October 29, 2010

Reebok Easytone: Is It Just A Fad?

Leading sports brand Reebok claim that their Reebok Easytone trainers can tone your hamstrings, calves and bum nearly 30% more than regular trainers just by walking in them. They claim the trainers can “train muscles your trainers never knew you had.”

With this concept, Reebok claim that it increases the activation of calf muscles by 11% and gluteus maximus muscles by 28%. The idea is to give your legs and bum a workout without actually doing much exercise, apparently from the advert it even works while cleaning the house!

John Porcari PhD, who led the tests, agrees that the trainers should work in theory as they make the muscles work harder by creating instability that the body attempts to counteract. The shoes are based on a curved sole which creates an unstable surface which forces the wearer’s body to constantly struggle to find equilibrium.

The model says she enjoys swimming, walking yoga and dancing. An avid member of dance and fitness classes, she was the perfect candidate for this exercise range aimed primarily at women.

The trails were also conducted with a group aged 21 to 27 and both groups were tested with regular trainers to compare. The first results were not impressive, using the Reetone trainers did not increase caloric expenditure or heart rate and only produced aching of the muscles.

The results declared an increase in muscle activity for the subjects wearing the Easytone trainers in the muscles specified, but not to the degree Reebok claimed. The verdict is that although the trainers do provide a small degree of extra muscle usage, they are fairly expensive and it would depend on the individual consumer as to whether they believed it was worth it. Judging by the perky models featured in the advert, the campaign is likely to be very successful in convincing consumers of this.

Consumers can get their hand on the easytone trainers in stores and online and there is rumour of a extended Reebok easytone due next year.