I see all these “torso” machines on tv infomercials: Torso Track, Torso Tiger, and so on … I have seen at least 3 other similar devices.
Does anyone here own one of these and use them? If so, how well do you like it? Which machine, if any, would you recommend?
I am 6ft 1in, 190lbs but I am growing a Homer Simpson gut and I wanna kill it before it kills me. What’s the Straight Dope on these gadgets?
Um…I don’t claim to be an expert on this topic in any sense, but it’s my understanding that working a specific set of muscles doesn’t do anything but make more muscles. In other words, you aren’t going to get rid of your gut by working your abs, no matter what the infomercials claim. If you have a generally flat stomach to begin with, you could develop muscle tone with one of those machines, but to lose the fat you’re better off with an all-around diet and aerobic exercise plan.
I am rather fond of the ab-flex things that support your neck while you’re doing sit-ups. But, as I said, I carry most of my extra fat on my tummy, and even though I can do sixty-five situps at a stretch now where two years ago I could barely do fifteen, I can’t say that I’ve lost an inch in that specific area of my body. You can get a basic ab-flex thing for around $20 at Wal-Mart, or you could, the last time I checked. I never trust those infomercial things to actually have a good price.
I know I should modify my diet. I also know that I have a moderate amount of fat in the ole gut region. However, I know for a fact, that my gut looks larger than it actually is, because my abs are very weak. If I eat nothing, or very little, for a day my gut appears to be marginally average. However, after I eat a meal, I turn into Homer Simpson. The muscles in my abs are very elastic. If I eat anything, it blows up like a basketball. I have a lot of back problems because I have weak ab muscles. I really want to work on this. It’s killing me. I have never tested my body fat index, but I guesstimate that I could stand to lose about 10-15 pounds from my abominal region.
1.Vacuum kitchen floor.
2.Acquire mop bucket full of hot soapy water and one(1) medium sized rag.
3.Kneel on floor as seen in commercials.
4.Dip rag in bucket, place rag on floor.
5.Place hands on rag, begin pushing and pulling rag.
6.Continue to do so until entire floor is clean.
As far as I know, this will work just as well
as the Torso-whatevers and is by far cheaper.
Plus, the floor looks really nice when you
are done. 