No pain, no gain - really?
2007-07-31
No pain, no gain - really?
Why work out in tech-savvy Japan? From Joba horse-riding, vibration-exercise and chi machines, to core-conditioning underwear, gadgets to make you fit and trim without effort abound. Personal trainers from Tipness Fitness and Gold's Gym help us decipher the claims. Like keeping fit, it's not always as easy as it sounds.
Be it nature or nurture, we all know the "no-pain-no-gain" principle is more than a clever quip. But even purist athletes don't spurn technology's advances entirely (some endorse gear purported to ease the road to victory). Here, technology is taken seriously enough to propel the world's No. 2 economy. So, it's only natural to ponder - if not be enticed by - fitness gadgets that may evoke more humor than health.
The Joba, or simulated horse-riding machine, is one of Japan's newest crazes getting those with an unbridled passion for stationary workouts back in the saddle. As ubiquitous in department stores as online videos poking fun at the trend, it's said to tone muscles, increase metabolism, work abs and strengthen thighs. All the user has to do is hang on for the ride.
Add claims that gyrating on a stationary saddle will slim tummies and it's no surprise Americans (no strangers to armchair workouts or bulging waistlines) are chomping at the bit for them. Both Matsushita Electric Works and Panasonic recently started marketing their respective versions of the Joba in the United States. Are the claims too good to be true? Probably, according to fitness pros and a read between the lines.
"I have never used this machine, which was actually designed to help diabetics since it has been proven to enhances glucose metabolism," says Nicolas Amp, a certified personal trainer at Gold's Gym in Tokyo's Omotesando. "Users seem to have positive results and it seems fun to use. But I would not forget other training techniques such as weightlifting and only use the Joba as one of several tools."
Indeed, despite all the hype about a Matsushita study "proving" the Joba's benefits, the 2004 results published online only claim it, "elevates resting glucose metabolism by approximately 45 percent." (It's worth noting only six subjects were studied and there were no control subjects.) "Horseback riding therapy," not necessarily the Joba, the study says, can strengthen the dorsal and abs, prevent back pain and help balance. It's not just bogus benefits buyers need beware of, either, says Michael Lancaster, a certified trainer at Tipness Fitness: "People with current back and neck pain, and low levels of muscle conditioning would have to be very careful with this machine."
The Joba is not the first such craze Japan has exported. Remember the Kingyo Undo, or goldfish machine? These boxes with ankle rests that sway the hips of reclining bodies side to side were said to help cellular oxygen absorption, nervous systems and stress relief. Now they're marketed abroad by countless companies as "chi machines," the next-best thing to yoga or Pilates. Meanwhile, folks here have moved on.
"It seems that the trend these days is to use less effort to lose weight in a particular body part - especially the stomach area," according to Amp. "That is why those electro machines are getting so popular," he says of devices made to literally shock you into shape. "I would suggest using them as a part of a rehabilitation training program to recover from an injury, but in order to burn fat, there is no secret: proper nutrition and regular exercise." Besides, he adds, "loosing fat on a specific body part is not possible." Yet many still try.
Fitness is as easy as deciding what to wear, according Kobe-based ASICS Corp., which appeals to passions for fitness and fashion with garments like Psoas Strengthening Spats. The knee-length underwear are said to work key core muscles and are catching on like others claiming to firm the buttocks, or correct posture.
So, why not wear yourself thin? "These types of garments feel good to wear at first, but generally lose their affect in a few weeks (due to a loss of interest or elasticity)," says Lancaster. Amp says, "I don't believe it at all. The psoas is a small muscle in the abdominal region that is difficult to stimulate without very specific exercises."
As unbelievable as it sounds, devices made to do all the work for you are not based entirely on the absurd. They often employ passive exercise, which has its rightful place in rehab and geriatrics. "Generally I'd warn people not to buy gadgets that purport to get them fit and healthy with nearly no effort," Lancaster says. "I'd recommend people with heart conditions and neck and back injuries consult their doctor before buying them. If you read the fine print, it usually says you must also follow a good diet and generally exercise three to four times a week. ... People would probably succeed just by following the small print alone, walking 20 minutes a day and stretching - which is free."
Another new trend promises that standing is all that's needed for health and vitality. (Try telling that to seat mongers on a crowded Tokyo train.) Vibration exercise machines, under a plethora of brand names from Crazy Fit Massage to Lipolysis Vibration Exerciser (implying fat will simply melt away) are hot worldwide. These upright machines have a vibrating platform to stand on and handles. While wildly popular in Japan, and cranked out en mass in China and South Korea, it's the Russian space program that actually gets the credit.
In theory, muscles contract in response to the vibration, stretching tendons, increasing blood flow and hence strengthening and toning muscles. It reputedly gave cosmonauts the edge, allowing them to last more than three times as long in zero gravity than their U.S. counterparts who returned to earth with deteriorated muscles. (I confess I just tried this jarring experience and admit my core muscles did feel a bit of a burn, though my knees and lower back signaled once was probably enough.)
Non-commercial studies on "vibration exercise" have been, or are being, conducted, hinting that the selling point of the machine doing all the work is bogus (the alleged benefit comes from muscle reaction). But that could be a good thing. Yet it's a far cry from a reliable endorsement of such products, especially when they are touted as the only means needed for weight loss or fitness.
"Sometimes I do train people on a board that has similar properties," says Amp, adding he's yet to add it to his own routine. "But I also believe people should not base their training program on a machine such as this." The more commercially motivated tend to disagree. Day Fit, a franchise with about 35 locations in Japan, for example, promises 10 minutes a day on a coin-operated Dream Healther, is all that's needed to vibrate kilos away, while shaping up core, arm and shoulder muscles. Those 10 minutes, it advertises, are equivalent to 18,000 steps. So, why walk when this space-age machine does the moon walking for you?
"Machine makers are trying to sell people what they want - loosing weight and being fit without training hard," Amp says. "All these types of machines have good points and have been tested, but they are useless if people are just using one of them. The most important thing is regular exercise with good nutrition."
