Shake Weight Review
Does the Shake Weight really work?

Product includes:
- "Upper Body Toning" workout DVD
- Shake weight

Product features:
- Women’s version – weighs 2.5 pounds
- Men’s version – weighs 5 pounds

Product cost:
- Shake Weight for women – around $19.95 - $22
- Shake Weight for men – around $29.95

The Shake Weight is one of those “As Seen on TV” products that have gained a lot of popularity from the portrayal of how this exerciser is used verse the actual results produced. Whether intentional or not the Shake Weight infomercial markets this contraption in a very nontraditional manner. After all when used the exerciser looks, for a lack of better words, a little dirty. In fact, suggestive innuendos behind the use of this contraption have created a flurry of jokes on both the internet and mainstream media. Even the widely popular SNL and Ellen DeGeneres shows have created comical bits outlining the humor behind the suggestive nature of this product.

However all jokes aside the real question here is whether or not this crazy contraption really delivers what it promises. The problem with the Shake Weight is that it does make some pretty hefty claims. For one it promises that its unique design will burn muscle energy and calories 5 times faster than a dumbbell. The infomercial behind the Shake Weight also claims that all you need is 6 minutes a day to achieve what would take almost an hour with traditional workout equipment.

The 6 minute investment with the Shake Weight promises to add size, increase strength and improve the definition of the biceps, triceps, chest and shoulders. This is accomplished through a coined phrase called “dynamic inertia”. What is dynamic inertia, well it’s hard to say since all the searches we have found for it lead to the Shake Wake product. However according to the infomercial it is a movement that sends a "shock wave of energy" through the body that forces the muscles to contract. Supposedly dynamic inertia is better than the traditional workout, at least we are told this through the products advertising. The company behind the Shake Weight exercise believes this so much that their infomercial claims that it is so effective that if you don't feel firmer in just one workout then return it.

What are the customer reviews saying?

The reviews that we have seen for this exerciser are all over the place ranging from those that love it to others that absolutely hate it. We came across reviews where some customers commented that they really felt a burn from this exercise while others felt that it was a complete waste of money. There’s no doubt that the Shake Weight is going to cause the arms to burn during the workout, after all stirring paint for 6 minutes or even flapping your arms up and down while cackling like a wild bird for that duration is also going to cause a burn. The real question is whether or not the exerciser is really effective and the optimal method for producing leaner, stronger and toner muscles.

Unfortunately the answer is probably no. There are several fundamental problems with this exerciser with one of them being that you are limited over time in the amount of resistance that you can use. If the Shake Weight is frequently used your body will eventually adapt to the exercise therefore requiring some form of change to increase the difficulty and resistance. Sure you can execute the exercise faster but in all honestly you are still limited in the speed that you can move this contraption. The best way for increasing resistance is to add weight, aka weight resistance training, but with this product you really are stuck with the weight that it comes with.

The second issue with this contraption is that you do not get a full range of movement with the exercise. The stretching and contracting of the muscles are what really helps to break them down. Tearing the muscles is important because it is the building of them back up through rest and nutrition that improves their overall strength and size. That’s not to say that you will not feel a burn when using this exerciser, always already noted doing any form of exercise for 6 minutes straight is going to create a serious burn.
The final issue we have with the Shake Weight is that it really only targets a few muscles and completely excludes the lower body. Incorporating larger muscles like the legs into your workout not only benefits your overall body strength but also increases the amount of calories burned during the workout. For those already following a healthy diet, the more calories burned the higher potential for shedding unwanted body fat.

Final Comments

Overall the Shake Weight exerciser is inexpensive but it doesn’t offer any solid scientific proof that it is really better than the more traditional exercises. Keep in mind that traditional anaerobic and aerobic workouts have been scientifically proven to increase lean muscles mass and burn body fat. The Shake Weight really comes off as a gimmick with their self-created scientific term “dynamic inertia” being the “evidence” that this product works. There are a lot of better options out there in the As Seen on TV market and this is one product that really should be avoided.

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About the reviews:  Many of the reviews on this site are a collection of customer opinions from a variety of different sources on the web (like Amazon.com, forums, etc). We comb the web for customer reviews so that you don't have to.