First, I am going to make a promise to you to refrain from making sexually suggestive jokes about the appearance, movement and other possible uses for this device.
Here’s the deal with these stupid gadgets: sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t, usually they are utterly ridiculous, and sometimes they are just unnecessary.
This one is, well, kind of all of these.
The ShakeWeight is a long, vibrating stick that you hold onto. (I swear I’m not making jokes, its just what it is.) The company claims it gives you sculpted arm muscles, and engages more muscle groups than standard arm exercises, giving shapely shoulders and arms.
I’m going to appeal to both your common sense and your intelligence when discussing this…thing.
Lets do common sense first:
Remember those old tiny belts that you wrapped around your waist and they shook you until the pounds fell off? How is this thing any different? I’ve never met a person that actually used one of those belts, but I’m pretty sure that’s because none of them can speak due to all the brain damage.
It’s true that this stupid thing works your arm muscles- sort of in the same way that your arms get tired after walking a disobedient dog, or when you ride a motorbike for a while. It takes a lot of effort to keep your arms and hands tensed against vibration and movement for a long period of time. This isn’t going to give you amazing muscle strength or tone, however. Your muscle isn’t being overloaded- you aren’t performing reps for you to get even close to failure, which is when you build muscle strength.
If this worked, don’t you think we’d all be laying on those vibrating hotel beds, in fantastic shape?
This thing costs $19.95- what the hell else are you supposed to do with it? You can’t clench it between your butt cheeks to work your ass, you can’t squeeze it between your knees to work your thighs (no dirty jokes, no dirty jokes). You can go the Toys ‘R Us and buy one of those vibrating balls for babies and get the same effect. A dumbbell is cheaper and you can use it for a million different things. It also won’t rattle your teeth right out of your head.
Now for the intelligence:
Without getting too far into the physiology of exercise science, to build proper strength you have to work your muscle through its full range of motion. Think bicep curl: from fully extended arm, to completely bent elbow, is your bicep’s full range of motion. Its important to work your muscles that way so that they can handle stress in any position. Holding onto a shaking rod is only going to work your muscles in one position, but not with enough intensity to even build strength. In order to gain tone and definition, you also have to work your muscles this way. The muscle fibers must tear in order to build back bigger- that’s where your definition comes from. The only way to tear the fiber effectively is through eccentric and contraction.
This is one of those things that in theory, does use your muscles, but doesn’t work them properly, isn’t going to help you build strength, isn’t going to help your everyday performance, isn’t going to build balanced muscle tone, and is only good for one, stupid purpose. Buy a dumbbell- and use it to work every single muscle in your entire body.
Pic via www.shakeweight.com
Yeah, if you’re using this for a workout you’re, uh, doing it wrong. Sure, it’s marketed towards workouts (specifically for women), but so was that belt thing. And guess what. The reason that belt thing sold so well, wasn’t because women loved what it did to their body. It’s because they loved how it made them feel. Literally.
As to the dirty joke you did your best to avoid, well, that’s the purpose of this product. You put it between your legs, and let it “shake.” While your husband assumes you’re trying some weird new diet (oh, those silly women!), you’re really using it to get off. Again and again. And until men can deal with the fact that women like to get off too (even married women), these sort of products will keep popping up every couple of years.
Ahahahaha! That’s hilarious. What a silly silly machine.
It reminds me of one of the old James Bond movies, in which the villain tortures him by putting him on a vibrating bed. Not even kidding.
I would’ve love to have been in the room with the inventor of this product went to pitch his/her investors
From the webpage…
“Based on a new workout technology called Dynamic Inertia.”
…Gotta admit I love to watch all these stupid “new technologies” these products always claim to have.
And oh please, enter the webpage! It’s a must to watch the way it works! It’s almost impossible to make any kind of comparison to it except of a woman j3rking a guy off… SORRY! Got to say it!
Has anyone ever actually tried this thing or are you all talking out of your asses just because the motion that is made while using it looks funny to you? Anyone? So no one has actually held one and worked out with it, right? That’s what I thought. How about checking a product out before you waste my oxygen cracking on it. Idiots!
I’m a fitness instructor and I’ve actually tried it. I love it. It can be used for an upper body work out. If you use the workout provided on the DVD it takes 6 minutes to do. It may seem silly to some of you – but no single exercise product can work every muscle group in the body or match the varied fitness goals of the population. I’d rather people be using this product at home than sitting watching tv or surfing the internet. Variety in any fitness programme is the key to success.
Dynamic Inertia means it does not shake but you shake it. duh? Reading this stupid article is worse than the product IF it worked the way you say it does (without trying it I might ad). I have used it and it does work…your theories are plain dumb. Lying on vibe bed and being a in a shake belt are not the same as isometric like movement, which you can do with out a weight and works amazingly. Admittedly this is an easy target to make fun of and yet your argument missed the mark.
I did a search for shake weight and this site was one of the links that came up. At first glance I thought hey I may really enjoy this site and come back and check out what its all about. However after reading this review written so porly by Kelly Turner I am disapointed and will not be returning!
I would like to add my 2cents worth on the Shakeweight product.I am 62 yrs. old, and I have major problems with my back, and didn’t think that I could use the shakeweight. I bought one, anyway, and I have to say that I absolutely love it. I am even going to put it on my Facebook. I have cervical spine problems, and somehow it has loosened my arm up so much that now I can get my arm over my head on my inversion table. I would recommend it to anyone who is committed to doing the six minute exercise each day. Don’t skip a day, and I guarantee you will feel better.
You nay-sayers!! The ShakeWeight doesn’t vibrate — read “S H A K E” — got it?? I dare you to try it for the recommended 5 minutes. Your arms want to fall off, and if that doesn’t fix, flabby arm backs, I don’t know what will. Check your facts!!
Really??? Is this site a joke? Obviously the majority of you have no understanding of biomechanics! This product definitely can give you a good aerobic workout. You don’t need full muscle range to work muscles. Ever heard of plyometrics!Rapid explosive movements tone muscles and activate rapid twitch muscle fibers! Ooh by the way the product doesn’t vibrate, you actually shake it. Do your homework before you give your ‘educated’ opinion!
uhhh the only way to burn fat is by changing your diet. This product may tone muscle but the fat will still be there.
In one week I exceeded the efforts of months of free weights! It is AWESOME!
Awesome article Kelly! Seems like a few Shake Weight reps caught on to it and had to add their “two cents”. Diet + Tear Muscles Down + Rest + Cardio is the only way to get any definition.
my boyfriend bought me the shakeweight a few months ago & i love it. he has the men’s version & i can see a difference in both of us. I do have to agree though, the video is kinda weird & funny, but if you keep at it for the 6 minutes recommended, you’ll feel like your arms just wanna fall off & curl up in a lil ball, lol. don’t knock it til you’ve tried it.