Top 20 FITNESS SCAM products – part two.

Every day, thousands of people fall prey to fitness scams that include hoax fitness products like gadgets, capsules, gels, belts, etc. Almost all the products are a complete rip-off, offer no value, and put the victim's body & life at risk. We end up paying for putting our lives in danger. Cunning marketing, celebrity endorsements and opportunistic PR entice us to buy such scam products. Several such products have faced backlash from customers and the government. They have been fined for misleading advertisements. This awareness article is the second part of the two-part series of the top 20 Fitness Scam Products. Let's begin this adventure!

#11 STEAM & SAUNA BELTS:

Steam and sauna belts are among the most popular scam gadgets sold online. Contrary to the fat-burning claim, steam and sauna belts cannot burn abdominal fat. They only help sweating over the abdomen. Sweat is a mechanism of our body to maintain an ideal temperature and will only dehydrate us. Sweating over the abdominals is in no way going to help burn fat or reduce weight. Thus, steam and sauna belts only help us lose our hard-earned money and are a ridiculous fitness scam product.

Here’s a steam belt infomercial:

#12 VIBRATING/ TONING/ TRIMMING BELTS:

Fat cannot be lost by any intensity of vibrations. Vibration may be renamed as toning or trimming, but a flawed principle stays a flawed principle. Vibration belts may be suitable for amusement or entertainment. Still, they have nothing to do with fat loss or weight reduction. Depending on the understanding of their target audience, some manufacturers brand their vibrating belts as toning belts, trimming belts, fat burning belts, weight loss belts etc. Hence, all vibrating, toning and trimming belts help tone & trim our wallets and are a bogus fitness scam product.

Here’s a vibrating belt infomercial:

#13 VIBRATING DUMBBELLS:

As weird as it sounds, vibrating dumbbells is a fad and a totally unscientific product. Any type of vibration, whether from a belt, suit, clothing, shoes, dumbbell etc., cannot help increase muscle mass or burn fat. Fads come and go; science stays forever. Thus, vibrating dumbbells may help shake off some of your hard-earned money and are a cunning fitness scam product.

Here’s a vibrating dumbbell infomercial:

#14 FAT LOSING BELTS:

Fat losing belts simply heat up and increase the temperature of the area where they are placed and make us sweat. As mentioned earlier, sweat has nothing to do with fat loss or weight loss. The weight loss due to dehydration is instantly reversed as soon as we hydrate ourselves. Fat losing belts may even have a useless vibration option. Some manufacturers sell different belts for different body parts. In their branding, these manufacturers use colloquial terms like thunder thighs, beer belly, saddlebags, muffin tops, love handles, etc. This helps brands sell more than just one product per customer. Unfortunately, while they score well on the branding, there is zero science in the product. Hence, fat losing belts are very efficient in making us lose our money rather than fat and are a crap fitness scam product.

Here’s a fat losing belt infomercial:

#15 ELECTRIC MUSCLE STIMULATORS:

Electric muscle stimulators are also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulators. These devices mimic muscle contractions using electrical impulses and help stimulate motor neurons. Here, the central nervous system (CNS) doesn't play any role in stimulating muscle contractions. However, there's no evidence that such muscle contractions can stimulate hypertrophy (increase in muscle mass) or fat reduction. Since the CNS is not involved, this device has no carry-over effect in our real lives and day to day activities. This makes electric muscle stimulators useless. However, science has proved that such devices help recover, rehabilitate and relax. Thus, electric muscle stimulators are only a fancy fitness scam product.

Here’s an electric muscle stimulator infomercial:

#16 THIGH MASTER:

A thigh master is a stupid device consisting of two pieces of metal tubes bent in a loop and connected using a hinge. This creates an angle that can be pushed between the metal tubes. It is placed between the knees and pressed to exercise the hip adductors. As with all other scam products, the thigh master is cunningly marketed to be used while watching television, working in the office or reading a book on the beach. However, as with all other fad fitness gadgets, there is no evidence of it helping burn fat or stimulating hypertrophy. Hence, a thigh master is a dumb fitness scam product.

Here’s a thigh master infomercial:

#17 SLIMMING PILLS/ POWDERS/ LIQUIDS:

Slimming pills, powders and liquids have been around for decades. Some claim to have powerful herbal compositions, while others claim to have rare ingredients. Some claim to curb hunger, while others claim to burn fat. Science says there is no conclusive evidence of any pill, powder or liquid to stimulate hypertrophy (increase muscle mass) or burn fat on its own. Ingesting these products may prove lethal to our bodies. They may contain heavy metals, maybe adulterated or may have banned substances. Thus, slimming pills, powders, or liquids are a perilous fitness scam product.

Here’s a slimming pill infomercial:

#18 NECKLINE SLIMMER:

A neckline slimmer is a mechanical handheld device with a spring. To use it, simply select the resistance (spring) intensity, place your chin on the platform and press. What a rip off and a waste of time. We do not think this even deserves scientific scrutiny. However, it will be hilarious to watch people use a neckline slimmer for reducing double chin or fat around the neck. Thus, a neckline slimmer is an absurd fitness scam product.

Here’s a neckline slimmer infomercial:

#19 FINGER TRAINER:

A finger trainer allegedly helps to exercise the finger muscles and helps reduce fat around the fingers. Haha! Crap! Need not say anything more than this. Thus, the finger trainer is one of the weirdest fitness scam products on our list.

Here’s a finger trainer infomercial:

#20 HULA CHAIR:

A hula chair is a scam fitness product that claims to create an ab workout sensation when we try rotating while sitting on it. While that is not true, it is simply a waste of time, effort and money. The rotation is jerky and challenging, and the chair is highly uncomfortable. It looks like a commode, and the experience is more like a ride in an amusement park and less like exercising. Thus, the hula chair is a bizarre fitness scam product.

Here’s a hula chair infomercial:

Here we come to the end of our top 20 Fitness Scam Products list. We hope you enjoyed reading it.

If you missed the first part of this series, here is a link: Top 20 Fitness Scam Products – part one.

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