Zone Pilates Infomercial Scams

Often compared to yoga, Pilates is a form of strength-building exercise that sculpts a well-defined physique. Pilates is also acclaimed for increasing emotional well-being. Zone Pilates involves the use of supplemental devices to supposedly make the Pilates exercises more effective. Claims by disgruntled customers that Zone Pilates is a scam center on the idea that the supplemental devices aren't necessary, the routines are short and the vitamins included in your order are unwanted and ineffective.

  1. The Foot GuideMat

    • One claim Zone Pilates advocates make is that the Foot GuideMat shows people exactly how they need to position their feet. This exact positioning is supposed to direct the benefits of the exercises to key zones that exist within your body. Focusing exercise on these zones is supposed to increase the benefits of general Pilates. The mat might be helpful to some people, but others might find the illustrations difficult to understand. Additionally, using skilled Pilates instructors, regular practice and careful home study can also teach a practitioner the proper foot positions for maximizing a Pilates workout.

    The Sculptor

    • The Sculptor is a resistance weight included with Zone Pilates kits. It has a rounded shape and is meant to fit around your legs and arms in certain Pilates positions. The Sculptor is marketed as a key device that helps keep your body aligned while adding resistance training for muscle-building and toning. As with the mat, the Sculptor might be helpful to some people. However, others would see similar results using traditional hand and leg weights or free weights. Some reviews also report that wearing the Sculptor caused bruising and was painful.

    The Zones

    • Zone Pilates claims that exercising key zones will build overall strength and have rapid physical results. The zones are as follows: arms and shoulders, abdominals, thighs and bottom. Zone Pilates is correct in saying these zones are important. However, the implication that exercising these zones is unique to Zone Pilates is wrong. These areas are often the target of fitness videos, and spending time each day to exercise even one of these regularly will result in a more toned body. The exercises can take many forms and certainly aren't limited to Zone Pilates techniques. Furthermore, some customers claim that the videos are too short and focus more on general exercises than on positions specific to Pilates. Negative reviews also claim that the instructor on the videos is different than the model in the infomercial, and the instructor's abdominals do not appear to be toned and seemed to undermine Zone Pilates' claims to provide tight abdominals.

    Essential Boost

    • Customers who purchase Zone Pilates are also sent a bottle of what the company claims are fat-burning supplement pills called Essential Boost. Customers are automatically enrolled in a program that authorizes them to receive a new shipment of Essential Boost every two months. Their credit cards are billed automatically for the purchase of additional supplements. Many customers report that they don't want Essential Boost but encounter long hold times that lead to dropped calls when they call Zone Pilates to cancel their shipments of the supplement.