that the people that are shown using this product did NOT get the results you see from using the product. These people are professional fitness models who not only have great genes, but they follow a strict diet/workout plan. Like you, I'm not saying that these products can't tone and strengthen your body, but there is far much more behind the scenes than just the "5 minute" workouts you see.
     
  4. Scottf13

    Scottf13Member

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    That point is very true. I often wonder why people are fooled into believing that the incredibly buff man or sleek and sexy woman shown using the latest BS gadget got that rock hard body using said piece of junk. I once saw an infomercial for an 'ab machine'. The entire point of it was to use it to rock forward. That's all the 'machine' did. You laid down on it, put your arms on the bar, rocked forward, and it would supposedly shred your abs 'bro.'
     
  5. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    Oh goodness, I've bought so many of them in the 1990's I lost track of them all. I had the original cross country skiing thing from the 1980's infomercials, I can't remember the name of it though, but it was silver and blue. It wasn't built very well at all, but I did actually lose a lot of weight with it before it fell apart. The worst part of it was the tracks would get covered in dust and carpet fibers which made the equipment run really jerky. I also had the sit-up thing from the early 90's, it was blue plastic, with handles on both sides - that thing was so painful to use it was almost worse than just doing them on the floor. One of the dumbest ones I got was a step machine that was basically just two steps that used air resistance from the bellows under the pedals, then it had rubber resistance bands for your upper body. It was cheap and awkward to use, and the bellows started leaking shortly after I bought it.

    I also had the Body By Jake device, but it was way too easy for me, so I didn't really get much of a workout from it at all. I think it's better for petite women than bigger guys. I even tried buying extra bands for it to make it tougher, but it was still too easy.

    One machine that I was really impressed with was the Tony Little Gazelle. It works really well. My sister bought one, and I tried it out a few times and it does exactly what it shows on TV. They offer nicer models, but even the basic one works great.

    The last one I bought was the Total Gym. I upgraded to the more heavy duty model, and paid nearly $1,500 for it. What a waste of money, I ended up selling it. It does not fold down for storage easily at all, it weighs a ton, and takes up a lot of space when fully set up for use. I could barely use it in my living room because I kept bumping into my furniture. It's also a pain in the butt to transform it for each different type of exercise you are doing with it. The cords also don't retract into the unit for storage, so they are dangling all over the place and getting in the way when you are trying to carry it from room to room.
     
  6. mikelouis

    mikelouisActive Member

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    They can be quite expensive so I normally visit the gym to have my exercises. I love going to the gym as the instructor can help me on the exercises that I can do. I love the gym as they are great rather than buying the equipment. Buy the equipment if you already know that you can exercise on your own without an instructor.
     
  7. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    Nope, My ex used to buy all those exercise machines from TV and then he never used them, so I learned not to waste money on stuff like that. Why buy a Bowflex if it'll just end up with laundry piled on top of it?
    After a few months, all those exercise machines from infomercials end up at Goodwill anyway. I'm not impressed by exercise infomercials.
     
  8. milyjohnson

    milyjohnsonActive Member

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    I would love to buy some of the exercise equipment that I have seen on infomercials. I have seen a tread mill that I was interested in buying. My only hang up is the price. It is way too expensive for me to buy it. I also have a problem with storage. The tread mill is too big to store in my room or anywhere else in my house. If I ever have enough money, I might get a small one.
     
  9. DancingLady

    DancingLadyActive Member

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    No, I have hear they are almost always way overpriced on the infomercial, even if they present it a a great deal. The results people are usually kind of fake, or they went on some great diet at the same time which is why they lost the weight. Often you can find things like bowflex on craigslist for much less because so many people buy them and never use it and eventually just t rid of it.
     
  10. AresBlade

    AresBladeActive Member

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    A bit of a different opinion here. Some of the things that are advertised on TV do work. For example, I've had great success with my bow-flex. I didn't order it from TV, but I've certainly seen an overload of commercials for it! Same goes with the Nordic-track. My father lost nearly 100 pounds a few years ago by exercising with his Cross Country machine and using his universal gym. Some things are gimmicks, but you can't just throw a blanket over everything on TV and say "That's trash".
     
  11. wulfman

    wulfmanActive Member

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    I have considered it . Back in the day the BowFlex really looked good. I wanted to pack on some weight in high school and seeing all those bulked up guys doing the bow flex and being able to stock it in a closet and pay in installments almost made me buy it. But then the following week I found a bench with leg exercise attachments and I bought that. I have not tried the Bow Flex but in my opinion there is no substitute for training with heavy weights. I am glad I didn't waste my money on the Bow Flex. I don't know what kind of exercise equipment is sold on TV these days but outside of a yoga mat or pushup handles I wouldn't buy anything.
     
  12. Strykstar

    StrykstarActive Member

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    I'd never buy an infomercial exercising equipment for the simple reason that they make it look so easy.
    We all know that to get results you need to work hard, diet, etc and these infomercials just boil it down to "use our product for half an hour every day and you'll become as muscular as these actors", when we all know that's not the case.
    If they're that dishonest with me, I don't see any reason to buy their product.
     
  13. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    My parents used to buy them and I did play with the ones they bought when I was younger but I never really took to them much because they weren't very comfortable for me to use. They always felt forced to me somehow but it just might be because of the specific products that we got to buy or because some of them were just knockoff brands that were bought from a physical store instead of the official ones bought from the network.
     
  14. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    I don't buy them but we have one here, but it was bought in Toby's if I remember correctly. Well I don't think I would want to buy an exercise equipment since I'm too lazy to exercise, and my idea of getting exercise is by jogging, so I don't want to buy something that I can't use. I do have "Figure Twister", and it's the only type of exercise equipment that I would purchase.
     
  15. troutski

    troutskiWell-Known Member

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    Besides bona fide exercise machines like Bow-Flex, none of the actual As Seen on TV branded exercise equipment work. They're all flawed devices with flawed science behind them. You're not going to see any physical results, although everyone else will look at you like a fool for the way you're supposed to use some of these devices. Stick with normal exercise equipment and work hard like everyone else.
     
  16. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    I know, right? Many of them look stupid, like the Shake Weight and and that flexible rod that you're supposed to wave back and forth for an arm workout.
    The worst is that pushup device that is just a wheel with two handles. I can't believe that people paid money for that one.
     
  17. Hamz10

    Hamz10Member

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    NO! They are mostly just fads to trick people. What they do is get fit people and make them drink a lot of water to bloat them and make them look fat. After some exercise, they look ripped. That's how they deceive you! Plus things like the shake weight just look plain ridiculous to me. The worst one is probably the metal frame that claims that it can give you a six-pack in hours of using it!
     
  18. randomdude

    randomdudeMember

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    I would never purchase exercise equipment from infomercials or television paid programming. I believe there is never enough information or research about the exercise equipment being advertised. All the poeple you see using the equipment are already in shape and they are paid actors so you definately cannot judge the equipment by individuals using it. And whenever I try to google or look reviews about the advertised equipment the word scam or poor reviews seem the surface. The only way I would purchase euipment like this is if I am in a store and I am looking at the display model. I would prefer to use it before I buy it. That way I can judge for myself If it actually works and is worth buying.