Decades after Suzanne Sommers and the ThighMaster rocketed to fame in the 1990s, the ThighMaster is still here, redesigned from the original dark blue and red creation to a bright, friendly-looking red and yellow color scheme. Not much else has changed in this venerable, even notorious, piece of home exercise equipment. Although it's now marketed as an exercise device for your whole body, the ThighMaster still has some definite limitations.
Description
The original ThighMaster consists of two padded handles connected by a coil that provided resistance when you pressed the handles together. To work your inner thighs in the original, heavily advertised ThighMaster exercise, place the handles between your knees, coil pointing down. Squeeze both legs in against the coil's resistance. Release and repeat.
Significance
Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as spot reducing or forcing your body to burn excess fat from just one area. While the ThighMaster can't suck fat off your thighs, its resistance does facilitate strength training, which can tone and sculpt your inner thighs.
The ThighMaster is useful for working other muscles, too. For example, holding one of the ThighMaster's handles in each hand at arm's length, and squeezing the handles together will work the inner fibers of your pectoral muscles. Unfortunately, the range of motion is too limited to work all the fibers of your pecs.
Muscles Worked
Although the ThighMaster has limited usefulness for working muscles other than your inner thighs, you can, with enough creativity, put it to work on almost any muscle in your body. To work your lats with the ThighMaster, tuck the coil into your left armpit, one handle extending down along your body, the other sticking straight out to your side. Rest your left upper arm on the handle that extends out to the side. Lower your arm, squeezing the ThighMaster handles together in a chicken wing-like motion. Release and repeat, completing a full set with your left arm before switching the ThighMaster to the other side.
Misconceptions
There's a common misconception that to tone your muscles, you must do endless repetitions. But there's no need to spend half an hour squeezing your ThighMaster. According to the Mayo Clinic, doing a single set of 12 repetitions is enough for most exercisers, as long as there's enough resistance to challenge your muscles. To work your triceps, tuck the ThighMaster's coil against your lower ribs at elbow height, just above your left hip. One handle should point straight down along the front of your hip, while the other handle protrudes straight forward. Place your lower left arm on the protruding handle and straighten your left arm, pressing the handles together. Release and repeat for a full set of 12 repetitions before switching to the other arm.
Considerations
Strength training is governed by the principle of progressive overload. In order to continue making gains in muscular strength and endurance, you must subject your muscles to progressively greater overloads. If you don't gradually increase the resistance in your resistance training, for example using slightly larger dumbbells every few weeks, you'll eventually hit a plateau. This is one of the ThighMaster's greatest vulnerabilities, because it offers only one fixed level of resistance, and cannot continue to challenge you as your muscles strengthen beyond its capabilities.
Member Comments