It seems like it's a monthly occurrence. The makers of infomercial products come out with a new and/or improved device to help you lose the fat or flab around your midsection. Whether it's an ab rocker, ab chair, ab couch or ab baloney, they all claim they can help you get better results than the others and in less time.
The latest product to show up on late night TV is the Ab King Pro. This has been an international success selling more than I could imagine around the world. Like most of the types of products, the infomercials lead you to believe, a healthy and fit body is easier than ever to achieve. Let's take a look at what they say the Ab King Pro system can do for your weight loss program and what reality says.
Of course, the first thing it takes to sell any product via an infomercial is convincing people it's easier to use than anything similar to it. I think we can kick that idea out right away. When it comes to your muscles, working them hard is going to hurt. That's the bottom line. If you work them with a bench, a roller, a set of free weights or rubber bands, it's going to strain and tear them and, I'm sorry, but that hurts.
Take a Look at the Commercial and See What I Mean:
The next thing they try to convince you of is it's ability to add variety to your workout and weight loss program so you won't get bored. I'll give them this one but it's on shaky ground. Doing anything for a long time is going to become routine and is at the risk of getting boring. Yes, the Ab King Pro system will initially add variety and probably make your workouts more interesting but that will fade quickly. That's why so many of these items end up in the closet under a pile of boxes.
Their biggest claim is that this piece of equipment will make your workout more effective. They say this is accomplished by increasing your range of motion from about 90 degrees to over 200 degrees by going beyond parallel. As you can see in this picture, this actually does hold true, but I don't know if there's any physiological evidence to indicate this improves your ab workouts. Still, it's possible to achieve this same sort of motion if you sit on a bench with your butt on the edge and lean backwards.The resistance bands are another feature the makers claim will help your workout. Again, I have to admit, adding resistance to your workout is going to assist in the muscle building process. Whether you add that resistance with weight or bands like the Ab King Pro does, it's valuable and effective. Of course, as I just stated, you can get the same effect by holding some weight plates to your chest as you're doing your crunches and sit-ups.
In the end, is the Ab King Pro worth the $150 you're going to spend to get it? Honestly, I don't think so. There certainly are other items you could spend your money on that are worth less than this but, what keeps me from endorsing this is the fact that it doesn't offer you anything a decent floor mat would give you for a tenth of the cost. So, save your money and spend it on a floor mat and dumbells. They're much more versatile and will contribute to all areas of your workout. Sorry Ab King Pro...
