Fad fitness products promise washboard abs, bulging biceps and powerful quadriceps, but most infomercials make illegitimate claims that are not backed up by well controlled scientific studies, Nancy Williams, assistant professor in the department of kinesiology, said.

Trendy weight-loss, muscle-defining mechanisms appeal to consumers by offering them the "'magic bullet' or a way to lose weight and fat without really having to work hard physically," Williams said. "They want to defy the laws of physics."

Williams said fad products are aimed at an audience that does not bother checking references and is likely to believe unsubstantiated claims of all sorts.

This audience is compromised of those in search of a quick fix, she said.

The Ab Energizer is the latest fitness trend.

It is a belt that is strapped around a person's abdomen or other areas such as the thighs or buttocks, that uses an electric pulse to stimulate muscle contraction and blood flow.

Similar electric pulses are used in physical therapy, said Stacy Haas, physical therapist at Centre Community Hospital.

"In physical therapy, an electrical stimulus is used at different intensities and frequencies for pain control," she said. "These frequencies and intensities can be adjusted to spur muscle building."

For example, somone who undergoes knee surgery for a tear in his ACL would develop extremely weak quadriceps, Haas said. By electrically stimulating the quadriceps muscle so it contracts, the patient will build up his quadriceps again, she added.

But there are risks involved with succumbing to the lure of fitness products.

"(Buyers) risk the frustration of seeing yet another intervention fail, and they probably risk losing money and time," Williams said.

To build muscle bulk, however, "you need a maximum workout and you probably won't get that from the Ab Energizer," Haas said.

Steve Snyder, owner of Transfitness Personal Training, 119 Boyd Hollow Lane, in Spring Mills, agreed. The Ab Energizer does not provide resistance, a key in building muscle mass, Snyder said.

"I think it's being advertised for weight-loss purposes," Snyder said.

Perhaps Snyder's hypothesis is not so far off track; an instructional weight loss guide and dietary supplement are included free when ordering the Ab Energizer.

When asked what alternatives to fad products she suggested for individuals to achieve and maintain optimum health, Williams' answer was simple: "Eat less and exercise more."