June 25, 2007

IGallop: Yeeehaww!

So Crabby recently came across a Brookstone ad for this rather amusing exercise gadget. She's late to the party, as the IGallop has apparently been out for at least a year and has been featured on TV shows like The View and Ellen. (As an aside: Crabby greatly admires Ellen Degeneres, but not being a daytime TV watcher she only gets to see her on award shows and American Express commercials. She couldn't find a clip of Ellen IGalloping, or she would certainly share it).

Anyway, the whole IGallup concept was a brand new one for Crabby and she was quite intrigued. Despite having no actual experience with it, having done no research, and not even having seen a video of it in motion, she naturally felt she must rush out and express some opinions about it.

So she finds she has two opinions. The first:

It's Ridiculous and Silly!

One is supposed to use this to work core muscles like the abdominals and other ones Crabby doesn't know the name of. But because it does the moving, your job is just to stay on and ride. You can do it while you watch TV! It used to cost $600, but apparently they weren't "galloping" off the shelves, because now they're down to $350.

Is Crabby the only one with a Dirty Mind? Because depending on what the surface of the seat is like, friction-wise, and how bouncy the ride is, she wonders if certain users might not aiming for a whole different sort of Peak Performance. Perhaps they wouldn't have had to mark it down if they'd renamed it the O-Gallop?

"Mommy? Mommy? How come you always lock the door to the TV room whenever you're exercising?"

Okay, so maybe not. But even if it doesn't supply that kind of wild ride, Crabby would suggest drawing the curtains. When seen by a passer-by from the waist up, an IGallop exercise routine could look, well, like a lot more fun than it probably is.

So what's Crabby's second opinion?

She wants one!

It actually looks kind of fun, doesn't it? Crabby would love to build strong core muscles while watching TV. And she's never gotten the chance to get drunk and jump on one of those mechanical bulls at a cowboy bar, so she still has illusions that it would be a kick to have an exercise gadget that's actually a ride. If it ever gets down to a hundred bucks or so... who knows? Anything could happen!

Crabby knows it's unlikely, given the size of her readership, but do any of you own one of these? Can you really get a decent abdominal work out from it? Is it entertaining? Or is it one of those deals like the Magical Sea Horses Crabby ordered from the back of a comic book when she was eight? What a disappointment that turned out to be!

Or if, like Crabby, you have no experience with the beast, would you be the least bit tempted by something this ludicrous?

Of course if you do find yourself longing for a little gallop, Crabby will try to make it easy for you...

28 comments:

  1. I've never had one (to be honest, I didn't even know it existed...), but I admit that while reading its description here in your post, I also wondered about the, uhm, 'friction' matter... Hehe.

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  2. Good morning,Crabby. Sorry I missed out commenting on your last few posts.
    I'd never heard of the IGallop,but the same ideas crossed my mind as yours. You've piqued my curiosity about it, but I don't think I'll ever buy one. I'd certainly be game to give it a try someday though I do think I'd best keep the blinds drawn.

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  3. I agree it's silly hehehe - but it does sorta of look like fun too - but not sure how effective it is. I'll stick with my old standbys my stationary bike, my own two feet - and my new toy the Fludity. I need to do it more! But will have a review of it up shortly.

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  4. Hi Kery!
    Glad I'm not the only one with a dirty mind!

    Hi Leah--hi! Yeah, I noticed the Goat's Pail was empty the last couple days too--missed you. I'll have to go over shortly and see what you were up too!

    Lady Rose--
    Can't wait to find out what "fluidity" is. And thanks again for the Stumble Upon tip. They make it almost impossible to add for the new version of Blogger, so after much wasted time on the net I've found something else which looks potentially better. Thanks to you, there's now a little bookmark icon at the end of every post that works with pretty much every social bookmarking service. If it works as advertised, I may have to post about it, because it seems pretty cool!

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  5. Don't have one, but like you just recently discovered them (on airplane, "Mall" magazine) and had the same reaction as you. It does look like great fun. And what bennies!

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  6. OMG, your blog is SO funny! Love all those exercise equipment links!

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  7. Crabby, I have to admit, I have been on one of these. I was walking by the Brookstone Store in the mall and they had them up in the front. I actually broke into a little bit of a sweat and it was fun. They really are pretty cool.
    I would probably have one if it wasn't for the $400 price tag. If I could get a used one for say $100 I would jump at it.

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  8. I'm sticking to the exercyle, the treamill and the rowing machine. As far as I can see, they're the only exercise machines that don't make you look as if your engaged in some weird and probably should be banned activity!

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  9. Of course, you need to have the space for this contraption. The Tiny-Apartment Dwellers among us have no place to keep it. A friend of mine got onto another system to develop core strength. You've probably heard of it -- body rolling. A lean, grey-haired guru gal named Yamuna invented it. You take an inflated rubber ball and slowly roll over it on your spine while lying on the floor. I tried it once, and it was surprisingly effortful. My friend swears by it. Probably not as much fun as Ride 'Em Cowpoke, though.

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  10. At first it sounded like fun to me, but after watching this video of it functioning, it looks to me like it's a lot of work with a danger of falling off and maybe pulling something. Oh well! :(

    http://www.brookstone.com/store/531707.html

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  11. Hi Pamm!
    And I assume the "bennies" you mean are your newly toned abs? (Tee hee...)

    Hi Vicky!
    Before trying to accept the nice compliment I should probably figure out if you meant my blog or one of the other commenter's? Not sure if I have much in the way of equipment links here, other than the often obnoxious adsense ads. But if you did mean me, then thanks so much!

    Yay, Samantha, you actually tried one! Well, now that they're getting cheaper, I wonder about knock-offs or ebay... Still, I suspect it's the sort of think I'd play with a couple of times, tire of, and then regret buying.

    Back in a minute...

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  12. Hi Dawn!
    Aw, c'mon, you know you secretly want to ride that thing--watching tv while a rockin' and a hootin' and a hollerin'... I'm sorry? You really don't? Ah well, the exercycle it is then. You Kiwi's are so darn sensible!

    Hi Appleton--yes I imagine space could be a problem, especially if there's any chance one might go flying off it occasionally. However, given your description of the rubber ball torture... er, exercise, I think I'd prefer the rock'em sock'em cowboy toy, even if it sent my flying through the window every now and then.

    Hi anonymous!
    Another person who would prefer not to tear something or possibly break their limbs while exercising? Where's your sense of adventure! (Actually, thanks for the link--I should actually take a look at it before I keep on blogging about this in complete ignorance).

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  13. Crabby! Ouch! That looks it would hurt my-you-know-what(s)!!!
    Eh...I'll go for a nice brisk walk maybe? ;-)
    Adam

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  14. Hi Dietking!
    Yeah, I've seen several pictures and I haven't noticed any men on the Igallop.

    On the other hand, you guys somehow do that rodeo thing--must be some sort of very protective personal equipment involved.

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  15. ohmygosh.
    My kids would see this and think, "Woo-hoo, tricked out rocking horse!" I don't even think they'd let me on it. And then there's the catapult factor. I can just see them pulling it back as far as it will possibley go...and wheeee! the baby goes flying through the air.

    yeah, I'm sticking with the gym.

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  16. Hi Katieo,
    Hmm, flying babies probably not a great idea! And you're right, I never thought about how and enticing and dangerous the thing could be with kids in the house.

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  17. LOL, what a contraption! I dunno, I might buy one if I thought my cats might really like to nap on it... ;-D

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  18. Hi Thomma Lyn,
    Although I suppose the cats would be highly suspicious of any such devices. Cats are way smarter than humans about this whole gratuitous exercise thing!

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  19. Ha ha ha ha ha hahahahahah! I'm laughing so hard I can't breathe!

    Crabby, I adore you. As one crab to another, I beg you to never stop writing.

    "Mommy? Mommy? Why do you always lock the door to the TV room whenever you're exercising?"

    I bow to your comedy genius, Crabby. Huzzah!

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  20. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  21. Virginia Lee, that's so sweet! (And I do believe laughing counts as aerobic exercise, or if it doesn't, it should!)

    And your blog cracks me up too!

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  22. I just got mine yesterday and I love it. I thought the original price was too high last year but checked Amazon for it when I saw it in a movie recently. After ten minutes, I did feel some difference in my lower back so I think it works. It is hella fun so it won't be collecting dust. It IS perfect for watching tv on.

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  23. So being very late to the subject, but having heard about the iGallop just yesterday - did you ever get one? I'm tempted because of a lower-back muscle that has been bothering me for over a year. There's nothing wrong the doc can find, rest doesn't seem to work, yoga sometimes helps/sometimes doesn't help, and I want to get back to running.

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  24. Nah, CL, I haven't wanted to spend the money... but I'll definitely be curious if you try it!

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  25. If I get one, I'll be sure to let you know what I think of it!

    This post was my first look at your blog, and I'm really enjoying reading your archives (and boy can I relate to a lot of them!). Thank you, Crabby!

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  26. I have one...its FUN, I found this page as I was looking into a new device, mimics riding a bull!

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  27. Someone donated one to NEAT - we are selling it for $50. Go to our site to contact us; www.neatmarketplace.org. We are a non-profit. It's like new!

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