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Do
Electric Ab Stimulators Really Work?
By Nick Nilsson
| 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. |
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| 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.
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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).
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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.
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| 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
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