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Part 2
Electronic Ab Devices, Magic or Myth? Part 2
Liz Crenshaw's Investigation
Liz Crenshaw, Consumer Reporter
Crenshaw: FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS VIEWERS HAVE BEEN ASKING US TO CHECK OUT ELECTRONIC AB DEVICES, SO WE BOUGHT SEVERAL AND GAVE THEM TO SOME VIEWERS AND EXERCISE EXPERTS TO TRY OUT. WHAT'S THEIR OPINION OF THESE DEVICES? YOU'LL ABS-SOLUTELY KNOW AFTER THIS REPORT.
WANT TO LOOK LIKE THIS? SURE YOU DO. YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO DO THE WORK LOOKING LIKE THIS REQUIRES.
AND NOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO, AT LEAST IF YOU BELIEVE THE CLAIMS MADE BY FAST ABS, AB ENERGIZER AND AB TRONIC.
FOR BETWEEN $50 AND $135 DOLLARS, THESE COMPANIES WILL SELL YOU A DEVICE THEY CLAIM DOES ALL THE WORK FOR YOU. NOW PRINTED GUIDEBOOKS THAT COME WITH THE DEVICES DO SAY THAT DIET AND AEROBIC EXERCISE IS ALSO NECESSARY FOR A HEALTHY BODY. AND FINE PRINT IN THE INFOMERCIALS ALSO REFERS TO A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE AND THAT RESULTS MIGHT VARY.
BUT THE INFOMERCIALS REPEATEDLY SAY THAT TEN MINUTES WORTH OF ELECTRONIC AB STIMULATION IS EQUIVALENT TO 600 SIT-UPS. AND THEY HAVE THE TESTIMONIALS TO PROVE IT.
Ab Tronic Commercial "It's crystal clear that there's something healthy going on in your body when you're wearing the Ab Tronic."
Commercial "It feels like it's really working my abs, it really does. And I don't have to strain. "
Commercial "Makes you feel like you're doing the crunch without doing it. "
Commercial "I like it. I could put this on anytime."
Crenshaw BUT WILL YOU LIKE THE ELECTRONIC AB DEVICES AS MUCH AS THE FOLKS IN THESE COMMERCIALS? TO FIND OUT, WE GAVE ELECTRONIC AB DEVICES TO THREE OF OUR VIEWERS. EACH HAD SEEN THE INFOMERCIALS ON TV AND WANTED TO TRY OUT THE DEVICES.
Kim Moore "They show the people in the commercial like kind of like lounging on lawn chairs and stuff like that."
Helen Vallone "You know put the belt around your waist, put the gel on and it would just be no hassle."
Troy Hailey "The commercial to me said just wear the belt. You don't have to do anything. Just sit there and the belt does everything for you.
Crenshaw EACH OF OUR VIEWERS USED THEIR BELT FOR TWO TO FOUR WEEKS. IN A MOMENT, WE'LL FIND OUT IF THE DEVICES WORKED FOR THEM. BUT FIRST, WE WERE VERY INTERESTED IN THE INFOMERCIAL CLAIM THAT WEARING AB BELTS IS LIKE DOING HUNDREDS OF SIT-UPS, A SELLING POINT EACH DEVICE MAKES.
Commercial "Now you can get over 700 muscle exercising contractions in just 10 minutes. Just 10 minutes of Fast Abs is like doing 600 sit-ups. "
Commercial "The AbTronic System gives you the results of 600 sit-ups in 10 minutes without any effort."
Crenshaw SO WE WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND'S DEPARTMENT OF KINESIOLOGY TO MEET WITH EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGISTS DR. DANA PHARES AND JOSEF BRANDAUER. BOTH ARE EXPERTS IN PHYSICAL FITNESS AND KNOW HOW A CRUNCH IS SUPPOSED TO FEEL.
Crenshaw "That's a real crunch."
Josef Brandauer "That was a real crunch."
Crenshaw "What do you feel?"
Josef Brandauer "Well it's basically I feel muscle contraction all the way through my abdominal region, from down here in my pelvis to up to almost my sternum."
Dr. Dana Phares "I feel like my heart rate is a little higher, I'm breathing a little faster, and more importantly I feel some fatigue all along my rectus abdominus."
Crenshaw "In a tiny little muscle group?"
Dr. Dana Phares "Oh no, the whole muscle group."
WE GAVE THEM ELECTRONIC BELTS TO TRY OUT, THEN ASKED THEM TO ANSWER THE BIG QUESTION OUR VIEWERS WANT TO KNOW.
Crenshaw "Did it feel like a sit-up or a crunch?"
Dr. Dana Phares "Not at all. It felt very superficial and localized as opposed to a crunch, where you feel your whole abdominal area contracting and relaxing. "
Crenshaw "Ten minutes is equal to 600 sit-ups. Did you feel like you'd done 600 sit-ups?"
Dr. Dana Phares "Absolutely not. I didn't feel like I did one sit-up."
AND DR. BEN HURLEY, PROFESSOR OF KINESIOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SAYS THAT'S THE TRUTH BEHIND THESE AB DEVICES.
Crenshaw "Will these devices give me washboard abs?"
Dr. Ben Hurley "Extremely unlikely for that to happen if not impossible."
Crenshaw "Why not?"
Dr. Ben Hurley "Well I think a big part of somebody that looks like the people they have in these commercials are due to genetic endowment."
Crenshaw "Are these devices going to make me look like those people on TV?"
Dr. Ben Hurley "I have never seen any evidence that it would. It seems more likely that it would not."
SO HOW DO THE AB COMPANIES RESPOND TO OUR EXPERTS? DESPITE OUR EFFORTS, WE WERE UNABLE TO CONTACT AB TRONIC FOR A RESPONSE.
FAST ABS SAYS IT IS INTENDED TO IMPROVE MUSCLE TONE AND STRENGTH. IT SAYS WHEN USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH A DIET PLAN SOME CONSUMERS MAY LOSE WEIGHT, THOUGH INDIVIDUAL RESULTS WILL VARY.
AND THOMAS NELSON, THE C.E.O. OF AB ENERGIZER TELLS US HIS EXPERTS DISAGREE WITH OUR EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGISTS.
Thomas Nelson, CEO Ab Energizer "I can tell you there is a wealth of scientific studies that establish that electronic muscle stimulation as used in the Ab Energizer is effective."
FAST ABS SAYS THE SAME FOR ITS PRODUCT. NELSON ALSO SAYS THE AB ENERGIZER SHOULD BE USED AS PART OF A LIFESTYLE THAT INCLUDES A HEALTHY DIET AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE.
BUT WHAT DO OUR 3 VIEWERS THINK AFTER USING THEIR DEVICES?
Crenshaw "You've been using it for 2 weeks. Have you noticed any difference?"
Moore "No."
Crenshaw "No?"
Moore "No. "
Crenshaw "Three weeks."
Hailey "Uh-huh."
Crenshaw "And did you notice any difference at all?"
Hailey "No, not really."
Vallone "I've used it every day. And I read the book and followed the guidelines. I'm thin to begin with so I thought it wouldn't be much work to just get some abs, but it doesn't work for me."
Crenshaw "What's your advice?"
Moore "I would say that don't think that the machine is going to do everything for you, and don't think that you're going to look like the people on television with just this device, 'cause it's not going to work, it's not going to happen."
YESTERDAY WE CONTACTED ALL THREE OF OUR VIEWERS WHO TRIED THE AB DEVICES FOR US. EACH HAS STOPPED USING THE DEVICE.
Copyright 2002 by nbc4.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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