Shake Weight Review: Better then Push-Ups?

The first time you see a commercial for Shake Weight thinitial reaction is “they must be joking, right?”. But the makers of the device are laughing all the way to the bank, as another product in a long line of cheaply-made and cleverly-marketed As Seen On TV products goes through the boom and bust cycle of mass consumerism.

Overview
Shake Weight targets women that want to get Michelle Obama arms in record time and with little effort on their part. As it turns out this includes enough women to make it a phenomenon. The producers and marketers of these fitness products sold on TV are absolute experts at uncovering the next trend, and determining what the market is hungry for. Their promotional campaigns are devastatingly effective. Too bad their products are notoriously ineffective.

The Claim
By using the Shake Weight for just 6 minutes a day women can have lean, toned arms instead of fat, saggy arms. By using a newly dreamt-up term called “dynamic inertia” by just resisting the shaking motion that Shake Weight creates you’ll engage the muscles primarily in the upper arms and chest and get a workout that they claim is better than using dumbbells.

The Hype
Shake Weight falls into the category of lazy results. It’s a very seductive promise, and is used in all sorts of industries where people are drawn in by results without effort, from money-making schemes to muscle-building programs. The truth is that hard work, time, proper eating and patience are what will get rid of flabby arms, regardless of whether or not you use a Shake Weight.

Shake Weight enjoyed a lot of fast and furious popularity, even landing itself on South Park as the focal point of an entire episode. The initial surge has seemed to have faded and now most people have either tried it and moved on to the next thing, or written it off as a waste of time and money.

The Cost
Shake Weight is reasonably priced at $30 including shipping and handling. If you try it and don’t like it they have a money back guarantee, but for the price you can just keep it in the hopes that you might one day use it again, or sell it off in your next garage sale and avoid the hassle of having to deal with their customer service.

The Commitment
You’re encouraged by the manufacturer to use Shake Weight for just 6 minutes a day. They’ve greatly reduced the amount of commitment required, which is often a sign that a product and it’s promises will not deliver. Reducing the amount of time it takes to complete a workout to just 6 minutes is a foot-in-the-door tactic to get you to buy it.

Evaluation
The actual act us using the Shake Weight as described in the instructions seems that it would be ineffective. There doesn’t seem to be enough resistance created to produce any noticable muscle growth. It may prove effective for the morbidly obese and extremely sedentary individual that cannot perform regular exercise such as bicep curls or bench presses.

Does Shake Weight Really Work?

Compared to not making any motion at all, Shake Weight does seem to provide moderate levels of exertion. Will it help you combat the flabby arms that many women are unhappy with? This remains to be proven, even with all of the “scientific” proof alluded to at their website. If by ‘work’ you’re asking does Shake Weight live up to the claims made on it’s infomercials and website, then no, it most likely does not.

Our Recommendation
You can get the same or better results by doing push ups with your own body weight for the chest, biceps, and trips, and dips using a chair for your triceps. This way you don’t have to invest in a Shake Weight or follow their program.

However, if it gets you up off the sofa and moving around the living room following along with one of the workout programs included in the DVD, then by all means go for it! When it comes to fitness it doesn’t matter which gadget gets you going, or for long, just as long as you get active and keep going.

Official Website: Shake Weight

What do you think? Does Shake Weight really work?