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The Shake Weight is a modified dumbbell that creates a vibrating effect to work out muscles. As a result of the perceived sexually suggestive nature of the product, infomercial clips of the exercise device have gone viral.
Product specifications
The Shake Weight has both a female and male version, though was initially released as a product "designed specifically for women".
The female version weighs 5 lb (2.3 kg). Per official company press releases, "Based on a groundbreaking workout technology called Dynamic Inertia, which engages the muscles in the arms, shoulders and chest in an entirely new fashion, the Shake Weight increases upper body muscle activity by more than 300% compared to traditional free weights". The company website further adds that the product has "scientifically proven results" and that the user can "get incredible results in just six minutes a day". In comparison, the male version weighs twice as much at 10 lb (4.5 kg).
The product appears to be based on "vibration plate technology—machines that vibrate to make the muscles relax and contract several times a second—thought to enhance the impact of exercise". In practice, once the user starts moving the dumbbell, it creates a vibrating effect to work out muscles. This action "is supposed to tone upper biceps, triceps and shoulders".
Reception
The motion performed when exercising with the Shake Weight can be perceived as that of a handjob. Due to this, the product has been the subject of popular attention and parody. Following its July 2009 debut, clips from a Shake Weight infomercial quickly went viral. The viral YouTube clip has more than 4,000,000 views.
Among its many appearances on television shows, Shake Weight was tested on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and This Morning, a British talk show. The Shake Weight commercial has also been parodied on Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, College Humor, Two and a Half Men and the South Park episode "Crème Fraiche".
Product developer
FitnessIQ is the developer and marketer behind the Shake Weight. Johann Verheem is FitnessIQ's CEO and Shake Weight's inventor.
Sales
By August 2010, a reported two million Shake Weight units had been sold for a total of $40 million in sales.
Endorsements
In January 2010, Alex Gerrard, the English model and wife of English footballer Steven Gerrard, launched the UK version of the Shake Weight. Gerrard said, "I use the Shake Weight every day and my arms have never looked so good. It really works."
References
- ^ "Shake Weight website". Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- "Shake Weight for Men website". Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- Atkinson, Louise (12 January 2010). "Vibrating dumbbells, fat-melting shorts... get in shape the cheat's way". Daily Mail.
- ^ "The Shake Weight Arm-Sculpting Craze Shaking up a Media Frenzy". Business Wire. News Blaze. 6 August 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
- Tom Roberts (7 August 2009). "Viral Video Chart: Mattress dominoes and the weirdest divorce hearing ever". The Guardian.
- "Hilarious Shake Weight Exercise for Women Video". Viral Video Chart. Unruly Media. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ Sarah Bull (8 January 2010). "Slimline Alex Gerrard ignores critics to launch ludicrous Shake Weight fitness aid". Daily Mail.
- "Season 35: Episode 19". Saturday Night Live Transcripts. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- Christine Lagorio (16 August 2010). "Shaking America By Storm". Inc. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
- Darren Rovell (20 August 2010). "The Shake Weight Hits $40 Million In Sales". CNBC. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
External links
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/Isometric_exercise
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