A CAUTION ABOUT THE AB DOLLY! GREAT ALTERNATIVES!
I just thought I'd try to contribute something constructive to this forum, and since martial artists are often into exercise and fitness, I figured some of you might be interested in this:
(By the way, the Ab Dolly is a fitness product that has been advertised agressively recently on cable.)
A CAUTION FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE CONSIDERING BYING THE AB DOLLY!!!
I was looking through posts on a discussion forum about fitness and exercise, and I gleaned the following great advice about the ab dolly:
1) Pros:
a. A person who had been an aerobics and fitness instructor for 15 years said that the type of movement that the Ab Dolly uses has long been recognized as the BEST way to develop abdominal strength (not just the rectus abdominis, but the transverse and obliques, too), as well as strength throughout a full range of motion, and overall good-looking, toned abs.. Many of the hardcore fitness nuts in the forum agreed with her.
b. The Ab Dolly is better designed than things like the "ab wheel" that you can buy at K-Mart in almost every way. You can rest your elbows on it, hold it with your hands, put it under your knees and use it in reverse, etc., etc. Most of the 'experts' in the forum agreed that it was the best ab machine out there, period.
2) Cons:
a. The Ab Dolly is very expensive: over $100 for a small, simple little gizmo.
b. The sales and customer rep. people are very pushy and rude.
c. The sales pitch is sneaky and cons a lot of people into buying TWO of them for over $200
d. THERE ARE CHEAPER ALTERNATIVES THAT WORK JUST AS WELL IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO LOOK!!!!!
3) ALTERNATIVES:
a. A "creeper." This little dolly is about the same dimensions as the Ab Dolly and is used by auto mechanics for sliding underneath cars. You can buy one at most auto supply places (and probably the auto section of a lot of hardware-type stores) for under $30.
b. Home Depot sells a couple of different "plant dollies," all for under $15. Some are made of wood, others of metal. Look around and find a good sturdy metal one. They usually stand up to more weight and weigh less themselves. They also have some good quality "decorative" dollies (whatever that means) for around $15 according to one poster. You might need to find a way of putting a pad or cushion on it, but that wouldn't be hard. A $5 bar stool seat from the same hardware store would be perfect.
c. You can get an Ab Wheel at Walmart for $8.95. It is a bit awkward to use at first, you can't rest your elbows on it, so it requires more arm and ab strength, but it can give you the same results.