How many times have you tried a workout trend or product that just didn’t work? Many of us get lured in by things we hear about or see on social media and think we’ve found THE thing we need to get fit and healthy, only to find it’s not effective at all.
Certified personal trainer Stephanie Mansour says she prides herself on being able to sniff out the fitness trends and products that work and the ones that fall short. And these are the ones she says are a waste of time and money.
- Ab Wheel - In theory, this device works your entire core by requiring you to contract your lower and upper abs and both internal and external obliques. But she warns that in reality, it’s nearly impossible to properly use the wheel with correct muscle engagement unless your core is already super strong and you know how to engage the right muscles. And Mansour - a pro - threw her back out when she tried it.
- 60-minute cardio sessions - If you love cardio and you feel good after an hour of it, keep at it. But that much cardio is overkill, and your body doesn’t need to be taxed that long to lose weight or burn calories.
- Waist trainer - Some social media influencers swear by these, but Mansour says they don’t actually work your ab muscles any more than you do by just keeping them engaged when you exercise.
- Calf-training shoes - These shoes claim to train your calves by forcing them to engage more and eventually become stronger. But this fitness expert says the bottom of the shoe is elevated in a way that doesn’t work with your body’s alignment, so they’re really just a gimmick.
- Desk exercise bike - Sitting down and burning calories, while you get work done, sounds great in theory, but Mansour cautions that because the range of motion is so small on these bikes, they don’t do much aside from improving mobility around your knee joint.
- Yoga cushion - These are fancy cushions recommended by some yoga instructors for people who are less flexible so they can go deeper into seated poses. But as a yoga instructor herself, Mansour just tells her clients to grab any pillow from their couch or bed and save their money.
Getty Images