***What is a Lateral Thigh Trainer***
For those of you who have managed to miss the cheesy adverts on Sky for the Laterial Thigh Trainer (LTT) - where have you been?
The LTT is a revolutionary new way to work out - rather than being a traditional stepper where you just step up and down, the LTT swings out to the side as you step (like an ice skating motion) so it supposedly works your inner and outer thighs plus your bum and your obliques (the muscles that run up the sides of your torso).
If you also splash out and buy the "optional" power cords these can be combined into your workout to work your upper body whilst also working your lower body - sounds great eh?
***Settings***
The LTT has variable tension (which is great) so you can have it as easy or as hard as you like - for instance if you are doing a fast paced cardio workout you will want to put it on a faster setting. If you are doing a lower body resistance workout you will want to switch it to a slow setting.
Changing the setting is really easy - there is a lever on the base that you twist and slide to the desired setting. This is marked from slow to fast.
On the base of the unit there is also another tension setting device which you turn with an allen key if you find you need additional tension.
If you have balance problems (which I do - I have Disturbed Balance Disorder) then this can be a challenge in itself, they recommend that you place a chair in front of the LTT for you to steady yourself on until you get used to the motion or place the LTT in a doorway so you can brace yourself against the frame.
I found I didn't need to do this and
it was quite easy to get used to.
***The DVD***
The trainer comes with a workout video/DVD where Brenda Dygraft (apologies if I have spelt her name wrong) puts you through your paces. The DVD that I have contains 2 workouts - easy and advanced.
The easy workout is split into two sections each lasting around 7 minutes together with a warm up and cool down sections - the full routine lasts around 18 minutes.
The first section gets you used to the motion of the LTT and concentrates on your lower body. You run through the basic steps, both fast and slow.
The second section incorporates an upper body workout and here is where you can use the option power cords or hand weights. Brenda firstly shows you all the movements without weights and then with the power cords.
The advanced workout is one long workout lasting around 20 mins (including warm up and cool down). Again the workout starts with what Brenda calls the Bum Buster workout concentrating mainly on your lower body and then goes on to upper body training both with and without the power cords/weights.
Brenda constantly shouts "push, push, push" at you and by the end you do wonder whether she had you mixed up with someone having a baby.
***Price and Availability***
These things don't come cheap - if you buy one from one of the shopping channels on Sky you can expect to pay £89.99 for the LTT, plus approx £10-£20 for shipping. The optional (but you really need them) power cords cost another £9.99. The one from the TV also comes with a diet book which you should do in conjunction with the LTT to achieve maximum results.
The cheaper option is e-bay (where I bought mine). It cost £35 including postage, power cords and DVD - no diet book with this one. The LTT is exactly the same as the one off the TV, only the power cords differ slightly and don't appear to be quite as stretchy as the ones that Brenda has!
***My Experience***
My hubby ordered the LTT from E-bay and it arrived after only 3 days. I was very excited when it arrived but full of trepidation.... how easy was this going to be to assemble??? My fears were needless. The only assembly it required was to remove the travel feet and put the workout feet on it and to put a battery in the computer and then screw the pedals on. This took around 5 minutes in all. It even came with a screwdriver/allen key.
They claim you will see results after only 10 sessions so I will keep a diary:
Session 1: So now it's time to workout. I popped the DVD in the machine, picked the easy workout and pressed play.
Here she is - Queen of the Cheese, Brenda Dycraft - dressed in bright yellow cycle shorts and cropped top to highlight what a wonderful body you are going to have after working out for only minutes a day - yes, well we'll see.
The DVD starts off with a short warm up away from the LTT - nothing too taxing there - and then it's time to "step up to the fun". You step onto the first peddle (which hopefully is already at floor level) and then put your other foot on the other peddle which is up in the air.
I'd set the tension level to a fairly low level just in case I struggled and off we went. The first bit is basically just getting you used to the stepping motion and Brenda runs you through the different steps at varying speeds whilst all the whilst smiling cheesily and telling you which bit of your body you should be using. I found this quite helpful as a lot of the time I found I wasn't using the right muscle to do something. The second section where you have to use the power cords is a bit more challenging but still easy to pick up.
I found the easy workout exactly that - easy. Will definitely turn up the tension on my next go.
Session 2: No aching after the last go so I definitely didn't have it set on a high enough setting. I tightened up the tension setting on the base of the LTT as well as with the sliding scale. Yes, it's much harder to move this time and I my legs are aching a little when i've finished.
Sessions 3-6: Kept with the same setting as session 2 but i'm finding it's getting a little easier now. Must put the tension up on the next go.
Session 7: I've put the tension up but I think the easy workout is just too easy for me now. I'm going to try the advance workout next.
Session 8: ooooohhhh, i'm going to try the advanced workout. The warm up session is a little more vigorous and Brenda has a new outfit for the occasion - still in that horrendous yellow colour. Yes this is a lot more challenging. I'm not using the power cords this time as I want to get used to the moves without worrying about anything else. By the time the workout has finished I'm severely "glowing" - ladies don't sweat - and my legs definitely know i've been working out!
Session 9: I definitely felt the burn after the last workout and feel like the sessions are doing me some good. I try the power cords this time and find that they're not too bad because I remember the moves from my last go. One thing - my power cords don't seem as stretchy as Linda's, I can't put them up over my head like she does - maybe they will loosen with time??? Or maybe I need bigger muscles!!
Session 10: This is the important one - after this I should notice a difference in my body, whether it be weight loss or inch loss. We will see. I find the workout much easier this time as I know what I am doing and have control over my power cords.
The Verdict: well after my 10 sessions I have not noticed much change in my body - I've actually gained 2lbs (well they say muscle weighs more than fat) although perhaps my bum does look a little less wobbly - this could be my imagination. I'm not particularly fat to begin with (around 10st 10lb) and maybe that's the problem. I think it's probably larger people who will notice a significant different after such a short time. I think it will take at least 30 goes before I can say for definite whether this works. I'll keep you posted! All in all I think for the price I paid this is a great workout and does appear to do all that it claims! I would recommend this to my fellow Ciaoers but say buy one from e-bay as its much cheaper!
Thanks for reading!
UPDATE: I've done 10more sessions and turned up the tension a little and I think i'm actually starting to notice the difference. The stripy trousers I wear for work are now starting to drop down a little and I am constantly hitching them up. Still no change weight wise but wobbly bits are starting to firm up!
UPDATE 2007: My LTT has broken and doesn't appear able to be fixed (boo hoo). The tension is no longer there and now a 3 year old child could press the pedals easily. Unfortunately for me (because I stupidly bought it off e-bay) I am unable to contact the seller so cannot get a replacement without buying another one. I'm not impressed that it lasted less than six months. Don't buy one from e-bay unless you know and trust the seller.
by (10%):
30.08.2007 17:54
Excellent review. I really like the way you kept a diary for the first ten days, and the updates were helpful too!
12.08.2007 10:22
Very good review ! The updatings are really essential, thanks.
11.07.2007 10:29
I have a stepping machine but find it hard to get motivated to use it and I forget, mine didn't come with a video and I suppose that helps, are you getting another it sounds as if it was doing you good. David