Fitness Quest Ab Lounge Club

Really love my exercise machine. It met all my expectations for my current fitness stage.

Overall pleased with condition of Ab Lounge Club. However, it arrived without the tension cords.

I always approach these products with a level of healthy skepticism. A few clients of mine have mentioned how much they love this new Ab Lounge Club, so with some trepidation I decided to give it a whirl.* Very pleased with the build quality. No cheap materials - which is a must since this whole thing is essentially one moving part.** Folds up very compactly and securely so it can be stowed on the rare occasions where you don't want to use it. Folding it up is a little difficult since there are a few parts that need to be unhooked. This is a positive in my view, as it is just another motivational aid to keep using it.*** Chair is very comfortable just to sit in. Fabric is supportive and easy to clean.**** DVD that comes with it is great and highly necessary. There is a huge amount of information available on generalized abdominal exercises, but none if it applies to a proprietary product such as this. DVD has varying exercises for the beginner up to an advanced user.Now, most importantly does this it work? Absolutely.The abdominals are one of the most important muscles in your body. They control balance, and are a secondary muscle in almost all exercises. Lifting anything with your legs, arms, or back, and your abs are going to be assisting. Strong abs are also very important to relieving some of the stress on the lower back, which avoids lower back injuries. This importance leads to a problem when training the abs: it can be easy to injure another part of your body--especially the lower back--when using obsolete exercises (sit-ups) or improper technique of normally good exercise (crunches, leg lifts). The Ab Lounge Club removes the danger by controlling your range of motion so that it is nearly physically impossible to perform any movements that may lead to injury.The Ab Lounge also "burns" your abdominals like no other.My credentials: I've been into fitness for a decade; ran several races - including a marathon, went on 60 mile or more cycling rides, helped to weight train a fitness model, and trained to be a semi-professional surfer. I'm used to pain and I recognize the aches and pains that are beneficiary and associated with muscle being built.In order to build muscle, you need to tear down the existing muscle with exercises. This is what all exercises do, and helped give birth to the term "no pain, no gain". This why it is important to rest the muscle group you work. Working out is only 50% of the battle - the rebuilding of the muscle is where you are going to see gains in strength and a more toned appearance. The body is adapting to what you are throwing at it. A full night of sleep and a balanced (with a higher proportion of protein) diet are essential. Otherwise you are simply tearing the house but not supplying the building materials to build a better one.After your body adjusts you need to switch your workout routine otherwise there will be no growth. The accompanying DVD is wonderful in that it provides several workout routines of varying degrees of difficulty. Even after months of using the product I am still feeling the burn and associated "day after" ache of growing muscle.