I have bought numerous items from Argos in the past and my general opinion has always been 'I won't be shopping there again'! Unfortunately when we make statements like that the inevitable always tends to happen at some point! I ended up regretting this one, too.
It was around 4 years ago now that I underwent surgery which involved a vertical incision right on my abdominal wall (known as a laparotomy). Unfortunately this meant that until I had gained enough strength and recovered over time that I couldn't even sit myself up in my bed without nurses intervention. I did eventually manage it and built my strength back, but I felt I such go gentle with exercise and that this was an area of my body that I wanted to concentrate on. I bought the Abdotrim Tummy Exerciser from the Argos Value Range as a temporary measure to give me a hand during sit-ups.
The Tummy Exerciser is designed to help strengthen your abdominal muscles as you work out. The Exerciser itself isn't at all comfortable to use, and I never got used to the way I operated it as I don't think the design had had much thought put into it. The idea is that by making just small movements thatn a full sit-up you will concentrate your energies into your abs. Ultimately the work-out turns out to be most uncomfortable and the frame is of a poor standard.
Priced at around the £10 mark it was never going to be the greatest piece of kit, but I did expect some comfort at the very least. I think the trainer worked, however, but not without me feeling I would have been better to have spent a little bit more on a better model. The suggestion is that you should start off with just a handful of crunches. I think I started with 10 or a dozen and built up from there.
The Argos Value Abdotrim Tummy Exerciser certainly has its limitations and is by no means going to be a permanent fixture in your gym - it wasn't built to last! The packaging advises it is only meant for those weighing up to 100kg, so that just shows how sutdy it really isn't!
I am overall reasonably happy with the way this product served its purpose and for the price I wouldn't say it left me feeling robbed. Unfortunately it isn't an ideal product if you wish to use it regularly. I found it adequate for my needs to recover from surgery.
