If you were a human wheelbarrow, well, you'd be using this device -- made by the people who brought us the original Classic Belt in the '80s. Designed to strengthen and tone your abs, shoulders, arms and back, the Valeo Ab Wheel is a simple wheel with handles on each side that you push back and forth while on all fours. Reviewers say assembly can be a pain and "you need to be in pretty good shape to use this," but it's good for "anyone who wants a hard workout" and it's "a terrific price for a pretty basic item" that "works well."
They might look silly, but Crunch Gym doesn't seem to care; they built a group fitness dance class around them called "Boing with Kangoo." (So, you know it's on-trend.) The shoes, which are somewhat of a cross between rollerblades and space-age pogo sticks, are designed to reduce impact on your joints while you work out. Their elliptical, springy bases make it practically impossible to stand still. (Translation: Calories will burn.) Reviewers call it "surprisingly stable," "energizing" and "more fun than being a monkey" and add, "It feels so awesome!"
If proper form is an issue with pushups, these rotating handles aim to fix that. Formulated to grip the floor and help speed up results by "engaging more muscles in the arms, chest, shoulders and back, they have garnered more positive than negative reviews. Some users say they are a primer for rotator cuff and wrist injuries, not to mention slightly painful to use despite having rubberized handles (one reviewer even recommends wearing leather gloves to cushion your hands); but others say the exact opposite, adding that the "rotation makes pushing up less of a struggle" and the video can "help you improvise for greater range and more effective exercise."
This foam balance bar -- used with "fitness guru" David Mesirow's Beaming workouts -- claims to offer a low-to-no-impact workout that helps you balance your body and increase focus while engaging your core muscles. Beaming, yet another core-strengthening workout, combines moves from yoga and Pilates by balancing on this bar, which is so popular it sold out on the Home Shopping Network. Reviewers say it's "deceptively simple, yet so effective in teaching your body proper alignment" and "a good workout, but not so hard that it discourages you from doing it."
Stop us if this sounds familiar: It's 2 AM, and despite your best efforts to stop today's to-do list from taking over your mind, you're wide-awake, staring at the TV. The concept of doing a sleep-inducing shoulder stand has lost its appeal to the thought of watching part of that movie you've seen 100 times while eating the scrumptious chocolate chip cookie dough you have stashed in the freezer. And just as you're stuffing a second, third, fourth spoonful in your mouth, you're momentarily mesmerized by a peppy, slim fitness instructor wearing a leotard and a Scrunchie, describing some overweight girl's amazing (and, uh, completely bogus) transformation story: "Kate lost 150 pounds after just two months of using the fat-blasting thingamajig. It was so easy! Buy one now and we'll send you free ankle weights and an instructional DVD."
Yeah. As if the body of your dreams really could be purchased in three installments of $29.99 ... plus shipping and handling.
Well, according to the reviews we've found, maybe it could. To our amazement, enough people out there have made the call, bought the fitness equipment and gave it a fair shot that they feel compelled to share which wacky devices are worth putting down the cookie dough. Their glowing feedback has us almost thinking, "Hey, maybe some of those fat-blasting fitness thingamajigs aren't completely bogus after all. Maybe they just look funny."
And P.S., while our enthusiasm is growing, we must confess, we're still wondering who named some of these things (you'll see what we mean).
Dying of curiosity? We were too. Check out the top 10 wacky fitness devices that women say actually work to help them lose weight, tone, improve balance and build strength. You'll be so glad you have something fun to do next time you're missing out on beauty sleep.
