Bare-bones gyms on a strap, cable or cord

"Come on — you can actually get a workout with that?" That was my first reaction to these four products, but I was wrong. Simple and relatively inexpensive though they might be, you can work up a sweat with these low-tech yet innovative strap- and string-based resistance devices. They won't turn you into Arnold (the bodybuilder, not the governator), but they can be used at your desk and on the road, and, with a little effort, can make you feel the burn.

By Roy M. Wallack, Special to the Los Angeles Times

May 17, 2010