BUSTED: Shake Weight

Do I really need to talk about the sham Shake Weight is?  Seriously!  This ranks right up there with the ThighMaster as the worse fitness product ever.  All it lacks is a has-been celebrity to endorse it (just haven’t given them enough time).   And the movement of its operation is notoriously perverted.  However, I will leave that up to Saturday Night Live and South Park to comment.  

Once again, I feel almost silly having to talk about its effectiveness.  On the same token, I feel as if I must.  I know people who have purchased it and people ask me about it all the time.  I actually watched a trainer going along with a local TV station, which was providing the product to his clients to test its effectiveness.  I couldn’t believe it.  It would be like testing the effectiveness of using football cleats as flippers.

So, let me try to explain logistically how this product is among the worse fitness products ever made (if not the worse).  

Not Weight Bearing Enough!   The commercial tries to fool you into thinking that lifting real weights are ineffective.  Quite the contrary!  You need to lifts weights or have some form of resistance that stress the muscles just enough for there to be results.  Even if you’re an old, old lady, the resistance of the 2.5 lbs model for women and the 5 lbs version for men is not going to be enough weight.  

No Range of Motion!  Now, here is the thing that is most laughable about the product… it uses “dynamic inertia”.  This description of this movement is getting a far different meaning in the Urban Dictionary.  However, here is its real definition, “the tendency of an object to stay in its state of rest or motion until acted on by an external force.”  As far exercise, this state of physics is useless.  

Our muscles require you to move with greater, if not full range of motion about a lever (a joint).  (read Two tips to maximize your weight training efforts)  What in the world, in the real world, do we grab and shake other than tambourines and chocolate milk.  You require proper loading of a muscle fiber as it fully shortens and lengthens.  There’s hardly any range of motion with Shake Weight.  As a matter of fact, the range of motion is virtually nil.  I can argue that this “dynamic inertia” can be injurious and decrease flexibility due to braking mechanics behind the movements.  Though I can, for my sake, I’m not going to go into too much detail on that.  Nor, do I need too.

I'm sure he got this body with Shake Weight

Only works the arms!  Okay if what I said is not enough to convince you; maybe this will do it for you.  Here’s a question I will ask that will help:  Do you really think the models they used in the commercials actually got their body, let alone their arms, looking like that with a Shake Weight?  Hardly!  They went to the gym.  Unfortunately, they find people who like good and part aside any ethics to make a buck.  No way this product is going to make you look like the guys and gals they use in these commercials.

Hopefully, I have given you enough info for you to realize that Shake Weight is a sham.  I truly believe it is among the worse fitness product shams there ever was.  The sad part is the product is selling like hotcakes.  Please, DON’T buy this product.  Save your money or buy something that makes sense.