Ab Circle Pro: You Got Me Going in Circles
As people across the globe continue their never-ending quest for six-pack abs, fitness manufacturing companies have developed creative ways to part us with our hard-earned dollars. Ab Circle Pro Pro is one of the latest, and by far the most creative abdominal-toning products on the market. If it wasn’t for its highly exaggerated claims, its excessively high price and very small fine print that people usually don’t read, it might actually be a worthwhile piece of equipment. Indeed, it certainly looks like fun.
How it Works
Are you old enough to remember a dance called “The Twist?” Basically, you twisted your hips from side to side, while your upper body remained stable. The Ab Circle Pro uses similar principles, with a few major differences. Instead of standing up, you kneel on the machine, and hold on to a set of handle bars, which stabilize your upper body. This eliminates the stiff neck that is often associated with performing crunches.
Once you are in position, the Ab Circle Pro moves side to side along a friction-free gliding track. Unlike traditional ab-toning machines, which only move in a linear fashion, the Ab Circle Pro uses rotary movement, which engages the obliques as well as the rectus abdominus muscle. We’ll give them extra points for doing this. You can also release a pin, and it becomes what they describe as a “fat burning butt and thigh workout.” The movements then become similar to the movements used by the inner and outer thigh machine at the gym. However, since they are performed from the prone position, the gluteals are engaged. Now, get ready for the bad news.
Aerobic Exercise? We Don’t Think So!
The Ab Circle Pro has been described as a “treadmill for the abs.” By calling it a treadmill, they are implying that this machine provides a calorie-burning aerobic workout. Well, unfortunately, it ain’t necessarily so. In order for an exercise to be aerobic, it needs to make use of the larger muscles in the body. The abdominals and obliques simply are not large enough to provide aerobic exercise. Also, claiming that people can burn body fat by using a machine for “just three minutes” a day is simply irresponsible. It takes a bare minimum of 20 minutes to burn fat. Also, calorie burning movements should be powered by muscle, not momentum. If you don’t understand what we’re talking about, consider this. Who is getting a better workout; the person on the swing or the person pushing it? A gold star if you answered, “the person pushing it.”
Muscle vs Momentum
This is one of the main issues that elite personal trainers had with the Ab Circle Pro. It works on a principle of momentum. In other words, very little muscle power is actually being used. Try this. If you are a sitting on one of those swiveling computer chairs, or if you happen to be sitting on a bar stool, but down that beer, and hold on to the desk or counter. Now, swivel your hips from side to side. It doesn’t take much effort, right? That’s what we call momentum. To continue with our little experiment, take off your shoes, and step on to a linoleum or wood floor. Without lifting your heels, twist your hips and feet from side to side, and swivel across the floor. Do you “feel the burn?” That’s what we call movement powered by muscle. Incidentally, the stability ball is an excellent way to execute the same types of movements performed on the Ab Circle Pro. However, you will need to actually use your muscles to move from side to side, and you will be enhancing your dynamic balance. The stability ball is a whole lot cheaper than the Ab Circle Pro. And speaking of money…
The Fine Print
The Ab Circle Pro website offers you a 30 day trial period for just $14.95. While this may seem like a great deal, you really need to read the fine print. Sure, you can get the Ab Circle for just $14.95 for 30 days but the $34.50 shipping and handling cost is non-refundable. If you decide to send it back before your trial ends, you will need to pay for shipping again, which brings the total trial price close to $70. If you don’t send it back, you will pay five payments of $39.95 each. That brings the price to $200. However, it does look like fun, and if we can’t convince you to choose the stability ball, go for it. Fun is an excellent motivator. Just be sure to keep your abs drawn in as you use the machine, and, since $200 is a lot to pay for a machine that only works one muscle be sure to also use the butt and thigh option.
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