Exercise devices: we put amazing claims to the test.(Product/service evaluation)

Want to blast away belly fat? Lose one size in 10 days? Tone every body part all at once? Claims like those continue to crowd the airwaves 11 years after the actor Chuck Norris brought the Total Gym into living rooms everywhere. In a market that has seen its share of ab rockers, butt lifters, and thigh thinners, the latest offerings seem increasingly, well, unusual--an ab machine that looks like a lounge chair, an inflated bean-shaped gizmo, a freestanding personal-size ballet bar.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Are any of them worth buying? To find out, we tested 10 costing $50 to $300 and sold through infomercials on television or on the Web. In our fitness lab, we measured the muscle activity and calories burned as panelists used each device. We also had at least nine staff members try each machine on their own and report their impressions. We also asked each manufacturer for evidence to support its claims. That effort proved more complicated than we bargained for (see "Assessing Claims," page 24).

One device didn't hold up to testing. The Bun & Thigh Doer, a lower-body exerciser that costs $300, comes with a resistance band that snapped off during testing, thwacking our tester on the leg.

As for the rest, some may strengthen muscles; one, the Urban Rebounder, can provide a nice cardiovascular workout. Any piece of equipment that motivates you to exercise may hold some value. But in most cases, the same or better results can be achieved through simple exercises requiring little or no equipment.

The weight loss touted in testimonials is more likely due to the reduced-calorie diet plans that most manufacturers recommend than to the devices themselves. Losing 1 pound of fat solely by exercising with the machines, using recommended workout guidelines, would take a 165-pound person anywhere from one month to nine months

HOW TO CHOOSE