Ab-Doer Twist Abdominal Trainer

Over the years I've purchased a lot of exercise equipment, some costing 10 times as much as the Ab-Doer, and the story was always the same... They became doorstops and clothes racks in short order. The one exercise I was able to stick with was walking. Unfortunately, arthritic knees and ankles put an end to that. I started gaining weight and loosing muscle mass. My doctor kept urging me to find something I could do before things got any worse. I searched Amazon's large assortment of exercise equipment... Machines that required getting down on the floor were out. Machines that put strain on the leg joints were out. Large, gym sized machines were out (limited floorspace and budget). Finally, I came across the Ab-Doer Twist. It's listed here as a 'Abdominal Trainer', but on the manufacture's website it's listed as 'the 360-degree approach to total-body fitness', which I have found to be true.I had my doubts, but with Amazon's liberal return policy, I figured I had nothing to loose, so I ordered it. Without a doubt the best decision I've ever made as far as exercise equipment goes. I've used the Ab Doer a little over 7 months now (about 6 months longer than most the other exercise equipment I've purchased). When I unboxed it the first thing that struck me was how well it was built. Heavy gauge steel with full seam welds, not tack welds like a lot of other gear in this price range. Quality materials and construction throughout. Built to last.It comes with a training DVD which guides you through beginning, intermediate, and advanced exercise routines. When I started out, I could only do about half of the beginning exercise, now I do the advanced exercise, often twice daily. Once I learned the routines, I made a timed audio recording calling out each exercise, and put it on my phone. Now I listen to the recorded prompts, while watching TV. One set of advanced exercises, plus warm up and cool down, runs about 25 minutes, perfect match for a 30 minute TV show.To date I've lost about 20 pounds, strengthened the muscles in my arms, chest, abdomen and legs, and feel a heck of a lot better than I did before starting this exercise regiment. This is the first exercise that I've actually enjoyed doing and have no doubt that I'll stick with it for the foreseeable future. Oh yes, for what it's worth I'm 71 years old. Ab-Doer Twist Abdominal Trainer

I'm in my upper 40's w/ OA & RA, as well as skeletal and ligament diseases. I needed to find a piece of equipment that could accomodate my neeeds. I chose the abdoer as it lessens the impact on my back and neck.. At the end of the 1st month - my core was close to rock hard, by following the advanced exercises for 2 weeks.. I started out without the resistance bars, but eventually bought them which added a level of difficulty I defy a 4 year year old to be capable of handling (if used properly) - as I read in a previous review. Every morning, I pop in the DVD and follow along with the 20 min advanced exercises. within the first week I had noticed dramatic changes all over, not just in my core. My arms, glutes & legs all showed improvement, albeit - my core was by far the most I proved. I am now a dedicated abdoer user and if u follow the exercises on the DVD player for 20 mins ea morning, u too will notice a dramatic change in your core, among other areas.If used consistently & properly, the abdoer is well worth the time & effort u put into it. I highly recommend it to those with mobility issues who still want too reap the rewards of good exercise!

No surprise issues: It was pretty obvious to me that the swivel seat tension would not work well; I found this was the case. In my opinion its best to leave the tension disengaged and feel it would provide little usefulness during workouts. There is a locking feature and for some workout moves its best to be engaged and most other times the lock should be off to allow a swivel action.All the good stuff:Everything else works as expected.Other:For all you hardcore workout buffs this may not be the tool for you. Clearly sitting on your can both sounds and looks lame; however such a device may be perfect for someone less fit such as myself. Don't expect to use this machine to provide lots of resistance. It does not work that way nor is it intended to. There are resistance rods which I purchased and find useful however its still not a resistance machine nor should it be. Don't be fooled, the workouts come at different levels and you may be surprised by the workout you get. The chair system provides support while performing movements that workout body parts that will remind you how long its been since you used them.Good Luck!

Pros: appears to be built well, shipping was fast, assembly fairly easyCons: After working with this a week and doing approximately 30 minutes a night I have a few problems. 1. Really doesn't work your abs, only side lats. 2. Resistance setting really doesn't work, I have it cranked to max and my 4 year old can do it. No resistance, no workout, very simple.Summary: I would recommend for the very elderly or people with very bad back problems but for normal folk there are better products. Very expensive to just provide a "slight" workout to your side lats. I am unsure why they named this the twister because the seat really needs to stay stationary to get even the slightest workout. I am out of shape horribly after a 2 year absence from working out and I feel no soreness at all. I also don't want to spend more money to buy an additional resistance rod, why put a resistance adjustment knob if it doesn't do anything?