We’ve all come across these ads on our respective feeds, punctuated with slogans that are too good to be true: “Effortlessly sculpted abs in less than 12 weeks”.
I am of course talking about electrostimulation belts!
The general rule of thumb when it comes to fitness is: if it sounds too good to be true, it’s too good to be true.
But if it were true? If these belts actually worked? If they allowed to reduce waist circumference and develop visible abs? If they effectively burned fat?
These are the questions that youtuber @Pigmie tackled when he embarked on his challenge to wear one of these belts for an entire week.
Context & first day
We see that the youtubeur is not a lambda, he already has a little apparent abs before his challenge.
As for the latter, he will not just wear the belt for a few tens of minutes a day, but as much as possible!
He will therefore live with it for a week, in order to put all the chances on his side to trigger good results.
After unpacking and setting up, he quickly realizes that it will not be pleasant, he describes these pains as “dull”.
Indeed, as a reminder, EMS (electrical muscle contraction) consists of triggering a contraction of the targeted muscles using electrical impulses.
While the leaflet recommends a maximum use of 3×15 minutes per day, Pigmie starts with an “extremely uncomfortable” 30-minute session.
Conscientious, the youtuber has still done research beforehand and here is the first key to take away: don’t buy just anything as a device!
Most of the belts on the market and on Amazon are copies that do not meet FDA standards… which means that they present risks of:
- burns,
- bruises,
- skin irritation,
- electric shocks,
- Interactions with other medical devices (pacemakers, etc.)…
Makes you want to invest, right?
As for the model chosen by our protagonist (the best Amazon seller), it does not seem to meet the standards, the English of the product sheet is questionable… which suggests thathe takes risks for his experience!
After an hour, Lucas finally takes off the belt, unable to go further than strength 4 (out of 15 resistance levels), wondering if he’s not a little sissy around the edges.
Jour 2
Our brave tester wakes up with the idea of wearing his torture device all day, starting with a dental appointment (worst activity in the world, by the way).
The adaptation is done and Lucas feels less and less the stimulations that were so uncomfortable for him the day before, so we get used to it!
Later in the day and after a recharge from the bazaar, the youtuber decides to go train with it.
He then finds that he no longer feels any pain in his abs, which he hypothetically attributes to the fact that his other muscles are working and, neurologically, distracting attention from the source of pain.
End of day 2: 2 hours wearing the lap belt.
Jour 3
Lucas decides to go to the next level (5) well boosted by a impression that his abs look bigger…
Could this work?
By consulting the scientific literature, Lucas came across a study conducted on a panel of 24 adults who wore their seat belts 5 times a week for 20 to 40 minutes for 8 weeks.
The EMS group saw their abdominal strength increase by 50% and their abdominal endurance by 100% vs the control group.
More surprisingly, in this same study, the circumference of the waist of the participants with a belt would have been reduced by 3.5 cm.
Finally, everyone in the EMS group reportedly found their abdomen firmer and more toned… ahem.
To hope to derive maximum benefits from his demon machine, Lucas then shaves his abdominals for better contact.
He confides later in the day that it is very difficult for him to wear his mess while working.
Its concentration evaporates when electrical stimulations sound, even at low levels of resistance.
Key takeaway: it’s not that “effortless” so why not just put so much effort into a real abs workout…
Lucas also draws attention to another point, this type of device can be good to prevent muscle loss during periods of immobilization, for the purpose of re-education for example (supporting research).
Read also: Tired of his belly, he embarks on an insane challenge of 1000 abs per day for 7 days: here is the result
Jour 4
I feel like it’s pissing me off more than anything.
On day 5, our hero declares that his abs are a little tired.
Even though he’s getting used to it, the pain is still there and the periods of EMS uncomfortable.
He nevertheless returns to the weight room with the belt in place while moving to the next resistance level (6).
This time, he notes that, unlike the previous session, he was distracted by the belt, thus preventing him from concentrating on his exercises: counterproductive in sum.
A question then torments him: does this damn thing really work?
He asks his girlfriend “how do my abs look“. Answer…”It was nothing“.
Jour 5 & 6
The following days, Lucas manages to concentrate with the active belt and proceeds as follows:
- 20 minutes at level 6
- 40 minutes at level 5
The whole thing 3 times (3 hours in total therefore), a protocol absolutely not recommended.
He also religiously cleans the electrodes with water and continues to frequently recharge his torture device.
Jour 7
On this last day, many questions remain in the head of the youtubeur. Would he have more results by wearing it more, less?
On this final day, he decides to wear his abdominal belt all day long (from 07:30 to 19:30).
Namely, he confides in the video that eating and drinking during “belt work” is perfectly embarrassing.
Flat, he decides to recharge the device while wearing it… not recommended with this kind of chinoiserie.
After 4 hours of continuous wear, it will crack!
Results !
After 3 hours of wearing a lap belt on average per day (against the maximum recommended 45 minutes), it’s time for the “reveal”!
On camera, the result seems convincing, which is confirmed by the height measurement noted by Lucas (88.9 cm in height before VS 87.63 cm after).
Does the abs stimulator have something to do with it? “Without doubt”, according to the youtubeur…
MORE he is convinced that he would have had similar results, even better results, by actually training his abs for even 10 minutes a day.
All while avoiding the discomfort of wearing a seat belt and permanent distraction.
He concludes by recalling, of course, that you can wear this device as much as you want, if the layer of fat that covers your abs does not disappear, not much will happen.
And for a more complete opinion, I recommend our article: Abdominal belt opinion: really effective for losing belly?
Our abs articles
