Air Powered MUSCLE MACHINE (Slendertone Fortex)

Member Name: JJJJ

Product:	Slendertone Fortex
Date:	24/12/08 (526 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Really Well Built

Disadvantages: A Little Pricey

There are many products on the market which claim to help build muscles quickly and increase fitness for those willing to pay the usually costly retail price - this review is for one such device.

The Slendertone 'Fortex' is a piece of exercise equipment designed to develop the muscles in the upper body. Shaped like a tube with two rubber handles at each end, the device sells online for anything between £75 - £100.

The Fortex promises to deliver results in a month, with only four exercises per day, four days a week. The are many activities you can do with the Fortex - all of which are listed in the informative instruction booklet. One of which involves holding the unit in front of the chest with straight arms, then expanding and contracting the machine. Being an air-powered device, the harder you pull, the more difficult it becomes - an ingenious design. This means that the device will always operate to the current users level of strength.

A small LCD screen on the front of the unit monitors the performance or each exercise selected, and warns you with a beep if you're not trying hard enough! It can also customise a workout routine for you to follow, which is handy for tailoring the machine to target specific muscle areas. This electronic 'computer' is powered by one 9V battery which is supplied.

But does it work?
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Like any new exercise device, the novelty value can be high, which acts as encouragement to use the new 'gadget'. This was certainly the case for me, and for the first month and a half of owning the Fortex, I used it about five days a week, for half an hour at a time. After a month or so, I noticed a slight development in my chest and shoulder muscles - but nothing drastic. After this initial period of use, I stated using the machine less and less, but still achieved some noticeable results. Four years later, I use the Fortex just once a week, in combinination with other free weights. Due to its exceptional build quality, the Fortex is still going strong.

I recommend the Fortex as an excellent component of any exercise regime. Suitable for both men and women, you can pick and choose the activities you undertake, in order to match to it to your current fitness session. The Fortex is one of the only exercise gadgets that I have tried which really works, and although it is pricey, it's well worth the money. Due to its small size, the Fortex can easily be hidden away behind a sofa, and is also much lighter than the heavy weights which this machine could potentially replace.

In summary, the Fortex features:
- an Air-based strength training system for toning and strengthening upper body muscles.
-Built-in software to assess your strength and develop custom training programs.
-An efficient design which shows results after four exercises per day, four times per week, for four weeks straight.
-Four workout modes: person trainer (strengthen or tone), circuit trainer, and freestyle.
-9-volt battery and instructions included; with 1-year warranty.

Highly Recommended.

Summary: Modern Day Chest Expander!