The Ab Glider is just one gadget on a long list of abdominal strengthening exercise machines. Americans have a soft spot for these types of products, and can always find room in their home for one more. Even though it looks a lot like Ab Circle Pro, it’s its own machine with its own benefits.
Overview
What makes these sort of products appealing is that they promise to help us with a part of the body that vexes both men and women. So many people hold extra weight in their midsection that there is always a ready market set to devour the next product that comes along with a shred of hope that it might solve the problem for good.
The other angle is that conventional sit-ups and crunches were designed by the Antichrist as a way to punish us here on Earth. So many people would rather jump off a cliff than do floor crunches. Anything that gets you off the floor and makes the process easier is warmly embraced.
The Claim
Ab Glider claims to be the fastest way to get 6 pack abs. They also say that it only takes 3 minutes per day to achieve these results. Their spokeswoman Elisabeth Hasselbeck also keeps the claims coming in their advertisements, and promotional videos.
They also claim that the product is made with great quality, is more comfortable, and gives you faster results than conventional abdominal exercises. They say that because of the cross-motion system that the machine uses, you get a workout that is twice as effective.
What they’re doing is combining two different popular abdominal machines into one. By using the rocking motion of the Ab Coaster and the back-and-forth motion of Ab Circle Pro they are considering this as two machines in one. Because the Ab Glider is less expensive than those two ab machines, they also say that it is a better bargain as well.
The Hype
The hype comes from the industry, which is always producing new machines, each supposedly better than the last. As consumers, it can be hard to tell the good from the bad because they all look relatively the same. Only through a process of trial and error can someone say with certainty which machines work, and which do not.
The Cost
Even though the Ab Glider claims the sales price of $150 in their comparison chart with their competitors, the fine print points out that it is actually a grand total of $207 when it is all said and done. This is only if you decide to keep the machine after taking advantage of the risk-free trial.
If you want to forgo the free trial, and just buy it outright and pick it up from Amazon for about $170. or, you can still get the free trial and save about $32 if you just make one payment instead of choosing the financing option. This puts you at $175 including shipping and $15 to try it out for the first 30 days.
The Commitment
Commitment is one of the biggest stumbling blocks when it comes to ab machines. No matter how easy they make the machines to use you still have to be the one that uses it. These companies are masters of being able to convince you that this time will be different. They sell the fantasy that your life will be more active if you just buy the machine.
Evaluation
When trying to build a one-size-fits-all exercise machine, it is only natural to get some users saying it does not work. With the varying body sizes out there, tall, short, fat, petite, there is just no way to please everyone 100% of the time.
You also have to take into account user error, which plays a big part in something that requires some amount of dexterity and physical ability. There is no way to tell what kind of physical shape people are in, or what their background is in regards to exercising and fitness.
Some people are going to have an easier time at this right out-of-the-box, while others will struggle with it even after months of use. And still others will never use it and still claim that it does not work when it is just collecting dust in their walk-in closet.
You have to base a machine like this on how well it is constructed and whether or not it functions the way it needs to, and disregard any feedback from users that talked about whether or not it gave them results.
The concept behind Ab Glider is solid. If used correctly and consistently, and when combined with a diet full of healthy foods and additional exercise, there is no reason why you should not see results with enough time.
Final Ab Glider Review
The Ab Glider may not live up to his exaggerated claims, and the before-and-after pictures they use on their website are most definitely not to be trusted. But overall there is no reason to suspect that they have made an ineffective product.
Our research shows that the unit is well constructed and when used in an overall strategy for weight loss and muscle gain it can serve its purpose. Sure, you can find negative reviews from people that say it does not work, but the scale is tipped towards people that say it does work, and in this instance we have to side with them.
Our Recommendation
The Ab Glider will not solve all of your abdominal woes. However, if you are fed up with doing crunches on the ground and you feel this contraption will help you stay more motivated and actually do some sort of ab work, then it is a good buy. We recommend this to anyone who is already following a fitness regimen as a way to shake up their ab routine and stay motivated.
If you lead a sedentary lifestyle we recommend taking small steps to lead a more active life before investing in products like this so that you know you will get your money’s worth and won’t expect it to change your life.
Official Website: Ab Glider
i’ve had 2 different ab gliders in 4 years. if you use it often, the rollers underneath the carriage wear out making the sliding action very rough and loud. i looked up the price to replace the rollers( 2). lets just say it was too much. i found my 2nd one at a salvation army thrift store for 35 bucks. i like being off the floor for ab exercise also. however, i do over 300 swivels at a time along with 100 reps of the other 2 major exercises. if you can’t put in 15 to 20 minutes of continuous exercise here along with a healthy diet, you’re probably wasting your time.
It does really work. You have to do the exercises properly and use your abs (not your arms or legs). I love this machine. Had to sell it because we moved across the country but I bought another one to replace it and it will be here next week. The price is only 75 dollars now. It’s not expensive at all and it’s really the only ab exercise I actually like to do. But it does take a bit of space to use it And to swing back and forth so keep that in mind. Make sure you lock it in place especially if you have small kids because if they try to play on it they could hurt themselves if it’s not stationary. Also they said it stores easily but i never did bother to figure out how to store it … just left it up
Man, this stuff makes me crazy. They claim that this is the fastest way to get six pack abs. IT IS NOT! Do not believe any of the hype you hear about these machines that supposedly are a fast way to achieve success. THEY DO NOT MAKE IT EASIER TO GET SIX PACK ABS! Nothing makes it easier to get six pack abs. Getting a body like the woman advertising this machine looks the way she does because of a very strictly controlled diet. Yes she exercises, but the correct diet is 80% of the reason why someone looks lean and muscular like she does. Not because of the machine she uses.