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Electronic Muscle
Stimulation (EMS):
Do Electric Pulse Ab Fat
Burners Work?
Fat burning belts for the
abdominal region are very popularly-selling products around the planet these
days. In fact, the industry-leading Slendertone ab belt has sold more than
2.5 million units worldwide. The Slendertone belt and similar products
utilize what's known as Electronic Muscle Stimulation, or EMS technologies
to help individuals lose belly fat, develop and tone muscles in all
abdominal areas, develop a stronger core and loads more - and what's more is
that it is advertised to work with nearly zero physical effort. You just put
it on and, according to the folks at Slendertone:
-
The electronic pulses
stimulate the muscle tissues to naturally contract;
-
Deep, strong, yet
comfortable electronic pulses engage the nerves that signal muscular
contractions;
-
Rectus abdominus, obliques
and transversus abdominus are all effectively activated;
-
Fat will burn away;
-
Pounds will drop off like
crazy!
But is it all true? Do EMS ab belts like the Slendertone belt really work?
In a word, no – at least not nearly to the degree that the snazzy
advertisements will lead one to believe. In fact, in 2002, the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) in the United States charged the manufacturers of the 3
highest-selling abdominal belts with making false claims including:
-
The belts induce fat loss
and size loss;
-
The belts create a
well-developed abdominal region (i.e “ripped”, “washboard”, “6-pack abs”,
etc);
-
The belts are as effective
as sit-ups, crunches and other traditional freehand abdominal exercises;
Further research on EMS ab belts has also led to the following:
-
In Chicago, at the Center
for Spine and Sports Rehabilitation Institute, Dr. Venu Akuthota states, “In
order for any of these machines to produce real muscle growth, these
machines will need to send such powerful pulses that you will not be able to
stand the pain they inflicted on you.”
-
Dr. John Pocrcari at the
University of Wisconsin performed an 8-week study on the real effects of EMS
ab belts and found:
-
No significant changes in
body fat, localised or generalised;
-
No significant changes in
weight;
-
No notable increases in
physical strength;
-
No marked changes in
body/fat percentage;
-
No noticeable enhancement
of physical appearance whatsoever;
-
No notable results –
period.
It sort of looks like
“fat-burning” abdominal belts that use electronic muscle stimulation
technologies are not the miracle, no-effort, tight ab creators that we would
all love for them to be. A couple, including Slendertone, have been approved
by the FDA in the US; most haven't. However, an approval from the FDA simply
signifies that the device has been tested and proven to be safe for use –
not effective at fat reduction.
What's the bottom line about EMS abdominal belts like Slendertone?
Muscle contractions induced by EMS ab belts are simply not strong enough to
develop 6-packs abs. However, it will never hurt you to increase the amount
of blood flowing into your abdominal region. Additionally, the electrical
currents can travel deep into the tissues. Subcutaneous muscle tissue
(located under fat layers) is benefited by even mild contractions. So, it
difficult to say that there is no advantages at all to using an ab belt.
No, causing mild muscular contractions in your abdominal region certainly is
not a bad thing. Just don't expect to develop rock-hard, ripped abs by
wearing an electric belt. If you want abs like a washboard, the same rules
still apply that have for millions of years. You're going to need to choose
your foods carefully. You're going to need to engage in cardiovascular
activity on a regular basis. And you're going to need to get into some
resistance weight training in order to develop muscle mass and speed up your
metabolism.
Go ahead and wear your EMS ab belt; it won't hurt. You can wear it as you
get into a few sets of serious, deep-burning crunches!
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