Get a workout in while watching the game with the Tao Chair
The Tao Chair won't turn you into the second coming of Ravishing Rick Rude, but if you weren't planning to leave your chair in the first place, this might a good place to start toward better health.
LAS VEGAS -- If you're the type of person who would rather spend your time watching Netflix or the game than going to the gym or having an intense workout at home, the Tao Chair may be for you.
The chair looks pretty much like a normal easy chair, but its armrests are designed for pushing and pulling. Just grab hold of them, apply some resistance and you may find yourself with a marginally stronger body.
I used the chair for a few minutes doing several isometric holds and definitely felt my biceps, triceps, latissimus dorsi and abs engage, depending on if I was pushing or pulling. The chair isn't designed for reps; you'll want to push or pull and then hold that position at peak contraction for a few seconds, rest and repeat.
You can also put your thighs under the arm rests and lift your feet off the floor to engage your core, but that just felt -- and looked -- really awkward.
There's an LCD screen on the left armrest that estimates how many calories you're burning, but since it I was racking up the burned calories pretty quickly while just sitting there, I'm not sure how accurate it is.
As a chair it was pretty comfortable in the limited time I spent sitting in it, although the seat is set a bit too low for my money.
This is not a chair for gym-goers. It won't give you a satisfying workout if you're already used to going to the gym or doing any marginally intense workouts at home on a regular basis. However, if you don't exercise at all, this might be a good start if you have trouble finding the motivation to get off your ass in the first place.
Tao is looking to have the chair out by holiday 2015. No price has been announced yet.
