Soloflex, Jerry Lee Wilson: A pilot, a shirtless spokesmodel, and a transformational home-fitness device.

Interesting article from “Slate” about Soloflex and how it changed TV Marketing.

I had forgotten about this thing, but now I remember the commercials very well.

Not that they ever inspired me to buy one, but anyway…

If late-night television commercials are to be believed, America’s soft-bodied sofa dwellers dream primarily of three things: owning a knife that can cut through a penny; obtaining cash for gold; and building their muscles with a minimum of time, money, and effort. Of these three dreams, the last appears to be the most pressing. Today, gullible endomorphs can choose from dozens of fitness miracles: the Total Gym, which is endorsed by Chuck Norris; the Ab Flyer, an expensive swing that tones your midsection; the Thigh Glider, which turns leg-spreading into an exciting workout; and the Flex Belt, which uses electronic stimulation to shock your abdomen into six-pack shape.

Twenty-five years ago, though, a single home-fitness product ruled the airwaves: Soloflex. The first comprehensive home-exercise device marketed to a mass audience, Soloflex broke ground with its unique design, which promised users a safe way to build their bodies at home; its magazine ads, featuring close-up photographs of chiseled torsos and abdomens; and its infomercials, which brought those torsos and abdomens to life. Although Soloflex no longer paces the home exercise market, it paved the way for all the Ab Flyers and Thigh Gliders to come and changed the way we think about building our bodies.

via Soloflex, Jerry Lee Wilson: A pilot, a shirtless spokesmodel, and a transformational home-fitness device. – By Justin Peters – Slate Magazine.