oooooohhhhh I'm RED! Thank you to everyone who has read and rated my reviews thus far, I always try ...
oooooohhhhh I'm RED! Thank you to everyone who has read and rated my reviews thus far, I always try to return the favour. Regards, Logan
Member since:28.01.2009
Reviews:63
Members who trust:57
This is the review I have been looking forward to writing the most. The pinnacle of fitness gimmicks. The machine with the biggest claims but most ambiguous results. Perfect abs, the six pack to die for, this machine will make you more attractive to the opposite sex, you just sit back and let the machine do the work! Ladies and gentleman welcome to the world of the slender tone system abs toning belt, for me the biggest con since smoking was good for you.
FUNCTIONALITY
The slender tone is a devise that uses EMS (ElectronicMuscle Stimulation) to create a contraction in the muscle. In this case, the slender tone takes the form of a belt that is placed around the waist which will focus on the stimulation of the stomach muscles and obliques (The waist). When the machine is turned on, an electrical pulse is sent to the muscles in question which causes them to contract repeatedly. The contraction is claimed (I choose my words carefully) to be the same as a contraction that would take place as if you were doing a sit-up.
The machine itself has 30 different user settings, 1 being an extremely light contraction, 30 being a large (and somewhat uncomfortable) contraction. The belt has a handheld remote connected to it to make
choosing the programme you want to use extremely easy. The belt itself is made of a neoprene type material and is actually very comfortable to wear. Within the belt there are 3 separate pads that create the muscular contraction.
THE CLAIMS
The patented toning technology used in the System-Abs belts ensures all of the muscles in the region are toned (including the rectus, transverses abdomenius and the obliques) to give the entire area a full workout. Just one 20 minute session with the System-Abs belt is the equivalent of doing 120 crunches.
Quite impressive, so basically you can just sit down for 20 minutes while you watch Eastenders and it will be the same as doing 120 crunches, but without any effort? Sounds too good to be true? What else do they claim?
Used for just 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week, the System-Abs belt can deliver fantastic results in just 4 weeks. For maximum results, combine it with a healthy diet and exercise regime and follow the Slendertone 6 week plan.
Hang on a second, for maximum results you have to have a healthy follow an exercise regime AND follow there 6 week plan? Hmmmmm is anyone else starting to see that something is not quite right here? So what would happen if you just used the belt and didn?t have a healthy diet and you didn?t exercise and you did not follow their 6 week plan?
Let me answer that for you??nothing.
PHYSIOLOGY
Here in lies the biggest weakness not only of this machine, but any abdominal training. To achieve a 6-pack or flat stomach, it is not the strength or tonality that exists within the abdominal muscles (although this helps), it?s the amount of fat that covers them. Even slender tone know this, hence telling you to combine it with a healthy lifestyle of good food and exercise AND following their 6 week plan.
So what is the 6 week plan? Please go to slendertone.com for full details, but this made me laugh the most. The plan has been devised by Ciaran Byrne and Elise Lindsay who are both health and fitness guru?s. As an overview, the 6 week plan takes the format of 3 x 30 minute workouts a week which are all high intensity aerobic workouts. In short, they are cleverly designed to really act as a calorie/fat burning workout. The types of exercises you have to complete are skipping, leg ups, half jacks, leg curls, knee and kick combo?s, squats, press ups, chest press, lunges etc etc etc
The reason I say it makes me laugh is because this is an exercise regime designed to make you thinner (This will automatically make your abs and obliques look better). Why would you need to use the slender tone if you were happy to do all this exercise? They claim you can just sit down and let the machine do all the work in their advertising, yet in reality you have to follow what is an intense workout plan! Somewhat contradictory and I know why. If you just sat there and did nothing else, the machine would have absolutely no impact whatsoever!
In essence, this 6 week plan is a clever ploy to
a) cover up the fact that this machine will do very little for you unless you exercise
b) support they?re testimonials for weight loss. What a joke that is, these people are losing weight because they?re exercising, NOT because they are using the slender tone!
I need to make one point clear however. The machine itself does have an impact on the abdominal muscles. Machines like this have been used successfully for the last 40 or so years, in particular by physiotherapists. The impulses have been medical proven to help stimulate muscles, helping in the process of atrophy (the re-growth of muscle fibre). This is particulary relevant in things like knee injury?s where the muscles around the knee will have wasted and need a ?kickstart?. It has also been used successfully for people with back problems. Many of the problems can stem from weaknesses within the core muscle?s. EMS technology can help to stimulate these deep muscle?s aiding recovery. Therefore the machine definitely has its uses, but has been marketed for the weight and diet community where its not that useful at all. It will not make you thinner!
Infact, if you delve deeper again, here are some of the testimonials written by the press:
COSMOPOLITAN ?Using Slendertone System couldn?t be more convenient-92% of users say is easy to fit in with their daily routine. No trips to the gym, no walks in the rain, no pricey exercise classes?just any time, anywhere, at the touch of a button?.
Well that?s all well and good but tells me nothing about how effective it is? The statistics are made to look like the machine is really effective, but it only tells us that its easy to use.
ESSENTIALS ?Too lazy to shake your booty? Slendertone's FLEX BT toning shorts give you an easy 30-minute workout with no effort. Just pop the skimpy neoprene shorts on under your jeans and get a work out as you do chores!
Well we know that?s not true, where?s the mention of the healthy diet and 6 week exercise regime? I think this is a definite case of you cant believe everything you read!
PRICE
Slender tone £117.44 Next £99 Kelkoo £109 Ebay £51 + £5 Shipping (second hand)
CONCLUSION
The slender tone toning belt has its principles built into a system that does contract muscle fibres and does promote the atrophy of muscles. The contraction of these fibres could bring about a slight increase in muscle size. However, the slender tone will not make you thin. It will have a negligible toning effect. Even the makers recognise that without exercise, the stomach muscles will remain hidden behind the subcutaneous fat of the stomach, the devise would really have very little impact hence they?re 6 week plan.
I would not recommend this product. Its an expensive gimmick, with very little to offer. Its pitched to people who like the idea of achieving a washboard stomach without any effort (I would buy one if it actually worked) but in reality, if you sit down doing nothing, the machine will do nothing for you.
I hope this review helps,
Kind Regards,
Logan
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Feb 25th, 2009
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