Editorial
Front Page - Friday, October 15, 2010
What’ll they dream up next?
Shake Weight
Misty S. Brown
They say you should avoid conversations about religion and politics in mixed company. Although I’m fascinated by religion and wouldn’t mind a conversation about different religious experiences at any time, it’s never really a problem for me to skip out on the political topic of conversation.
I will agree that our country is in great distress in many ways, but I have no hard and fast solution for fixing it. I just pray that our elected leaders will get us where we need to be without a lot of strife from both sides of the aisle. But I digress.
Although I’m not a fan of politics, there is one politician’s wife whom I will admit I am a little envious of – Michelle Obama. I don’t know what all she’s done for the country or where she stands on any issues, but I will admit that I am a huge fan of her killer arms. They get as much press time as Barack’s birth certificate, so I know I’m not alone in this envy.
Earlier this spring I purchased the Shake Weight to make an effort to get back into shape and get Michelle-like arms.
What it is
The Shake Weight for women is a 2.5-pound dumbbell that uses “dynamic inertia” to increase muscle activity in the upper body.
How it works
The Shake Weight works by grasping the middle of the shaft, locking your wrists and shaking the dumbbell back and forth with one or both hands. The dynamic inertia means that the weights on each end of the shaft fire and recoil rapidly back and forth by the piston-like motion. This results in more contractions per minute than a traditional dumbbell, which aims to build strength and definition faster.
Pros and cons
I’ll just throw this one out there – the Shake Weight has been parodied on “Saturday Night Live” because of its suggestive commercials. Because of this, I wouldn’t let anybody see you using this outside of the privacy of your own home.
The Shake Weight makes a ton of noise as it shakes back and forth, which is pretty obnoxious. A traditional dumbbell only makes noise when you clang it against another one or drop it on the floor.
I’m a big fan of doing something, anything to get off the couch to be active and lose weight. While this only takes six minutes a day, I think that people who are obese will be disappointed that it will actually take more work than this to get into shape.
Another major flaw I see with this product is that it is another one of those spot-reducing gimmicks. One person likened spot reducing to removing a bucket of water from a pool. The corner of the pool where you removed the water won’t be lower than the rest of the pool, just as working only on your triceps or abs won’t get your overall body into shape.
When you do a workout with the Shake Weight, you will feel your muscles tightening, but the effects aren’t long lasting. Some people do say that it was effective and they use it often. I, on the other hand, had better results by tossing this in the bottom of my closet and heading to the gym.
The good thing about this product is that it is lightweight, so it can be good for stuffing it in a suitcase and working out while on vacation. However, because it is lightweight, it doesn’t feel like much of a workout. There is a heavier 5-pound version for men that might be better.
Because some of the Shake Weight exercises require two-hand operation, these are sold separately instead of in pairs. Also, because some of the exercises require you to shake it while pointing it toward your chest, it might be easy to slip and smack yourself in the face with it.
Overall, it’s not a terrible product, but I think it would be more beneficial to buy a set of dumbbells at a higher weight and incorporate more cardio and movement into your exercise regime. Eating a healthy diet wouldn’t hurt either.
Where to buy
The Shake Weight with a workout DVD is available at Wal-mart for $19.88. You can also find it at Walgreens, Bed Bath and Beyond, Best Buy, Sports Authority, GNC and myriad other locations for $19.99. The men’s version costs about $10 more.
Submissions
Send your gadget ideas to misty@dailydata.com.
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