Leslie Sansone's add on workout accessories are usually good choices to boost workout intensity but the Leslie Sansone Walk Belt is a little quirky and only boosts workouts for those past the beginner stage a small amount. However, it looks like there is hope for this belt as the resistance cords snap off meaning heavier resistance cords can snapped on and give more of a boost to lower body or cardio workouts.

The Leslie Sansone Walk Belt

This belt is made of black ribbed nylon and is about two inches wide. The belt is very long at four feet (48 inches) and has Velcro on the last 12 inches of each end of the belt to adjust to almost anyone's waist.

A plastic loop holds two yellow 13 inch stretchy cords with padded horizontal handles at the end. (The color of the bands may vary.)

You can snap off the stretch cords as well as the handles from the cord by just pressing the plastic buckles. You can buy replacement cords if something happens to the original ones and I believe that you can add higher resistance cords to the belt which is why the yellow ones are removable. I have not seen heavier resistance bands for this belt but would love to find some. The ones that the belt come with are just too easy to stretch and don't boost my workouts much at all.

To wear, just wrap the nylon belt around your waist and adjust, then Velcro the belt down. The belt will not come undone. The Velcro strip is very dependable.

The plastic hook with the tubing and handles goes in the back. You will then grab one handle in each hand and you're ready to boost your walking, aerobic, or lower body workout. This belt is supposed to help work the abs as well as the arms when doing walk or other lower body workouts.

My Use

This belt came with Leslie's Leslie Sansone Walk and Tone DVD but can be purchased separately as well. The idea is to use the cords to work your upper body and abs while working your legs and lower body.

One thing about most walk or step workouts is that they neglect the upper body and, especially, the abdominal muscles. Even dance workouts focus on the cardio and lower body aspects and leave the arms flailing and abs unengaged.

This belt helps somewhat in that you will have resistance every time you stretch or move your arms. The resistance, however, is so slight that it's almost annoying. While working out, just hold the handles and move your arms as you normally would. The stretch in these cords is good and won't tire your arms much. The resistance can be felt but, as I said, I would prefer much heavier resistance to really amp up my workouts and target my arms. I do feel it in my abs as I workout since every movement of my arms engages my ab muscles and makes them contract.

The cords fit fine around my body but I wonder at times if they would be cumbersome for someone heavier. The cords stretch, of course, but you don't want to stretch them to the limit just to get them from your back to the front of you. I am average at 5'5" and about 120 pounds and have no problems stretching these cords anywhere my arms take them. However, I really do think if you are a lot wider, you may find these cords are a bit shorter than you would like. I have no proof of that but it just seems to make sense.

At any rate, even with the light resistance these bands provide, cardio workouts are boosted and the arms and abs do get some much needed attention. The belt is comfortable and stable and has never opened or caused any problems while I used it.

I use the belt while doing the Leslie Sansone Walk and Tone DVD but also while doing other walk DVDs and, sometimes, when doing some dance ones. It's not too cumbersome and it's not too taxing and I do get some benefits from it especially if I am moving my arms a lot like during a dance workout.

This belt can also be worn outdoors when you are walking or running. The advantage to the belt over using Leslie's Weighted Fitness Balls or other hand held boosters is that you can just drop the handles and they dangle from the belt. You never lose these boosters and you can alternate between using them or not with ease.

There is a slight advantage to this belt over wrist weights as well because you are stretching the whole arm when you use this, rather than just adding weight to the wrists to make your arms feel heavier. Both boost walk and lower body workouts, but the cords tend to work the shoulders and upper arms better than wrist weights. Also, the belt engages the abs whereas neither the weighted balls or the wrist weights have any effect on the ab muscles when used in conjunction with workouts.

This is a good concept. I just need to find cords that have heavier resistance to feel like I am truly making a difference in my workouts.

Beginners will find that this belt and the cords are a perfect add on to their walks and will definitely benefit. I have been lifting light weights for a long time so it takes a bit more resistance for my arms to react with muscle fatigue which is what I want when I workout.

Buying Info

As I mentioned, this belt came as a packaged set with a DVD when I joined Leslie Sansone's Walk Club.

You can buy it separately on her website via her online store. At the moment, it is selling for $19.95. If you are a Walk Club member, you will pay $16.96. The duo I mentioned is the same price so, if you are interested in the belt, why not get the package that has the belt and DVD? It makes sense to me!

I have not seen the belt sold anywhere else but I think it may be available at some exercise or sporting goods stores that sell Leslie Sansone products.

Conclusion

Beginning exercisers, especially walkers, will benefit from this walk belt. The resistance is light but still enough to engage the arm and shoulder muscles and well as the abs and boost the benefits of a walk or other lower body workout.

Because it is adjustable, almost anyone can wear this belt and, because the cords snap off, heavier resistance bands (or replacement ones if something should happen to the originals) can be snapped on. Finding the heavier resistance bands is my next venture. I am sure they are out there; I just have to find out where. Leslie's store sells the replacement bands but in the same resistance as the original.

This is a simple, sturdy belt that engages arm, shoulder, and ab muscles and boosts heart rate while working out. It won't challenge longtime workout enthusiasts or those who lift weights but it wasn't made to. It was made to help boost workouts for the average, getting started walker and it does do that.

I am torn between 3 and 4 stars for this belt. For beginners, it is a 4 star product. For those a bit more advanced, it is only average. It has advantages over weighted balls, wrist weights, and small hand weights and, if heavier resistance bands are out there, this is versatile exercise booster for intermediate exercisers. I am still not convinced that heavier people will not have some trouble getting the short bands around them and still be able to extend their arms fully without overtaxing the unit though.

For the reasons above, I am giving this belt 3 stars. Still, it's well made and has a place in many walkers' routines. If and when I find the heavier resistance bands, I will update and let you know where you can get them to continue to boost your workouts when you get past the light resistance stage.

A few other Leslie Sansone products I have reviewed:

Leslie Sansone Weighted Fitness Balls

Leslie Sansone's Walkblaster System

Leslie Sansone - Walk Away the Pounds Express: Walk Strong

Recommended: Yes