Slendertone and the like

Nasty_Girl

Are they any good or worth the money?

I don't need to lose weight as such, just tone up.

I am planning to do situps each morning and night but as I work in a office I was wondering would it be worth getting one of these so I could use it during the day when I'm sitting around all day.


Any advice?

Gaz

Waste of money to be honest ... only hard work and dedication will get you the body you want. As far as i know those things where designed to keep injured patients muscles active while bedridden and they do actually "exercise" the muscle ... but for the toned look you want, this is done by lowering body fat, simple as.

There are no short cuts or quick fixes. Sure wouldnt everyone look awesome if it was that easy ?

forbairt

Someone asked me about them yesterday so its funny to see them mentioned here.

I did a bit of research ( just reading amazon reviews ) and they were mixed ... people seem to like them for the most part. You'll need to get spare pads or whatever they are and they will set you back about 25 quid ... you get about 20 uses out of the pads.

Nasty_Girl

So that's one no
and one maybe

Seraphina

WASTE OF MONEY

seriously, when will people learn :rolleyes:

Boru.

For my two cents I don’t particularly like Slendertone or similar products and I'll go through the reasons why in a moment. Before that however I'd like to explain a little bit about the background and history of the product and how it actually works.

Originally products like the Slendertone were developed to aid in the maintenance of muscle tissue and prevent atrophy due to lack of use as in cases of paralysis, paraplegia etc. In fact the late Christopher Reeve had trousers that had the same function as a Slendertone and stimulated the muscles of his legs. He gave a fascinating talk on this and other technologies used to aid people with disability in front of Congress.

Canny marketing people realised that many people may prefer this to doing repetitive and boring exercises and as such created models for home use, Slendertone and Body-Tek being the most famous.

The product works on a simple principal, muscles contract in response to electrical stimulus, the medium of communication in the body. Thus with a small yet directed electrical pulse the Slendertone belt, pads etc cause the muscles to relax and contract in rapid succession without any voluntary effort. This is important as it is the point of my primary objection to such products.

Does the Slendertone work? Yes. To an extent. Muscle contraction to a sufficient extent coupled with a proper diet will lead to increase in toned muscle. The Slendertone comes with the ability to progress by giving you stronger impulses and a variety of time spans thus giving you a variety of workouts. Will the results be visible is an entirely different matter. The science is sound however.

So why do I object to a device that will workout your body for you?

My first point of concern is that such a product is counterproductive. The Slendertone

causes your muscles to tense in response to an electrical stimulus. An electrical stimulus that is not your bodies own! Your body transmits on a specific frequency to you and your muscles respond. Using a Slendertone encourages your muscles to respond to a different frequency. Essentially you train and develop your muscles not to respond to your own nerve stimulus!

The long term effects on muscle and skin tissue had not been conducted as this is a relatively new technology and therefore the extent of damage can not be predict and determined. Although you may look slightly better you are making yourself weaker! (To what extent though?)

As such in a situation where you are required to use your muscles you will find yourself lacking and predisposed to injury. This is further compounded by my second point.

A Slendertone only works the specific muscles on the surface of the body. I'm going to take the abdominals my example to illustrate the problem with this. A standard Slendertone will work the rectus abdominus (6 pack) and the oblique’s (love handles). If you develop those muscles you will get a six pack however you will not be healthy! What you will get is a muscular belly! (If you've ever seen John Travolta in the General's Daughter or an E.Honda from Street fighter you'll get the idea).

In order to get the flat toned stomach, so desired in today's society you need to work the deeper muscles underneath in particular the transverse abdonomis. The Slendertone does not do this, and as such is not providing a strong foundation for the increased muscle tissue of the rectus. This is just one form of muscle imbalance that the Slendertone promotes.

Another is that the primary focus of such a product is to develop the "mirror muscles", those on the front that look good. As such the muscles of the rear are rarely worked and as such lead to muscular imbalance in the body. The shoulders round and come forward, the elbows bend up ward, and the abs pull the spine out of alignment, resulting in a muscle bound, ape-like appearance. (Worse case scenario). Either way you will develop reduced range of movement and an increased risk of injury.

The final point I wish to raise, although there are many more, is that of the chest stimulators. Aside form not balancing the muscles with back exercises, a more pressing worry concerns me. The heart, a muscle, also works on the basis of electrical impulse. The electrical impulse controlling the heartbeat is called the synarthrodial rhythm, or pacemaker. A direct electrical impulse over the heart can have fatal consequences. Now I doubt that a Slendertone has the power to do that but it could contribute to irregular heart beats and other cardio conditions.


In summary the pros are

1. Minor increased tone.
2. Effortless

and the Cons

1. Weakens muscle and nervous system
2. Does not work all muscles needed
3. Promotes muscular imbalance, reduced range of motion and injury.
4. Electrocutes you.
5. Expensive.
6. Undermines mental strength.

A final note, shortcuts always lead to dead ends.

Hope this helps

Nasty_Girl

Thanks for the replies everyone, but I'd just like to point out I never intended using it as a shortcut, but rather in conjunction with proper exercises.

I'm sitting at a desk all day in work and I'm wondering is there anything I can do while I'm there that will help.

BossArky

Nasty_Girl wrote: »

I'm sitting at a desk all day in work and I'm wondering is there anything I can do while I'm there that will help.

Squeeze your core muscles (as if you are trying to stop pee-ing). Hold the squeeze for a few seconds and relax. Repeat in reps of 10 whenever you think about it.

People may wonder why you go red in the face. Apparently it does work though!

Boru.

There are loads of things you can do. Check out these articles on my site on ab training -

<snip> Mod note: In fairness Boru., there's more than enough advertising of your site in your sig.

Khannie

Nasty_Girl wrote: »

I'm sitting at a desk all day in work and I'm wondering is there anything I can do while I'm there that will help.

Good idea. I'm very interested in something like that. If you have any success, please share it.

My own idea is somewhat limited: I drink a lot of water during the day and use the toilet up one floor instead of the nearest one. Every little helps.

BossArky: Can't see myself doing that tbh....though I'll give it a lash tomorrow.

rubadub

Nasty_Girl wrote: »

but rather in conjunction with proper exercises.

I'm sitting at a desk all day in work and I'm wondering is there anything I can do while I'm there that will help.

Yes, check the isometrics which is what BossArky described and Borus site is about.

Bruce Lee actually used EMS machines along with proper exercise, (a lot of exercises)- doesnt mean it is worthwhile though, i.e. he would have been amazing without them.