nothing electrical to go wrong, saves time by being cardio and toning in one
Disadvantages:
price
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I’m going to admit to something shameful. It’s a terrible habit, and very addictive, whilst annoying everyone else in the house. It’s hard to admit to, but I think if I just say it out loud, and maybe if people say they do it too, I’ll feel better about it. Here goes.
I enjoy watching shopping channels.
I don’t mean I just watch them when there’s nothing on; I actively watch and enjoy them. There, I said it.
I think my favourite shopping channel adverts are the ones for exercise equipment, as I love all the technical terms; ‘this one trains your abs’, ‘this one will put you in your cardio fat burning zone’, and so on. So, anyway, one day I was watching Vector Direct, when this strange tree trunk looking blonde woman came on, and started talking about this new exercise gadget.
Every time we turned onto the shopping channels, there she was, stepping up and down on this huge black thing. It looked like a stepper machine, but, as she kept saying, it moved in and out as well as up and down. My interest was peaked further by the two promises always made by these exercise gadgets; you can do it in front of the telly, and it’s fun to do. Inane American women who have less fat on them than a toothpick usually make these promises; but this advert showed women aged 69, and women who were about my size, all extolling the virtues of this machine.
Repeated viewing did nothing except make me more intrigued, and when I finally got some cash through for a website I wrote about 8 years ago, I decided to actually buy one of these machines, and give it a test drive.
This new healthy regime will be the death of my wallet you know.
SO WHAT ACTUALLY IS IT?
This black thing (taking up half of my bedroom floor) is called the Lateral Thigh Trainer. It looks like a normal stepper machine, but the paddles are enormous, and because they are at an angle, the whole thing is fairly cumbersome.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST, AND WHERE CAN YOU GET IT?
I got mine from a website, but they also sell it on many of the shopping channels. If you have Sky, then you’ll probably know where to look. It costs £89.95, with £6.95 postage and packaging on top. This is very expensive in my view for this piece of equipment, but then again, if it works and is enjoyable, then I won’t really mind. You can actually get it for three instalments of £29.95, which works out at about the same price, and there’s a thirty day money back guarantee if you’re unhappy.
WHAT IS IT SUPPOSED TO DO?
Normal steppers work on the front and back leg muscles as they only go up and down. Because the LTT (as we shall call it from now on) moves out to the side as well as up and down, it firms the side muscles in your legs, as well as the muscles around your waist and stomach (abs and obliques). The workout is supposed to combine two different aspects of a ‘normal gym’ workout, as it provides not only aerobic exercise, but also toning exercise.
Basically what all that means, is that if you use this (in conjunction with a healthy eating plan) you’ll lose weight, and your shape will be better.
HOW EASY IS IT TO PUT TOGETHER?
The LTT didn’t really need any putting together. All I had to do was remove the shipping feet, put on the rubber feet, and then put the ‘computer’ into the space provided. It’s then ready to use!
DO YOU GET ANYTHING ELSE WITH IT?
You get a frankly rubbish ‘diet plan’ book, which basically says to eat less and don’t drink alcohol, which I thought was a complete waste of time. The thing in the box that has had the most use is the video. Apart from Brenda Dygraff looking scarily masculine, she is actually quite motivating, as she keeps on saying ‘Good job!’ even when I stand still and pant.
CAN ANYONE USE IT?
This is where I got annoyed with the manufacturer. Before it arrived, I had no idea there was a weight limit on it. For most people the weight limit is going to be high enough at 17 stone 12, but for the small majority of us that weigh more than that, I was a bit peed off they hadn’t mentioned that once in the advert.
Anyway, never one to deny myself, I started using it straightaway at 2 stone over the weight limit. I listened carefully to see if I could hear any creaking or snapping, and when I didn’t, I decided it was probably safe to carry on. I’ve used it every night for a week, and nothing has broken. The only thing I wouldn’t recommend is to have it on the ‘slow’ setting, as the setting stick moves, probably indicating some stress.
SLOW SETTING?
Yes, the machine has a ‘fast’ and a ‘slow’ setting. All this basically means is it’s harder to move the paddles up and down on the slow setting as there is more resistance. To change the resistance, there is a black stick coming out of the back of the LTT that moves backwards and forwards. I haven’t had chance to use this setting properly, but I’ll be updating this review once I get to the recommended weight and can use this function.
HOW EASY IS IT TO START USING?
It’s a bit tricky getting the hang of it at first. I started off using it holding onto the back of a chair as I kept feeling I was falling off. It only took about ten minutes to get used to the motion, and after a week I’m totally proficient on it.
HOW NOISY IS IT?
I was asked to include this, so here goes. It's very quiet actually, a lot quieter than some other exercise equipment I've heard. The only sound you get is a slight thud if you press your foot down too hard, but the rest of the time, due to it being powered by a bicycle chain, there's really no noise to speak of, and it will not annoy anyone else in the room.
IS THE INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO ANY GOOD?
To be fair, once you get used to the intensely taut Ms Dygraff, the video is pretty good. It has a warm up and cool down section, which as we all know is very important when exercising, and the two workouts are only ten minutes long each, which means you don’t get bored too quickly. Once you’ve done it a couple of times, it’s pretty easy to remember the moves and do yourself whilst watching a film or a music channel.
WHAT IS THE COMPUTER YOU MENTIONED?
It’s an incredibly bog standard pager size calculator ‘thing’, which is meant to give you total number of steps, calories burnt, and time stepping. However, mine hasn’t worked correctly since I got it, and is frankly a waste of time.
DO YOU SEE RESULTS?
A week is a bit too soon to say, but my heart rate definitely goes into the cardio fat burning zone (about 130-150), and I can definitely feel it in my leg muscles, so I know something must be happening. I’m not any trimmer yet, but I’ll keep updating this review after every few weeks.
IN CONCLUSION
The fact that once you buy it you don’t need anything else is a plus for me. There’s also nothing to go wrong on it as it’s based on a bicycle chain system, so there’s nothing electronic to break down. It also does exactly what it says it does; it targets the areas promised, and gives a cardio and a toning workout in one.
However, the price is going to put people off, and both the diet plan and computer elements of the package are poor.
IS IT GOOD FUN AND CAN YOU DO IT IN FRONT OF THE TELLY?
I can think of more good fun things to do to be honest, but at least you can watch a film while you’re doing it, as it certainly is very easy to use in front of the TV!
After watching the video a couple of times, I've learnt the steps off by heart, and can now do them whilst watching anything on the telly! I usually watch something that lasts for half an hour, and then I know I'm doing the correct workout length.
I can't say if just on its own it is making a difference, but my waist, stomach and legs are definitely more toned than they were before.
UPDATE - A MONTH INTO USING THE THIGH TRAINER
I am still using it every evening for ten minutes, and I have noticed a big difference to my stomach and bottom - jeans which were previously a bit tight are now loose in these areas, and my calves are like rocks!
I'm so used to using it now, it doesn't even feel like a workout, until I get off that is!
very helpful
very helpful
very helpful
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