Electronic muscle stimulators are the latest craze,
the hottest fad... but you want to know "do they really
work!" Right? To answer that question, let’s
start with a little background information on what this equipment
was originally designed for.
Electric ab stimulators were (and still are)
used in medical rehab situations. They are
designed to keep muscles from atrophying (wasting
away) in situations where a limb must be immobilized.
For example, if you broke your leg, the doctor
could place an electrode on the muscle and
use electricity to make it contract. This
would provide a minimum level of stimulation,
thus keeping the muscle active.
As far as building muscle, such as the ads
on TV claim, this is not backed up by research.
The level of electrical stimulation necessary
to build up the abdominal muscles to what
you see on TV would be extremely high, and
thus very painful.
Many companies that sell these belts also
claim that the belts help burn fat. In reality,
the small muscle contractions produced by
these belts burn about as many calories as
the effort required to take the belt out of
the box and put the batteries in.
If you read the fine print in these ads,
you will also notice that the instructions
for use also include a suggested exercise
and nutrition plan. This, without a doubt,
would be the true source of the results people
get from this equipment.
But what about people you may know who have tried
the belts and say that they feel something when they use it?
Let’s put it this way... the belt does provide a
small level of stimulation to the abdominal muscles. When
a person’s abs are totally lacking any form of stimulation,
any amount of stimulation has the potential to produce results.
It is simply a matter of something is better than nothing
(in this case, not a whole lot better, though).
A much better solution for working your abdominal
muscles effectively is to do the unglamorous
crunch exercise. It may not send electric
shocks into your guts but it will get the
job done. Crunches, even done properly and
regularly, won’t burn fat but they will definitely
tighten up your abs. Click
here for detailed instructions on how
to do the crunch most efficiently, )or visit
our abdominal exercise equipment reviews
to find out which product is right for you).
Do electric ab stimulators work? In a nutshell, no.
These companies are simply preying upon society’s
desire for results without effort. Don’t be fooled by the
hype.
Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU,
Inc., an online fitness and personal training
company. Check out his latest eBook "The
Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of"
or visit him at FitStep.
You can also subscribe to his fitness newsletter
by sending an email to betterunews@fitstep.com
(type "subscribe" in the subject
line).
