11 Dec 2004 - Phil of Massachusetts, USA writes:
I have been shoeing horses for 34 years. My occupation puts tremendous strain on the lower back which is supported by abdominal muscles. I purchased the heavier duty spring and used the product religously for several months. In all honesty it did little for my abs; however, it greatly improved my ability to flex. I now use it before every workout on my Bowflex. For lower abs I use a Gut-Blaster Sling by Body-Solid and I do crunches for upper abs. I have no regrets about purchasing the AB-Doer because of it's benefits to my back, but it does little for strengthening abs and less for aerobic conditioning. Get a good Elliptical machine for that.
30 Nov 2004 - Shirley of Idaho, USA writes:
I have had an Ab Doer for a couple of years. It actually has done nothing for my stomach, but has worked wonders on my back. With sitting in front of a computer for 10 to 14 hours a day with work, a 5 minute break on the Ab Doer every 2 hours keeps my back and shoulders from getting stiff and hurting. It also gets the blood flowing so to speak, and wakes me up. If you are looking for something to work your abs this is not the equipment, but if you need to limber up your back and shoulders this is definitely worth the money.
27 Sep 2004 - Kevin of Michigan, USA writes:
I have used this product off and on for a couple years. My observation is that the product is very good for my back - if I do stretching exercises on it. As far as benefits for the Abs - there was some benefit when I first started using it, but within a couple weeks of use, I had gained enough strength in my midsection that the resistance seemed insufficient.
6 Mar 2004 - Angela of North Carolina, USA writes:
This is an excellent machine if you use it properly. First of all, don't expect the machine to do something it is not designed to do. The machine is designed to tone your abs, not make you lose weight. Lose weight by reducing the calories you eat - and use the Ab Doer to tone your mid section. Here's how: Holding on to the bars lean forward in a sitting position so your chest is close to your knees. Exhale and tighten your abs and count to ten. Repeat this routine ten times. In a sitting position, spin your legs to the left side of the chair (as far left as they will go) but keep your torso and face facing front wards. Lean forward slowly while exhaling and tightening your abs. Repeat this routine ten times and then spin your legs to the right side of the chair and repeat the routine ten times. To erase love handles: in a forward sitting position (keep your back straight - do not lean forward) tilt the machine to your right side until your right elbow touches your right thigh. Exhale during the process and hold the position and your breath for the count of ten. Repeat this routine ten times. Do the same routine on the left side for the count of ten. You'll see amazing results with these exercises in just three or four workouts. * You can do these exercises without the AB Doer, but many people don't. They somehow forget. Having the machine there helps you keep your balance and gives you something to hang on to while executing the exercises. I absolutely love my Ab Doer - I'm a triathlete and marathon runner and use it as part of my daily routine and I've never looked and felt better.
4 Mar 2004 - Charlene of Illinois, USA writes:
The Ab Doer totally works if you use it according to the instructions. I had various friends sit on and try it b/c I was so excited about actually working my obliques (the side muscles of your midsection--in my case love handles). I found by watching other people try it for the first time that it's easy to do the wrong way if you don't read the instructions/illustrations or watch the video. But if you do follow the simple instructions and use your abs to do the exercises they recommend for 8 minutes, you'll get a burn. I was sore the next day which means I got a good work out. It even works your lower back which is easy to overlook in many workouts. Other reviewers said it hurt their lower back--yeah muscles get sore when you work them out! My boyfriend was a gym addict and he already had fantastic abs. Even he thought it was a good product. Great way to work your abs and those hard to get obliques! But you have to be able to read the intstructions and postion your body and arms correctly in the machine. It's not hard at all. LIke other reviewers said you get results if you put in the 8 minutes they recommend however many days a week (I don't remember now). They even have more advanced videos once you get pretty fit from the first one. It's a great workout for your midsectiona and back, unfortunately I've been too lazy to use it in a long time. But I intend to use it when I get motivated exercise. It's so easy that I think I should start today.
- Glenn of California, USA writes:
I've used the Ab Doer for probably close to two months now and surprisingly, my abs are really starting to show good definition! This is surprising because after each individual workout, you don't feel tremendous burn in your ab muscles like you would with situps. The workout feels good, takes about 10 minutes (I usually do two workouts per day) and after the workout, my abs and back muscles feel warm, but not exhausted or strained. Therefore, I would have to say that this is an excellent product, extremely safe to use, that actually and amazingly works. But you need to do about 20 minutes per day to see the results. The infomercial success stories of people losing inches from the waist need a lot more explanation to be believable. Perhaps these people were really overweight and never exercised before. But as an athlete and avid competitor in sports, I've been in generally good condition and although this workout would not be considered a strenuous aerobic exercise (although you do start to sweat a little after about 10 minutes), it does improve definition and strength of the ab and back muscles. I highly recommend it for all levels of physical fitness as a great additional exercise. I think people who discount its effectiveness have not worked on it long enough to see the results. Oh, I do use the power spring which is basically no different from the standard that comes with the product. I would like to see an even stronger spring (~2 times as strong) for a truly exceptional workout and product. And the people who complain about the back roller again have probably not given the product enough time to really appreciate it. It feels great!
- Giuseppe of New Jersey, USA writes:
I purchased the Ab-doer because it allowed me to strengthen my mid-section without the need to exercise on the floor. I did lose an inch off my waist without following any special diet and I felt that my lower back did benefit from this exercise machine. Unfortunately, there really isn't enough resistance to see better or quicker results. I recently found out that they have a replacement spring that's "50%" stronger and now you can obtain better back-rollers.
- Carlos of Texas, USA writes:
I purchased the ab doer thinking it would do exactly what it promised and I found the workout to be very shallow. In all sincerity this machine doesn't work that much. Very overpriced. Infomercial is awesome but in real life the product sucks.
- Sheilah of New Jersey, USA writes:
I purchased the ab doer after seeing one of the first infomercials on the east coast. I was excited & needed something new that would trim my waist & work my abs, though the price was absurd. I believe it works more psychologically then physically. You do not get immediate results with this machine. It takes awhile and you have to be consistent with the workouts as well as combine them with other ab exercises. Your back & waist will be sore for a few days. It is important that you purchase the videos with John Abdo otherwise to use this machine alone you feel lost.
- Glenn of California, USA writes:
I've used the Ab-Doer Pro for several weeks now and am pleased with the product. You are comfortably seated and can really stretch your midsection and back muscles. It doesn't work the stomach muscles as much as I liked so I purchased the power spring. They say it's 50% tighter, but I can barely see any difference. I wish the spring were much tighter (maybe 3 times tighter) because then this would be a great piece of equipment. I would recommend the advanced tape if you can only purchase that separately. The beginner and intermediate are too easy. After doing 20 minutes with the advanced tape I'm starting to sweat and needless to say, my back is feeling better than ever. It's a great piece of equipment to stretch the lower back and I think it is working my stomach muscles, too (but not as much as I would like). The Ab-Doer is a very safe, durable, effective, and enjoyable piece of equipment to use.
- Sarah of Illinois, USA writes:
It took several weeks to actually receive the Ab Doer. The product does not feel like it does anything. There is hardly any resistance, and I don't feel like my abs are working. I use it once in awhile to warm up my midsection before I do regular sit-ups on the floor. It does put me in the mood to do sit-ups, which is good I guess. Other than that, I agree with the guy who says it's a 100 dollar chair/clothes hanger. That's exactly what it's been here! It's not a complete waste, but don't expect too much.
- Danielle of New York, USA writes:
I got suckered into buying this product and all I really got out of it was a $100 chair/clothes hanger. The Ab Doer makes a creaking noise every time you move on it. I even tried to oil it a little but nothing has helped. It is also not as comfortable on the back as they claim. The only place I felt I worked out was my love handles. It does ABSOLUTELY nothing for the midsection. Do not buy this product.
- Joanne of New Jersey, USA writes:
I have tried this product "The Ab-Doer" and that bar in the back really hurts. I don't feel I am getting a good ab workout, more like a cardiovascular workout. I am burning calories...that's about it. In all fairness, I have only used this product 3 times!
- Brandon of Virginia, USA writes:
I workout all the time, and I wanted something new to ad to my ab workout so I bought the Ab Doer. After working out with it for a while and experimenting, I found that it is not effective by itself to shape your midsection. It works your lower back good, it works your hip flexors good, and it works the obliques pretty good; but you are going to have to do some leg raises and some crunches to get hit the rest. I only use it about once or twice a week with the intermediate tape to give my midsection variety.
- Tom of Maryland, USA writes:
I tried it but not as much as is recommended. That's mainly because it seems too easy. I feel no resistance whatsoever. I feel I could get the same benefit by just sitting in a chair and bending back and forth and from side to side. I wish there was some adjustment that would make it "stiffer"; then I might feel like it was doing some good.
- Louise of Massachusetts, USA writes:
I like the machine but I don't feel that it does much more than stretch out your muscles. It doesn't seem to give your abs a workout. But it's good to start with the ab-doer for a nice stretching before you get down on the floor and do those crunches.
- David of Minnesota, USA writes:
Assembly was minimal which was nice. Easy to assemble as well. As I do a lot of work in the computer industry, I have found that the massage roller going on my upper back is indeed very nice. I knew that, if nothing else, the Ab-Doer would suit me ideally for the massage roller. I also bought the 3-roller addition ($30). It works sufficiently well. I know some have complained about the roller, but I personally love it. With 15 minutes of going side-to-side, I can feel some improvement in my obliques. I've used the product every other day for almost a month and I have noticed marginal improvement in my chest and waist sizes. I'm still at my original weight, 210 pounds, but I am almost a size 32 waist and my chest is back to 38".
- Dave of New York, USA writes:
Well, I used this product, and it doesn't work at all! There is no weights or nothing to allow you to tone your midsection! It sucks!
- Kakali of New York, USA writes:
I have one and I like it very much because I feel it loosens up my spine and lower back. I'm not expecting it on its own to help me to lose inches from my waist, but I do feel that it increases circulation to the lower back and waist area, which is beneficial. As far as the back roller is concerned, it is very padded and doesn't hurt me at all. In fact, it feels extremely good as I'm working out on the machine. If you do not have overblown expectations from it regarding weight loss and loss of inches from it, it is very good for the above reasons.
- James of Bucks, England writes:
I was taken in by the amazingly convincing ad for this product. When I tried it out, I found that the back massager really hurt the skin on my back and left a red mark. However, I continued to use the advanced workout for several weeks. To tell you the truth, I did begin to see some definition in my abs, and I lost several pounds. I now realize that this happened because purchasing the product had really motivated me to diet properly. I was forced to give up using the AB-DOer because the rocking motion was causing me severe neck pains, and I felt sick after every workout. This machine is not suitable for very overweight or elderly people, as it requires extremely powerful, energetic movements to get any results. It was only useful in that it inspired me to eat healthily.
