Would you be willing to exercise 3 minutes a day to get fit? It’s a compelling proposition. Unfortunately, in the case of the ab GLIDER, lost pounds, body inches, or clothing sizes weren’t just an easy glide away.
Today the FTC announced that ICON Health and Fitness has agreed to pay $3 million to settle charges it made unproven claims about its ab GLIDER, violating a previous order related to other unproven exercise equipment claims.
Infomercials and videos for the ab GLIDER featured Elisabeth Hasselbeck and other people asked to use the ab GLIDER “for just minutes a day.” “Life moves at two speeds,” Hasselbeck says in one video, “Busy and busier. So with all this busyness, when do I work in my workout? Whenever I have 3 minutes.” User testimonials praised the ab GLIDER for lost pounds, body inches, and clothing sizes. “It’s really easy,” one user says. “I feel like I’m not even working out,” says another.
The truth? The results people claimed happened with a lot more than the ab GLIDER. Participants were not only kept on a controlled diet, but also worked out in other ways with things like free weights, circuit training, and cardio exercises. At best, some ab GLIDER ads included a 5-second, hard-to-read disclaimer about people’s results. But most didn’t even do that, the FTC says.
Looking to get fit? Before you invest in some equipment, read our Tips for Buying Exercise Equipment and other articles on weight loss and fitness.
