ProForm Ab Glider

I was looking for something that would help me work my core in a safe and fun way. I am disabled and have to be careful about the sort of exercises that I do. I've injured myself in the past without doing much! From what I saw of the Ab Glider on TV, I thought it would be effective and safe. So far, so good! A friend helped me put it together and it wasn't difficult. (Follow the instructions, especially the tips!) It is a sturdy piece of equipment that looks like it belongs in a gym! In fact, when you use it, it works your side muscles just like a machine at the gym did for me, minus the addtional weights you could add. Because I'm unsteady, it was a bit tricky to get on the glider. I realized, though, that if I hung onto the handlebars and knelt in the middle of the seat, it would remain stable and I could slide my knees to the sides when I had my balance. I also had to be careful to start out slowly or it would take off on me and I could fall! All of that said, I'm really amazed by how much fun it is to work your abs! You can target different parts of your abdomen and even low back and glutes by how straight you keep your spine, how far out you glide, and where you put your hands on the handlebars. It's pretty amazing! I've only had it for a day so I'm sure I'll be coming up with all sorts of exercises I can do! You can feel it working your muscles. My Ab Glider came with four DVDs. The total body workout DVD is especially helpful because it is so flexible. You can do all of the exercises or any number of the 10-minute blocks targetting the upper or lower body. The instructor shows you how to use the Ab Glider to do a lot of different exercises. Pretty cool! The only disappointment was that the delivery was AWFUL! UPS must have ripped the box and dropped it because the box had been all taped up and the electronic clock/calorie counter inside was broken. I need to report this to the company and UPS. I'm hoping they can just send me a new calorie counter. If not, I'm not going to return the whole machine just for that.

Let me start by saying I have yet to use this machine so I will return after I have and update this review. However, I had to go ahead and review according to my experience so far. I ordered about two weeks ago. The item shipped fairly quickly and I attempted to assemble it that day. However, on the first step of the instructions, I found one production mistake that made it impossible to put a screw in where it said. The threading was mangled. I then found that two feet that are supposed to go on the base pieces either have holes that are too small or screws that are too large and/or long. That I could deal with - the feet don't seem extremely important. But I was unable to assemble the first steps because of this production mistake. I called and had them ship me a new piece, which they were very easy going about which sort of lead me to believe that this is a regular occurrence. I waited longer for the replacement base directly from Proform than I did for the original shipment from Amazon. The piece I received looked more beat up than the original, but just had scuffs and dents in the plastic pieces. That doesn't effect how the machine will work so I just went ahead and assembled the rest of it, sans (possibly useless) feet. The instructions say that you need two people to assemble. I'm not the best at assembling things and I'm a 117 lb woman and it was simple to do on my own. Some of the workmanship is a bit shoddy and things seem to be in stupid places, making using the allen wrenches more cumbersome than usual. But generally it was pretty easy to do. The next day I stretched out, got all ready (and excited) to use the ab glider and tried to load one of the DVD's that came with it. No luck. My Playstation 3, which will play virtually anything, couldn't load anything. Fluke? So I tried the second DVD. Same issue. Thinking maybe it needs to be played on a computer for some reason, I tried it in that. No dice. I used some DVD program that should read anything and I got one of them to load but it was all pixelated and wouldn't actually play. Second call to customer service and they are going to send me the replacement DVD's - again with no questions asked. Most places you call would ask you to try x,y,z and troubleshoot before just replacing things. They didn't at all and that again, leads me to believe this happens all the time. I am assuming, of course, but it just seems odd. When they didn't work, I thought someone was playing a joke on me. It's just that ridiculous. Needless to say, I want to be sure I'm using this correctly as I didn't really watch the infomercial on TV. So I'd like to utilize the DVD's. The machine is now sitting in my living room collecting dust while I wait for more replacements. Again, I'll be returning to complete the review once I actually get to use the thing someday.

So I've had my proform ab glider for two weeks - more than enough time to form a valid opinion. Assembly: I'll start with the assembly. It took me roughly an hour and 15 mins to put together (not because I didn't know how the peices fit together but because the screws for the top and bottom halves of the cresent stands did not fit as seemlessly as they were supposed to). I ended up screwing and unscrewing several times only to realize that two of the holes where off by a fraction of a millimeter (enough to make a huge difference in the way the screws fit). I ended up getting those two screws far enough down where they would not come loose, but they are not snug. This is the biggest issue I have with my proform ab glider. Sure, I could have returned the proform ab glider but who really wants to go through the hassle of repacking this up once you've completely removed it from the box? Not me. Workout: I worked out with the video first. I was definitely sore after that first session. I'm about 5'10", 175 pds. I was already in decent shape so the proform ab glider felt very natural as I worked out. However, there are exercises (especially the ones that you remove the long stabilizer pin and work out on the left side (both hands on left handle bar) then the right. I notice I have to expend energy keeping the "sleigh bar" (that bar the seat slides up and down) from moving. This is energy I could actually be using to work my abs vs keeping my balance. In my opinion, you should be able to lock the bar at varying angles to prevent the loss in motion created by trying to maintain your balance. That said, there are still a few exercises that you can do on this machine that more than make up for the few design flaws. You will definitely get a great workout. With practice, your balance will improve. I have definitely seen a difference in my abs in the past two weeks. Bottom Line: There is no magic bullet for developing a "six pack". It takes a dedicated person willing to put in the time and effort. The proform ab glider is a great alternative to situps and crunches. It is not an "easier way to a six pack". I talked to friends who own a proform ab glider before I even considered buying this and they all said the same thing - it's tough but fun.I have to agree. My final verdict? The proform ab glider was definitely worth the investment. I would definitely recommend this.

We were so excited to try out the ab glider but after two hrs plus of trying to assemble, we're done with our workout, it remains in pieces and we're ready to throw in the towel. None of the screwholes are lining up. The screws for the feet are too big for the holes they are supposed to screw into (or the holes are too small...). As if that wasn't enough to overcome, the center post fits onto a piece on the base that is welded on crooked. There is absolutely no way to put this thing together! My 15 year old daughter actually hurt herself trying to help out. I put stuff together all the time without incident. There is no excuse for such crummy construction. I'm off to research what I can do about this now. But I gotta say, buyer beware. PS. It was comical watching us put it together. Made me wish I could film Elizabeth Hasslebeck trying to assemble this thing.

This one is defenetly much better then AB CIRCLE PRO, but takes much more space, and made in CHINA like the other one few defects, but overall eazy to put together take about 30-40 min. for the women who never done it before, and much better on the knees if you ever tryed CIRCLE PRO, then Proform Ab Glider is much better made, and safe on your knees, not like AB- circle- pro knee enjury about to happen !!!

I thought about ordering this product long and hard, simply because I'm not the gym or real workout type person who gets on the stair climber or a treadmill - ever. But after quitting smoking and gaining some weight I'd rather not see anymore I decided to give it a go since it looked very different from what I'm used to seeing for workout routines. Shipping was very fast, took about 30 min. to put together (5 minutes was looking for the grease packet that was taped to the bottom of the package...) and I love it. All parts were pristine and accounted for, very well explained, and well packaged. You should definitely watch the DVD to get the maximum benefit out of it because there are tips on ideal body position and also a lot of alternative ways to use the ab glider. Many people on here have said that it seems to fit short people better, I'm 5'3 and have no problem. I have to say that I have a lot of fun with this and you can challenge different body parts just by shifting your position which I find convenient. I am a professional horse trainer and I am in pretty good shape to begin with including a very strong core, but I can still challenge myself by changing the exercise around or shift positions to apply more upper body strength if I choose to. Definitely a good buy for a good price and more fun than I expected it to be!

I have always been satisfied with Proform products. I am still using one of their treadmills that is 10 years old and runs like new. The AbGlider was a disappointment right out of the box. The welding looks like a first timer did the job with visible cracks already showing. The Glider came with broken pieces in the plastic wrapping although I couldn't locate their connection initially. In addition, the directions are not very user friendly. It took over 3 hours to put together and it doesn't have that many pieces. After the 3 hour commitment, I found that the computer counter was smashed and not working. It shouldn't break that easily. I will say that after working out the last week, I do "feel the burn" after the full 10 minute workout. It would be nice to be able to adjust the tension. It is easy to use. You will get a better workout if you use the DVD.

My niece and I LOVE this machine! The videos show a lot more then we thought the machine could do, and we were VERY impressed with all the exercises. The only down fall to it was putting it together. The allen wrench screws are difficult to tighten with the tool provided, so I had to use my cordless drill. Other then that, the machine is perfect, and we recommend it to everyone, all shapes and sizes fit this machine, and we love it. It works great, and we are seeing the results and actually enjoying the workout. Worth every penny...