Consumer Reports tested three: Jay Glazer's Perfect Punch; Rhythm Rocker by Kymaro; and for women - the CoreBody Reformer.
"We rounded up staffers to try out each product," said Kim Kleman of Consumer Reports. "We called on a fitness industry expert to evaluate each one. We even had our nutrition expert take a look at the diets that came with two of the products."
The $30 Perfect Punch uses mixed martial arts techniques to get you in shape. But Consumer Reports found you can burn roughly the same amount of calories jogging 4.5 mph for 16 minutes.
Plus, some experimenters had problems with the equipment: "One more time those bands come snapping up and hit me in the ears, I was going to rip it in half" said Erin Gudeux.
Next up - the $99 Rhythm Rocker by Kymaro, which comes with several workouts and a nutrition guide. Consumer Reports' panelists tried out the 11.5 minute dance blast video and says you burn the equivalent of walking only 2 mph on a treadmill.
"As for the seven-day diet, it's pretty strict so you could probably lose weight, but our nutrition expert said it offered limited food options and no maintenance program."
Finally the $250 Nautilus CoreBody Reformer for women. It's a yoga, Pilates, and dance in one workout. Panelists found some of the balance exercises tricky, but overall it did well in Consumer Reports tests.
"The workouts are well-rounded," said Kim Kleman,"and if you're somewhat fit and are looking to improve your strength and flexibility, it might be one to consider."
Consumer Reports says the CoreBody Reformer can also help improve your balance and its diet is easy to follow helping you lose one to two pounds a week.
