Body by Jake "The Solution" Ab Machine Review

The Solution is a brand-new ab exercise machine from Body by Jake, the same company that brought us the popular Tower 200 home "door gym," the Cardio Cruiser Plus, and the Shadow Boxer Knockout "body workout" system. Although the infomercials have just started to run, there's already a big demand for Body By Jake Solution reviews online.

We have not yet gotten our hands on this new ab gadget but, just from watching the commercial, we can make a few observations and comments:

1. It looks freaking FUN! Let's face it, many infomercial fitness products simply look boring as hell. The Solution is not one of those. Whether it works or not, performing crunches on something that looks like a dang virtual reality video game controller seems like it might be a great idea.

2. Apparently it "knows what you want to do... even without you being on it!" We're not sure it's a good thing that an exercise machine -- other than a motorized treadmill -- can move by itself without any effort from the user. Or that it "knows" what we want to do... mind-reading exercise machines freak us out!

3. It looks like it could be effective. In general, abdominal movements that involve the upper abs, lower abs, and obliques do strengthen the core/midsection muscle area well. Also, the Solution machine appears to allow you to move in multiple planes of motion, always a good thing. But we're talking about strengthening and toning the abdominal muscles here, not burning fat.

4. The whole "Gravitational Linkage" system looks interesting... but it appears to allow the user to operate the device using his or her arm and shoulder muscles almost exclusively. If it's an "abdominal" machine why does it involve so much arm/shoulder power?

5. If this is truly Mario Lopez's workout, Body by Jake is gonna sell about 10 million of these things. 95% of the guys in the world want to look like Mario... and 99% of women want their husband/boyfriend to look like him too!

As cool and fun as the Solution looks, we're not sure if it's worth the price (currently about $269.00 - $315 depending on whether or not you pay in installments). In general, products like this are only worth the cost if they make working out more enjoyable... and lead you to exercise more often and/or more intensely. But no ab machine is going to burn off your belly fat and give you six pack abs all by itself. That requires a focused combination of dieting, cardio exercise, and proper strength training!

Have a question, opinion, or comment? Want to leave your own Solution reviews or ratings? Leave your feedback below...

(Coming soon: More useful reviews and a guide to the best prices on the Body by Jake Solution ab machine!)

Wanted: Rockin' Abs Exerciser Reviews

Let's face it, every once in awhile you see a late-night infomercial product that you know is probably junk but just looks too damn cool to pass up. So you whip out your credit card and buy it blind, before even checking for user reviews online. That's what almost happened when I saw the commercial for the new Rockin' Abs exerciser from Thane.

Several ab machines claim to mimic the fluid, enjoyable motion of a rocking chair (I'm looking at you Ab Rocket and Ab Rocket Twist!) but in the case of the Rockin' Abs device it REALLY IS A DANG ROCKING CHAIR! How genius is that?? I mean, the thing just looks freaking COOL. In fact, it looks like something I would actually sit in just to sit in... eating tortilla chips, drinking light beer, and probably watching old A-Team reruns. During commercials I could set the beer aside, wipe the tortilla crumbs off my belly fat ripped abdominal muscles, and burn a few dozen calories "ab rockin'" back and forth like a little monkey for a couple minutes.

Still, as cool as the Rockin' Abs abdominal machine looks, something told me to hold on and see if I could find any decent customer reviews online. Well, after a 30-minute long search, I was able to find a single genuine Rockin' Abs review anywhere... not even on Amazon! That's a little strange in my book. Plus, the fact the it apparently converts into a pilates machine was kind of a turn off for me. I don't want my girlfriend stealing it every time she wants to "lengthen and tone" her leg muscles!

(By the way, the only thing I did find was a few reviews for the old Rockin's Abs chair -- yes, same exact name! -- from Fitness Quest that came out a few years ago. I never did understand how the hell that thing worked... and I guess no one else did either since they've stopped selling it!)

So anyway, this blog -- and the entire as-seen-on-TV-product-lovers community -- needs your help. If you've used the THANE Rockin' Abs chair please leave your helpful, insightful, lovingly-crafted reviews, opinions, and testimonials below. Does it work? Is it another infomercial scam / rip-off product? Is it worth the $200 or so they want for the thing? I so want to be rocking my little buns off in this chair while drinking a Coors and laughing like a giddy schoolboy. Help me convince myself that it's worth the money and I'll be forever in your debt!

:)

JS