Do Electric Ab Stimulators Really Work?


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.

For detailed instructions on how to do the crunch most efficiently visit: http://www.fitstep.com/Library/Exercises/Crunches.htm

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.

About The Author

Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of" at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Building Muscle Information:

Related Articles

Exercise The Right Way - The Deadlift
Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuilders' training regimes.
The Importance Of Sets In Your Muscle Building Program
In an earlier article we looked at how repetitions contribute to the muscle building process, but is the position regarding sets just as clear cut? Unfortunately, the answer to this is no as some experts feel one set to failure is sufficient, whereas others argue that multiple sets are needed to ensure maximum muscle gains. Research to date suggests that, when using six to eight repetitions to failure at 75-80% 1RM, there is little significant difference between training with single and multiple sets in terms of increasing either strength or muscle size.
How Long Should You Rest Between Muscle Building Sessions?
In an earlier article we concluded that muscles must be worked to failure if an adequate hypertrophic response is to occur. Whether this involves one or more sets is irrelevant as in either scenario the muscles must be worked to failure and beyond.
The Biggest Muscle Mass Gain Myths Exposed
Performing low repetition/heavy weight workouts will enable you to build muscle mass, however they will only do so for a very short period of time. The reason is that your body is always striving to maintain homeostasis, other wise know as the status quo, or to remain the same.
Focus on Both Consistency and Variability in Your Workouts for the Best Results
In one of my recent articles, I spoke about the fact that you must alter your training variables that make up your workouts if you want to continuously get good results, whether it is losing weight, building muscle, or toning up.While changing your training variables is an integral part of the success of your training program, your workouts shouldn't be drastically different every single time.
Sneak a Little Intensity into Your Workout
You know you're on autopilot during your workouts when, halfway through you're set on the pec dec, you realize you're sitting on someone's lap. It's time to shake things up a bit.
Muscle Soreness After Exercise
Many individuals judge the quality of their exercise session from the amount of pain they experience afterwards. These individuals are convinced by the old adage "No Pain No Gain".
How to Increase Your Bench Press by Doing Squats
My Legs Are Already Big Enough. I Keep Hearing Working Legs Is A MUST.
One Simple Movement Can Double the Effectiveness of Pulldowns
The Pulldown is an excellent exercise for working the Latissimus Dorsi muscles of the back (also known as the lats). It is a little known fact but there is a way you can dramatically improve the effectiveness of this exercise by performing one simple movement before each rep.
Real Muscle Real Fast!
Adding muscle seems to be a mystery to most, yet if you pick up a copy of any fitness or bodybuilding magazine and you'll almost always see a headline like this: "Gain 15 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks."If it were so easy you'd have millions of muscle-heads running around.
Exercise The Right Way - The Crunch
Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuilders' training regimes.
The Secret to Legs with Size, Strength, and Endurance
There are countless leg workouts in magazines and books that promise big results. Many are good workouts, but the secret to continued progress is to keep your muscles from adapting, while building on what you have already done.
Muscle And Fitness -- The Third and Final Key To Successfully Achieving Your Fitness Goals
Before delving into Muscle And Fitness - The Second Key, the final and most important key to success in your muscle and fitness routine, I'd like to remind you about what the previous article discussed.In a previous article, you were given a number of steps to follow.
Building Muscle Mass With A Power Cycle
Building muscle mass with a power cycle. Desperatefor pounds of new muscle? Forget the isolation exercises, forget the weight training routines that have you going for the pump, the burn, flushing the muscle with blood, or any of that other nonsense.
Get Rid of Cellulite, Once and For All!
Get Fit At Home With Ailsa : Get Rid of CelluliteHad it up to here with Cellulite? Want to get rid of it forever, and make your body all lovely and sleek? Yeah, me too, so I when one of my old 'Gym Boys' showed me this Exercise years ago, I started doing it al the time, and changed it up a bit to make it work more effectively for me. This is a great Exercise for Women, but I know for a fact that 'manly men' do it, too! ha,ha! (Oh, and in case you are thinking something 'innaccurate' about the 'Gym Boy' thing, that's just what I used to call all the guys at the gym where I used to work out a lot -- it's a term of endearment, but in no way a reference to anyone I went out with -- I either call those guys "that crazy old jerk" or "one of my great old friends".
Clothes and Shoes and Stretching
Now that we have a trainer, our next concern is to be equipped with the proper shoes and clothes, so our training experience can be maximized.If your trying to create a great body you need to start with clothes and shoes that will make you feel good as well as look good! {The reason behind that is if you look and feel good you will tend to be in a motivated state of mind, and in this state we build consistency, this is where results come from.
Celebrity Personal Trainers
Personal Trainer to the Stars!!Celebrity Personal Trainers!!Who are these amazing personal trainers that train the stars, professional athletes, celebrities, rock musicians, and the rest of the rich and famous?Well, being a personal trainer and a perfectionist, I did some research to find out who they are and how one becomes a personal trainer to the stars. The research I uncovered about these so-called celebrity personal trainers that charge fees of $300+ per hour for their expertise indicates that, like the rest of the personal training industry, there are no requirements of any sort to become a celebrity trainer.
Muscle Building Training Tips For Beginners
(*) Proper bodybuilding exercises technique.First steps in muscle building training are easy.
Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts: Part 3
Welcome to article number 2 in our series "Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts". In this article we are going to talk about how bodybuilders tend to create massive muscle imbalances and what you can do to not be one of them.
Complete Pec Training Tips
Put these pec techniques to use and develop that full, muscular chest today.For most people I see in the gym, the bench press has become more about building an ego than building a quality set of pecs.