Whether you’re just starting to workout or a seasoned veteran, you probably want any equipment that helps you reach your goals. You could spend thousands of dollars on fitness products if you believed every advertisement. Some are excellent, some are good but extremely costly, and many are completely unnecessary or useless, so there’s no reason to buy them. In today’s economy, every dollar counts. You need to spend your money wisely. Here is a sampling of the items you DO NOT need to buy.
Probably one of the funniest workout aids is the cordless jump rope.
That’s right! There’s a jump rope with no rope to jump. It’s two separate handles you hold without any rope connecting them. They have weighted balls at the end to offer resistance, so it feels like you’re moving a rope. Why not include a rope? That’s a good question. Maybe you can use it in a small space with low ceilings or if you have a coordination problem. Either way, couldn’t you hold anything resembling jump rope handles to get the same effect?
Many of the specialized machines often found in the gym are useless.
There are many specialized machines in gyms, like the pec deck, leg press, and chest press machines. Some provide minor help, but you can get the same results without them. They look impressive and seem like they’ll avoid the need to understand proper form, but that’s not true. The rotary torso machine, for instance, promotes rotating from the spine, not generating power by driving the hips. It can cause back pain instead of building core muscles to relieve it.
You can build strength cheaper without using weights.
If you’re starting a fitness program, the weight you lift will be significantly lighter than someone who has worked out for a while. Adding the appropriate weights requires you to update your collection continuously. Buying just one set of dumbbells is like purchasing a onesie for a baby and expecting it to fit throughout childhood. You can save money using bodyweight exercises and resistance bands.
- Specialty machines like the Thighmaster add expense without providing enough benefit. It has a limited range of motion, so it offers limited results. You can get better results with calisthenics without the cost.
- Electric ab belts and similar products that use small electrical shocks to the muscles and cause them to contract weakly don’t provide the benefits they claim. These relatively costly items do little good and, at the least, are uncomfortable.
- Speaking of belts, sauna belts are another useless product. The whole idea of sauna suits and belts to lose weight is ridiculous. You will lose weight, but it’s water weight from sweating. As soon as you rehydrate, it returns.
- One all-time favorite that has hundreds of funny parody videos of its commercial is the ab lounger. It offers little or no benefit, but the key selling point is that you can use it while watching TV. If that’s your goal, you’ll save money and have a more productive workout by doing planks.
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