The 'Swiss ball' or 'exercise ball' started appearing in private training facilities around the country several years ago. Also known as 'Stability balls' these come in different sizes for people of different heights (from diameter 18' through 30'). Exercise balls are used to effectively isolate muscle groups for training.

Over the past few years, exercise balls have gained in popularity tremendously, and are now commonplace in gyms and health clubs across the country. The benefit of these balls is that they offer zero impact training and can isolate muscles very well. One of the drawbacks of these balls is that balancing on them can be tricky. Another is that they do not offer any way to increase resistance. Muscle sculpting requires stretching and resistance training to be most effective.

The Bun and Thigh Roller was invented by former Mr. AmeriCa and health/fitness entrepreneur Dean Tornabene. The movement offered by this piece of equipment is based upon the ‘sculpting arc’ of the Swiss ball. Dean added handles for stability and resistance bands to increase intensity. The Bun and Thigh Roller offers ease of use and minimal impact training and is ideal for almost anyone - eight possible levels of resistance mean that it's suitable for everyone from total beginners to serious athletes. It is especially useful for people who have difficulty with lunges, leg raises and squats since the muscles it works are predominantly the quads and glutes.

The device itself is reasonable good looking and well made. It is comfortable to use for most body types but is not suitable for the very tall or very heavy user.

The commercial claims that you can get a slim and toned body in just five minutes per day. For a sedentary person, five minutes exercise per day would be extremely beneficial. The majority of people will need to do a little more than that to see real results .

There are three optional accessories. The Arm Roller upper body attachment is useful for beginners and those people who are just getting back into exercise. Additional Power Bands give a more intense workout by offering more resistance. The mandatory Herbal Energizer Plus nutritional supplements are a continuity item (i.e. you receive a month’s worth of them, and are re-supplied automatically unless you call to cancel your order) Sylmark claims these contain essential vitamins and nutrients, PLUS natural energizing herbs – no ingredient list is supplied.

Summary: This is a well made, nicely presented piece of equipment. Using the Bun and Thigh Roller may well help you to tone and sculpt your glutes and thighs. It is especially useful for those who may find lunges and squats uncomfortable. The upper body component is helpful for beginners. The company is responsive to customer service inquiries.

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