I apologize in advance if this post will become a rant. I am going to talk about why fitness infomercials and particularly commercials for ab machines, make me angry. I'm not going to hammer a particular product or brand. This isn't my point. I want to give you general information that you can use for years to come because, let's face it, infomercials and cleverly marketed fitness products are here to stay.

I want to talk about how fitness commercials tempt you and, in some cases, trick you into believing that the product they're offering is wildly effective. Here are some of the things you should watch out for:

Before and After Simulations

Have you ever seen an infomercial where you first see an out of shape body suddenly transformed into a sexy, lean, and toned one? You should know that this isn't really a before and after scenario. Most likely, it's just a simulation of a wildly optimistic outcome that you may or may not achieve with this product, be it ab machine, thigh toner, cardio gadget, etc.

The two bodies shown, the attractive and the less attractive one probably belong to two different people. No one is even saying that either of those two people ever used the product in question. It is done simply to make it easy for you to "convince yourself" that such miraculous results are possible.

Super-Fit Models

Let me ask you this: suppose you had invented an ab machine, designed it, spent money to have it built, would you now give it away to a bunch of out of shape people and wait a few weeks or months until they got into shape? Wouldn't you be more likely to rush to advertise this product, hiring people who are already fit to appear in the commercial?

My guess is that you'd choose the later options and with good reason. You want to sell your product fast.

The models that appear in those commercials were already fit before they were hired. They didn't get this way by using this product.

Trial Offers With a Catch

Some fitness products are sold with a trial offer. This is great, except that some of those trials come with a catch: you need to pay for the shipping, sometimes both ways. This makes the refund option expensive in itself and reduces your motivation to get your money back. So, watch out for trial offers, they may not be as appealing as they seem.

As you can see, you need to be careful not to let these tempting infomercials trick you. Be a wise shopper.

For more tips visit Fitness infomercials warning.