A Wheelie bad idea!!!!!! Golds Gym Exercise wheel
 Mar 11th, 2009
Advantages:
None
Disadvantages:
You could quite easily end up in traction ! ! ! ! ! Awful, disasterous etc etc
Recommendable:
No
  Logan33
About me:
oooooohhhhh I'm RED! Thank you to everyone who has read and rated my reviews thus far, I always try ...
Member since:28.01.2009
Reviews:63
Members who trust:59
Review rated by 45 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
Now this piece of kit is right up there with the most pointless, cheap, nasty and in my opinion dangerous pieces of equipment on the market. I almost laughed out loud when I first came across this and perhaps offers proof that some people will buy THE most pointless pieces of equipment known to man in the pursuit of physical perfection. My first thought was not that it was a piece of exercise equipment but rather a toy emulating the “Wheelies” from Return to OZ. I was wrong
WHAT IS IT?
You can’t really dress this piece of equipment up, it’s a plastic rod which has been put through a wheel. That’s it. You hold each side of the wheel and roll backwards and forwards and this action apparently works out the abdominal muscles. Essentially you become a wheelbarrow. Apologies for the crude analogy but that really is all there is too it.
Gold’s gym however are much better at pitching this product. Here’s what they have to say about it:
“Another great alternative to stressful crunches and strenuous sit-ups. Our smooth-gliding Exercise Wheel, built from sturdy plastic, will tighten and tone arms, abs, hips, buttocks and thighs“.
Features: Contoured handgrips to provide a secure, comfortable grip.
Just push slowly and hold your position, before returning to the start position. The forwards and backwards movement works your abs in both directions.
Stressful crunches and strenuous sit-ups? I hope they don’t use the same line when describing their abdominal roller which is designed to emulate just that!!! I’m also quite impressed by their claims that it will tone up your arms, abs, hips buttocks and thighs. Quite impressive, in fact I’m thinking about trading in the cross trainer that cost me £400 for this incredible little machine if it does all that, especially since it only costs about a fiver! Should I choose this path however, I would be left extremely disappointed and quite possibly broken.
MY EXPERIENCE
Well for a fiver I thought I’d buy one and see if it was any good. I tend to do this before I release it on my clients at the gym. I’m glad I did. This piece of equipment is absolutely shocking.
Firstly it is THE most boring exercise I have ever done. Backwards, forwards, backwards, forwards. There is very little in the way of variation without the devise becoming seriously dangerous. That said however, I did enjoy punting my way around the gym like a possessed 5 year old……….that was however until I took a face plant straight into one of the running machines.
Secondly and from a physiological perspective, I am amazed that this devise ever made it to market. Whilst performing the backward and forward exercises as stated in the instructions, I could definitely feel that my abdominals and gluteals (My butt) were getting a workout. However the machine was putting an immense pressure on my middle to lower spine. Now when I say immense, this has to be one of the most contraindicated exercises I have ever done in my life.
The problem is this. There is a threshold when the machine is doing its job in comparison to it becoming a major threat to your safety. This threshold is the distance forward you push the wheel. The problem is if you don’t push far enough, the machine will be doing very little if anything to your abdominals, if you push to far forward, your back starts to arc uncontrollably. Add to the fact that not only is your back arcing but also the muscles around the spine are contracting under huge stress to try and stabilise the body, then you have a potential disaster on your hands. Even worse, if you find yourself in this position, you have two options. One take a face plant into the mat, or two try and recover your starting position which means even more stress on your back muscles. This is ludicrous and even the most experienced exercisers found this to be a problem. Why run the risk of serious injury when you can do other exercises that will do the same/an even better job!!!!!
In reality you could never use this equipment unless you had a trainer with you to a) check your body position at all times b) save you when the time comes (and it will). The machine is frighteningly dangerous.
PRICE
So how much will this disastrous piece of manufacturing set you back? Goldsgymdirect.co.uk £8.99
Indirect.com £6.99
Home-gym-equipment.co.uk £5.95
Ebay £6.99
IN CONCLUSION
This piece of equipment is extremely cheap in cost but expensive in potential damage! Used correctly (which is difficult) its effects are minimal, used incorrectly (which is easy!) its going to destroy your back.
I would never recommend this piece of equipment to anybody and would happily give it zero stars if I could!!!!! Hope this helps,
Kind Regards, Logan
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14.03.2009 17:02
Another fine read! Gav
14.03.2009 11:08
You certainly have a wealth of gym gadgets - this sounds too much altogether! Sue
13.03.2009 12:33
Great review, sounds like a gimik to avoid! Rebecca Xx