Panasonic EU6441A Core Muscle Trainer
- Easy-to-use core muscle trainer improves strength, flexibility, and balance
- Low-impact strength work protects joints; for users up to 265 pounds
- Three modes and nine speeds for customized workouts
- Includes mat, two footrests, and two footrest brackets
- Measures: 29.5 x 16.5 x 34.3 inches (HxWxD); weighs 82 pounds;
Core Trainer Exerciser engages the thigh, back, abdominal and other core muscles, for no-impact strength training with high-impact results.The Panasonic EU6441A Core Muscle Trainer uses Counter-Balance exercise technology to build strength, flexibility, and overall fitness. This no-impact strength training solution targets thigh, back, abdominal, and other core muscles for a serious workout. With pre-programmed settings, variable tilt and speed, and a compact, stylish design, this core trainer is a perfect fit for home use or fitness facilities. .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: -15px; } table.callout { font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1. 3em; } td.think { height: 125px; background: #9DC4D8 url(http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg.png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right:
List Price: $ 1,499.99
Price: $ 1,499.99
And More:
This patented resistance rower has the look and the feel of a true rowing motion. The articulating arms give you the ultimate 360 …
The Step Freestyle Step (Health Club Size)F1020W Get more out of your workout with the new patent pending FREEStyle Step! Features: -Health club freestyle step. -Includes …
Getting results I didn’t seem to get with other routines…,
Through the Amazon Vine program, I received an evaluation unit of the Panasonic EU6441A Core Muscle Trainer. It took me a bit of time to get over my skepticism (and the kids’ harassment), But having worked with it now for about a month, I can honestly say that it does have a place in my workout routine…
I don’t think I’ve had a piece of home exercise equipment quite this heavy. I’m sure the UPS guy was less than thrilled having to maneuver the 80+ pound box to my side door. That’s fine, as I wasn’t thrilled to have to wrestle it into the basement, either. After unpacking, the only real piece of assembly were the two foot stirrups, and that took all of about 2 minutes. Basically it’s plug it in and go. The display and control unit is built into the front of the seat, so you can easily select the session, intensity, and amount of tilt once you’re comfortably seated. The session runs for 15 minutes, at which point the machine slowly returns to a neutral position and shuts off. Again, very easy to figure out without an excess of reading.
The unit comes with a DVD and booklet that shows you how to use the Core Trainer as part of an overall strengthening program. This has you doing some floor exercises along with time spent on the machine. There are also some variations you can use on the machine to add additional levels of intensity to the routine, such as working without the stirrups or positioning your arms in ways that take them out of the balancing equation. I haven’t quite incorporated all the floor work yet, but the work on the Core Trainer is starting to pay off.
I’m short (5’4″), so I find the unit perfect in terms of leg and foot placement with the stirrups. I’m not sure how it would work for those who are “normal” height (or taller), as it seems like it’d be hard to keep your feet off the floor if you weren’t using the stirrups. Guess I’ll never know the answer to that one. I’m finding that I have less lower back pain, and there’s progress on an overall feeling of control in the midsection. I also find that my thighs get a nice buzz from the constant balancing and counteracting of the motion. In fact, I usually feel it more in the legs immediately afterwards than I do the midsection.
I’m a little unsure as to how effective the Core Trainer would be over time. I can imagine that once you work up to full intensity in terms of range of motion, you’d have to work hard to come up with new ways to keep the workout challenging. But I’m not anywhere near that yet, so we’ll wait and see.
Overall, I’m quite pleased with the Core Trainer, and I look forward to continued improvement in my core area. And I’ll probably get over the laughter of the kids one of these days…
|After the treadmill, this is a nice addition to a home gym,
Before receiving the Core Trainer I had a healthy bit of skepticism. With a bit of paint and a pony head, this would remind me of the kiddie carousels that can sometimes be found outside of the aging discount stores. But, being an exercise equipment junkie this was definitely something I was eager to try. Not surprisingly, my core is the area that needs the most work. I tend to carry my weight there, and it’s frustrating trying to lose weight in the hips and belly, especially after having children.
Setup was simple. The entire unit comes assembled, except the stirrups must be attached and adjusted for your height.
I can imagine my old personal trainer adding this to my warm up routine. He used to have me walk on the treadmill for 15-20 minutes before my workout to get the blood circulating and warm up my muscles. It wouldn’t surprise me if gyms where these are located have their personal training clients use this for 15 minutes either before or after a session. It’s an easy, relaxing program that can be adapted to suit varying needs. For example, the program can become more challenging by adding resistance bands, dumbbells, or medicine balls. Also, used without the stirrups the legs will get more of a workout.
After using this twice a day for two weeks I can definitely see an increase in muscle and strength in the thigh area, much more than I was expecting. I haven’t yet seen any abdominal results, but according to the included DVD, it builds the more interior muscles rather than the surface muscles. Additionally, I feel more balanced and my posture has improved. I’ve always been a stickler for posture and I suspect this may have strengthened my back muscles resulting in better posture.
This would be an easy workout for people in varying degrees of fitness, from the very fit to the very unfit. Unlike traditional exercise equipment that relies on repetitious, straight movements, this actually engages your body in it’s natural motion.
The included DVD far exceeded my expectations. The trainers were very professional and thorough in their training programs, explaining everything very well as they went.
My primary suggestions for the core trainer are this: I would have liked to have seen the resistance bands included, and possibly a small set of hand weights, such as the Valeo HW3 3-Pound Neoprene Hand Weights. I feel that would have made the program more complete, but these can be purchased inexpensively on Amazon.
My other suggestion would have been to make the workouts easy, intermediate, and advanced, rather than hips, side to side, and waist. I visited the Panasonic web site and noticed that their newer version which runs a few hundred more than this one has implemented this feature.
Overall, I’ve always been a big fan of Panasonic electronics. They work well, they’re well designed, and are very high quality. This is no exception. If you already have a treadmill, this would be the next logical piece of exercise equipment to own.
|Ride’em Cowboy!,
Upon first sight I had to laugh. When I pulled the core trainer out of the box my kids exclaimed, “Dad got a pony!” I had not heard much about core training other than from books like the “Abs Diet” which encouraged strengthening your core muscles along with dieting. To say the least I did not know such a machine existed.
As odd as the core trainer may seem the concept is simple; exercise the rider’s core by constantly moving their lower body in different directions while the rider limits their own upper torso movements. The motion is very similar to horseback riding (at least the side-to-side motion).
The first thing I noticed when I unpacked the core trainer is how sturdy this thing is. Weighing around 80 lbs. I could see the core trainer was sturdy to hold me no problem (I am around 6’0 tall 210 lbs.). The weight of the core trainer may be something to consider if you need portability in your exercise equipment. While I can lift it by myself, I would not want to be moving it very often.
Sitting on the core trainer is comfortable. The seat reminds me of a large motorcycle seat and was always comfortable during the exercise. The core trainer has a handle on the front to allow first time users to hold on to something while getting use to the motion.
Each workout lasts for 15 mins. This is a preset duration that you cannot override. I found that after a few days of using the core trainer I wanted to do 2 x 15 min workouts. The parameters you can control are; the speed of the workout, the tilt of the machine (the pony), and the actual routine (side-to-side, forward tilt [Waist], and Backward Tilt [Hips] ).
With the core trainer you get a DVD that shows some exercise routines and also the basic posture while riding. I highly recommend viewing that. The exercise routines are interesting. I can see where making certain arm movements twists your torso into positions that simulate crunches and other high impact stomach exercises. My concern is the risk of injury. If you have any issues with your back I would not recommend doing any of the twisting exercises. An issue I have with the DVD is the menu selection. Whenever I insert the DVD I have to go through the annoying intro, I wish I could just jump directly to the menu.
So after a month of using the core trainer I have noticed my stomach area feels tighter. It feels as though I have done an average stomach routine. I have never noticed anything in my waist or hips. My inner thighs seem to be the muscles that get the most strain (from gripping the saddle). The workouts are never high impact. In fact, they seem about as low impact as you can get. All you really need to do is sit on this machine and keep your balance. I am optimistic that after using the core trainer for a few more months I will notice more improvements.
If you are someone who needs high impact exercises this may not be for you. However, if you enjoy low impact, and you are willing to stick with this machine for several months I believe it will pay off.
|