Informercial Excercisers: Which Really Work?

Now that its 2009, many of us are looking to lose a few pounds.  And this time of year, you can't miss Infomercials for exercise equipment that promise to get you looking great in no time.

But do any of them really work?

TV infomercials promise to make dropping holiday pounds so easy. So our partners at Consumer Reports magazine decided to test several heavily-advertised excercisers. 

Comparing Workout Equipment

The magazine's experts measured muscle activity and the number of calories burned.  And they compared the workout they got on a standard treadmill ... and using nothing more than a floor mat.

Poor Reviews

Not a winner: the $100 Ab Rocket, which proved slightly less effective than traditional ab exercises.

Also not a winner, and even less effective: the $230 Rock'n Go. None of the panelists who tried it said they'd buy it.

"It didn't feel like I was doing any exercise at all while I was using it, " one tester said.  Another said "I don't think it is even worth it if it were free. No exercise at all."

Good Reviews

However, two exercisers gave a pretty decent workout, according to Consumer Reports.

Good were The $200 CardioTwister and the $80 Rock'n Roll Stepper, which burned the same number of calories as walking briskly on a treadmill.

The overall winner: The Bowflex TreadClimber, most effective of all of them.

Sue Booth of Consumer Reports says "Walking on the TreadClimber at the highest speed burns about the same amount of calories as running on a treadmill at six miles per hour."

Unfortunately, the Bowflex was also the most expensive : $2,500, proving that top equipment tends to cost top dollar.

As always, don't waste your money. I'm John Matarese.