Does
It Work?
Fitness
and Weight Loss Expert Phil Kaplan Reviews The Torso Track
and new ab devices, Electrical Stimulation for Fat Loss, and
Pyruvate as a Fat Burner.
 Does
It Work? That's the question that people ask me whenever I
begin a seminar, or when I conclude a TV appearance.
They might be referring to a new exercise device or a new
nutritional product. Maybe they're asking about a new
aerobic video or some newfangled fat-loss device. The
answer to the question, in almost every case, is . . . NO!
Don't misunderstand
me. I'm not saying there aren't products that have value.
It's just that the advertisements lead people to believe a
specific product will "work" to bring about a result.
At best, a product can only act as a vehicle or a piece of
the puzzle. At worst, some products can be life-threatening.
I'll provide a bit of insight into a few products that usually
spark the "Does It Work" question, and then I'd
like to direct you to some very basic but crucial information
regarding Nutrition. Since so many of the new products
are nutrition related, a foundational understanding of some
important concepts will serve as your future protection, allowing
you to immediately dismiss many of the new products to hit
the market as a clear waste of money.
 |
The
Torso Track
The first thing I should say about this is the movement
puts the lower back in an awkward position.
This can not only aggravate previous back problems, but
it can gradually tear at the ligaments found in the lumbar
region. I wouldn't even consider this safe.
Secondly, it's anything but "new." Back
in the 1960's, before we came to understand the risks
associated with improper spinal alignment and support
during exercise, exercise enthusiasts assumed the kneeling
position and rolled a little wheel out on the floor in
front of them to strengthen abs. The Torso Track
and its imitators have simply recreated that motion with
a "machine" that can look attractive on TV and
can be "pitched" with claims of "I really
feel it working." Finally, it's most important
to recognize that most people who purchase this product
are seeking a reduction of the waist. It will do
NOTHING to reduce the waist! If you want a smaller
waist, you want to lose fat. In order to lose fat,
you have to put your body in a state where it is willing
to release fat. That, of course, requires a concern
for nutrition and exercise. I guarantee you have
those abs you seek. They're in there. If you
can't see them, it's only because you have to shed the
layer of fat between the muscle and the skin. Eat
supportively, train all the muscles, and employ aerobic
exercise in moderation and those abs will appear in time.
Working the abs with any device that targets the abdominal
region might actually INCREASE the size of your waist
by adding muscle. Does it Work? I think you
know. |
Abs,
Abdominal, Abdominals, six pack, abs, abdominal, abdominals
|
The
Electrical Impedance Fat Reducers
They sell them in the airline magazines as well as some
of the fitness periodicals. They show a well toned
man or woman with some little electrodes hooked up to
their skin. The illusion is, you can get bodies
like these by simply hooking up to the machine for a few
minutes a day. This is absurd, nonsensical, and
perhaps the biggest waste of money (these units aren't
cheap) to come along in years! A recent study conducted
at University of Wisconsin showed absolutely NO CHANGE
in any of the individuals who followed the recommended
use regimen. |
|
Pyruvate
Sold as a fat burner and energy enhancer, this is the
primary ingredient in many new products including "Exercise
in a Bottle." In order to understand the
role of pyruvate, you have to understand the Krebs Cycle
which is a series of biochemical events in the conversion
of sugars and fats (carbohydrates and lipids) into ATP
(ATP is to the body as gasoline is to your car). Pyruvate
(pyruvic acid) is created when sugars are metabolized.
If sufficient oxygen is available, pyruvic acid is broken
down through the Krebs Cycle. In an anaerobic state,
pyruvic acid is broken down anaerobically creating lactic
acid.
To
simplify things, let's call pyruvate a player in an
orchestra of chemical reactions leading to energy production.
It certainly plays a role in the process of energy production
and fat release. That doesn't mean that taking
it in a pill form is going to increase anything.
The ads refer to a research study which lends itself
to "proving" that pyruvate works. The
study was conducted with semi-starved women, the results
were not consistently replicated, and I have never met
a single person who has achieved any significant result
using pyruvate. If you're feeding pyruvic acid
to someone who is on a very low calorie diet, it's possible
that it's simply filling in a gap that would have been
filled in healthfully if the body was metabolizing carbs.
It's another example of a compound that plays a role
in a process being taken out of context to be sold as
a "miracle." The only miraculous thing
about pyruvate is the fact that it continues to sell
despite it's inability to live up to ad claims.
|
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