Popular New Exercise Equipment

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

27 Sep 2008 05:29 PM

Have you ever seen a new product and asked yourself: "Now, why didn't I think of that?"

I mutter that question each and every time I run on the treadmills at my local gym and peer into the step aerobic classroom. The gym recently acquired a few dozen of those new Slanted Risers. The angled plastic riser fits under a traditional step, like those used in step aerobics classes, to allow you to step up or lie back on a slant.

The ad on TV claims: "Not only will the Slanted Riser add a new dimension to your cardio workout by transforming your flat Step into an angled platform, but paired with standard risers, the Slanted Riser will also turn your Step into an incline/decline bench ... From aerobic training to strength conditioning, SPRI's patented Slanted Riser will bring unlimited versatility to your workout."

The ingenious product will set you back $59.95. (Now you see why I kick myself about not coming up with the idea first.)

The risers are by no means revolutionary. I think anyone who has worked out on those plastic steps before at some point considered the idea, but someone else simply got working on it first. The risers act as an upgrade to a traditional flat step and help tremendously when you are doing sets of forward lunges as it offers a more comfortable angle. It also allows you to complete other exercises you wouldn't be able to on a flat step, such as incline and decline chest presses.

Another new and extremely popular offering at my gym is the Fall Yoga Fusion class. It basically pairs yoga with other cardio exercises such as aerobics, dance, cycling, even boxing.

According to the flyer, the classes are designed for people who have a limited time to work out. The Yoga Fusion classes allow you to get in cardio, sculpting and relaxation all at once-in less than 90 minutes.

It sounds great; however, when researching the new trend I discovered that not everyone is embracing the idea. Some fitness experts say the new classes give yoga a bad name. One fitness expert claimed the classes "taint" yoga's image by giving people a false sense of what yoga is and how it is practiced. Basically, her argument is that the classes have made the practice of yoga to be more of a weight loss, fitness workout, when yoga is really designed for meditation, calming and quieting the mind and body.

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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