We Try Before You Buy: 'GMA' Gives Infomercial Exercise Equipment a Workout

March 16, 2011— -- This morning on "Good Morning America" you saw my reviews of infomercial fitness products. I've posted the full details below:

Squats and lunges are amazing exercises, but despite their simplicity they are surprisingly difficult to do properly. 3 Minute Legs assists you as you squat or lunge, holding your weight at the bottom of the squat and providing assistance as you come back up.

The device seems well built, but I have some issues with the concept and the promises that the device makes. Conceptually I understand that for many people just squatting their weight is hard, but in those instances couldn't you use a chair as the end point of the squat or a fail-safe if you can't lift out of it? Why pay $113 instead of just using a chair.

Also, when I did lunges on the 3 Minute Legs, I felt my front leg had to splay out much farther than I usually would to accommodate the motion of the rollers.

Finally the infomercial claims the product works on all surfaces, but in the product's instructions and in my tests it doesn't work on carpet.

3 MINUTE LEGS manufacturer response:

"We appreciate and acknowledge GMA and all media looking at products that are marketed to consumer and fully acknowledge your right to come to whatever conclusion. The company wants to fully understand the protocol but did not have the time to do a thorough review of the analysis. The company does stand by its product and has a money back guarantee. The majority of consumers around the world are satisfied with the product."

-- Thane USA

You've got to be kidding -- a jump rope that has no rope? Why don't I just hold a couple of soup cans and jump around my living room? This was a product I thought I would hate, but I didn't. Jumping rope is primary -- we learn it when we are little and something about it is both easy and hard all at once. The three challenges to jumping rope: it's boring, which makes you struggle to do more than 5 minutes of it; you get tangled in the rope; and it's hard to jump rope indoors without whacking your lamps and snapping the rope on your favorite knick-knacks.