Another addition to my "Closet of Doom" filled with "As Seen on TV!" workout stuff
Written: May 02 '05 (Updated May 02 '05)
Product Rating:
Pros: Needs very little space, variable resistance, targets thigh muscles
Cons: Boring, can be very hard on the knees, timer/calorie burner is inaccurate
The Bottom Line: Lateral stepping rather than traditional is a cool idea but can be painful for anyone with knee problems. Those who bore easily will not want to invest on this machine.
PattyTherre's Full Review: Tristar Lateral Thigh Trainer
I happened upon the Lateral Thigh Trainer at Dick’s Sporting Goods about a year ago. The box was touting its success “as seen on TV” but I had never seen it on TV and I thought I sat through every infomercial made. Nonetheless, the one set up for customers to try was interesting and I decided to go for it. I was looking for a traditional stepper because I hate treadmills and wanted to see if stepping would be less boring and, more importantly, less like I was on a killer moving thing that, at any moment, would send me flying off or falling on my face (I think it has to do with an escalator experience when I was young but whatever, you get the point. I want to control the speed at which I use any machine, not let it control me.)
The stepper was causing a commotion at Dick’s because people were falling off it and couldn’t get into the rhythm of stepping laterally as opposed to traditional stepping which is just up and down. For that reason, probably, I decided to invest $99.99 into the Lateral Thigh Trainer and see if it would beat me or if I could beat it. And, I also wanted to get in some new exercise as well.
The Official Word
This is from several website where the LTT is sold: The Lateral Thigh Trainer System gives you two potent workouts in one machine.
A fun, fat burning cardio workout plus a super effective toning workout. The Lateral Thigh Trainer LTT not only moves up and down, it also moves in and out at the same time.
The secret is the bi-directional skating like motion, unlike ordinary steppers the Lateral Thigh Trainer unique movement targets multiple muscles from different angles.
Assembly and Quality
There really wasn’t any assembly. The trainer was essentially completely assembled out of the box. I had to add some rubber feet and connect an electronic timer/calorie burner, but other than that, it was good to go which a big plus. The trainer is very heavy. I was amazed at how heavy such a small device could be. It certainly isn’t made with cheap parts, at least not the hardware end of it. The clock/timer is chintzy and broke quickly. But the overall quality seems good. My husband is a welder (among other things) and he inspects everything for good welding and he was mildly impressed by how well the trainer was put together. I have heard stories about the machine having malfunctions and breaking down but mine never gave me any problems from a working standpoint (just the timer).
My Experience
There are no handles or other types of hand braces on this stepper. This could pose a problem for the terminally off balance but I am quite the klutz and didn’t fall off the stepper…much. There are optional stretchy cords with handles that can be purchased to give your workout more intensity and involve the upper body but I didn’t bother to invest in them.
The trainer itself is fairly compact with just two footrests and a stabilizing metal bottom. It takes up only about 18 - 20 inches of floor space. For those who have problems finding space for bulky machines, this one certainly solves the space dilemma.
Behind the footrest is a knob-like handle extending out from the back of the machine. This is the tension knob. You can move it to a higher or lower number by just pushing the knob one way or the other. This sets the tension or resistance. You can set it so it so that stepping is nearly impossible and you need all your strength to make those footrests move or you can set it so that stepping is so easy, you barely feel the footrests under your feet. I chose the middle ground and made it just tough enough to feel my muscles working but easy enough to step quickly for a cardio workout.
Getting used to this trainer takes a few tries. It is definitely not like a traditional stepper. As you push your foot down on the footrest, your leg slides outwards to the side, each step gives your leg a lateral step (similar to ice skating or rollerblading), which can be felt in the thighs and butt. However, it isn’t a natural stepping motion and takes some practice. The first few times I used the trainer, I was thrown off balance and a bit frustrated, but after that, I knew what to expect and got into the groove.
The timer is a nice addition but the calorie counter is just fluff. There is no way that a machine can know how many calories you burned without knowing your weight, height, and other important physical attributes. Still, it’s a motivator to see the number of calories and strides go up and go up faster as you go faster, encouraging cardio fitness. Unfortunately, mine broke just a few weeks into using the trainer and I never bothered trying to fix it. I can time myself on my clock and I never paid attention to the calories burned anyway. The stride counter was always wrong from the start so consider the “computerized timer” a very low tech extra.
The Video and Extras
The trainer comes with a video with a complete workout on it. I popped that into the VCR immediately and saw some instructions and precautions and then moved on to the workout. The video, LTT Powerhouse Workout Video features personal trainer Brenda DyGraf and is divided into two sections. The first is the 10 Minute Easy Stride Workout and is simply a stepping workout at a pace that should be aerobic for most people. It’s simple, straightforward, I must add, a bit boring. The second part is the 10 Minute Powerstep Workout. This one is tougher, using the machine at a harder level and really does work the thigh and leg muscles. 10 minutes may seem like a little but after that 10 minutes, I was feeling it and kept feeling it for a few days.
I also bought, later on, another video for the trainer which is for more advanced users of the LTT. It’s still in plastic because –- you guessed it -- I got bored with the machine before I got to use the video.
You will also get a pamphlet with exercise and user tips, a 14-day diet, and some other like literature, which is all fairly standard stuff and could easily be left unread without compromising the use of the LTT.
The Pros
It’s great to be able to step and watch TV or listen to music. I didn’t use the video often. I preferred to watch a show I was going to watch anyway -- After all, American Idol, The Apprentice, and WWE Raw are requisite watching and I figured I might as well do something while watching rather sitting still during my mindless TV time. Because the LTT is so compact, I had no problem setting it next to the TV and using it while others were also watching. The problem was afterwards. It is so heavy that storing it was tough for me. But I set it on a closet and hauled it out every day until the day came I no longer felt the need or desire to haul it out again.
You can certainly work up a sweat on the LTT and you can work your thigh and leg muscles well. The lateral movement is foreign to your body and it stresses muscles that usually don’t get much working out. You can easily get a cardio workout by keeping a good pace for about 30 minutes. If you desire muscle building, keeping the tension on hard will work those muscles and help you to build up the muscles in your thighs, legs and butt.
Although there are no handles or upper body work incorporated into the video, you can easily use wrist weights, small hand weights, or weighted sand balls to add to the upper body workout and also to add intensity. While not a perfect solution to an overall body workout, you can get decent results with the above mentioned additions.
The Cons
As with any stationary machine – or any workout – this can get boring. Just stepping for a half an hour can be tedious even with the diversion of watching a TV show. I found myself quite bored with the LTT after a few uses. Time dragged. I wanted to just do something, anything else. But that is me. I was not made to do one thing for any length of time. Unlike steppers with handles, unless you get creative, your upper body just sits there, adding to the boredom. But the worst con for me was the knee pain.
I had surgery on my knee several years ago and can do pretty much anything I want now. Still, some movements can really hurt and the lateral movement of the stepper was one of them. With every step of the LTT, my knee twisted on a way that it wasn’t meant to twist and thus, I started to experience knee pain like I had before surgery. I worked through it, figuring it was temporary, but it never did go away. Every time I used the trainer, my right knee would throb afterwards. For those with any sort of knee problem, I highly recommend that you try this machine out first – and for more than a few moments – to see if your knees can handle the lateral repetitive movements required of this trainer. If you can ice skate or rollerblade for 30 minutes or more without a knee problem, I think you could use the LTT with no problems as well. The movements on the LTT are very similar to skating motions, so let that be your guide.
Also, if you need to follow a workout, the short 10-minute ones on the included video aren’t enough to really give you a good cardio workout. For $9.95, you can get the advanced tape and that may provide you with some variety and a longer workout.
Buying Info
As I mentioned, I got my LTT at Dick’s Sporting Goods but there are several sites on the Internet that sell it and it is still being sold in many sporting goods stores. The price seems to have remained about the same as when I bought it – around $100, but I saw it for $79.00 on some websites minus shipping.
Conclusion
It’s hard to rate this one. At first, I enjoyed the different type of stepping this little machine provided and I did feel it on my thighs and butt. But after a few uses, besides the knee pain, I found this to be boring. Even with the option of switching up the resistance, there just wasn’t enough to do on this machine to keep me motivated. The video didn’t help in that area and I found myself not enjoying using the LTT. I know some people can walk on the dreaded treadmill for an hour or use a stepper endlessly and they love it. Perhaps I fall into a minor category of the chronically bored but, unless I am enjoying a workout, I just won’t do it after a while and that’s what happened with the LTT. It was a novelty and it was kind of cool but after the initial newness wore off, it was relegated to my “Closet of Doom” with other similar devices that couldn’t hold my interest and didn’t give me the kind of results I wanted.
Those with knee problems will want to stay far away from this machine. I was in so much pain after every workout that I wondered if I had reinjured my knee to the point of having it scoped again. I was relieved that the pain went away when I stopped using the LTT.
I would say this is a handy little device for those with space issues and who don’t bore easily. You can get a cardio workout on the LTT and you can use while watch TV or listening to music which for many is a big plus. The lateral motion targets the thighs unlike traditional stepping and you can change up the resistance from a fast cardio workout to a strength training one with ease.
If you bore easily or have more room for other types of equipment, I would say skip this one. If you want a Cardio and lower body challenge that takes limited space and is FUN, try the WALKBLASTER by Leslie Sansone(Clicking opens a window with my review of the Walkblaster). The cost is less and the fun factor is so much higher. Plus anyone at any age or fitness level can do the Walkblaster routines. Even those of us with a rickety old knee can manage fine with no pain.
I am going to give this machine an average rating (three stars) and I will not recommend it because there are more cons, in my mind, than pros. Still, it’s not a terrible product. Just not as great as it claims to be.
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