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jebner
09-24-2002, 09:05 AM
An essential part of self improvement is to get a good looking body. For that reason I bought an AbTronic-clone at Ebay for 8 Euros - quite cheap....

I\'m using it every day since 3 weeks und I like the results. My muscles are tighter - I can see some results. Of course using electronic muscle stimulator (EMS) devices is not enough. But it can support you when doing body building excercises. As far as I know these devices aren\'t good for burning fat, but as far as I can tell you from my experience, they work. Of course you won\'t get a body like the guys in the TV-ads. Has anyone else tried a EMS device? Please post your experiences.

MaxiMog
09-24-2002, 09:24 AM
Very cool that you brought up this subject! Even though I don\'t feel like being muscular by doing nothing and letting some thing on my stomach do all the work, I do feel that from times to times, it might come in handy. Sometimes I\'m just having to much work for college which results in my not being able to get any exercise for a pretty long time. Training my muscles with such an apparatus is still better than not training them at all.

Isn\'t it an abGymnic that you bought? I saw several of those things on eBay, too, indeed for a very cheap price. As far as I\'m concerned, all of those things are just clones with a different name.

Are things like this actually safe? That\'s definitely my biggest concern. I just don\'t feel much for training muscles by stimulating them by electronic impulses. I mean, those impulses stll have to travel through other body tissue before reaching the muscles. What about applying it to your chest... Isn\'t that bad for your heart? Your heart is a muscle too right, but definitely a different type of muscle, as we don\'t have any control over it. I do not think that applying it to your chest will result in a stronger heart. Au contraire, it will probably result in an irregular heartbeat.

sirlun
09-24-2002, 10:48 AM
Not to bash a product but the FDA did a extensive study on this product and not only proved that the product did not produce the type of body the advertising illustrates but that it possibly could be bad for your stomach muscles and back if not used properly. I geuss for the price it can\'t hurt, I had the original AbTronic and bought into the hype. Their gimmick was/is to hook you into buying replacement pads ( the only thing non replaceable is the stretch belt) and the gel that must be applied to the paid every 3 months at $33. Later ( after the competition came out with newer models that had two pads usage at one time and no need to replace the pad, Abenergizer) Abtronic came out with a pad you didn\'t have to replace (but you still had to replace the power source on the belt and the gel) . After the FDC got on the case and a Television station report put out their findings the company pretty much has gone underground and the belts almost are non existent. At one time they were in every store ( Abenergizer) and selling like hot cakes but after that expose on television they pretty much have gone bust. I geuss their 15 minutes of fame is over but boy did they make a killing while they could.

proteus
09-24-2002, 10:56 AM
never understand why folks don\'t use commonsense and fall for these scams - perhaps they do work for some but I really doubt it. Getting into shape (if you\'re not genetically gifted with a fast metabolism) is hard work, period!! Either you pay the price (hard work) or you don\'t but scams like this almost never produce the results claimed but folks still buy so whatcha gonna do...anyway not my dollar so...

jebner
09-24-2002, 11:08 AM
maximog: yes, my EMS is called \"abgymnic\", but I decided to call the thread-subject \"abtronic\", because this term is better known. As far as I know they are almost the same.

> Are things like this actually safe?

I hope so /ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif I must admit that I don\'t know for sure. Because of that, I am not using the device in the chest area (cause of my heart). Despite the power source is just a small battery, one shouldn\'t underestimate the power of these devices. I was surprised, when I saw how the abgymnic made my muscles contract even in the second-lowest level. Until now, I just used levels 1-3 (10 is the max.).

sirlun, basically you\'re right! I knew about this FDA-study before I bought the abgymnic. Nevertheless I bought it, because I got it quite cheap. Of course I wouldn\'t pay \"regular prices\" like 100 $ and more. I knew that I wouldn\'t get muscles like shown on TV, but I decided to give it a try. I was just curious if this stuff worked.

In my opinion, the biggest problem about the abgymnic is, that the quality is VERY POOR. For example the extra pads don\'t stick on the skin anymore. Now I have to use power tape the fix the pads. For me the \"maintaining costs\" aren\'t that high, because I use water instead of the gel. That works too. All in all, i must say that the devices are crap (because of the low quality), but the principle of electric muscle stimulation is a good idea. Maybe one should consider buying a professional EMS...

MaxiMog
09-24-2002, 12:00 PM
After what I read here, I think I\'m not going to get into using it... If I\'m not 100% sure it\'s safe, then I don\'t care about it. Thought I read that you better not use it if you have a pacemaker either...

Another much more expensive thing is the power plate. Perhaps you\'ve heard about it? Really, that thing is very expensive: about $7000 if I\'m not mistaken.

Here\'s how it works: he Power Plate produces a vibration through wich energy is transferred to the human body. This mechanical stimulus produces a stretch reflex which, depending on the selected frequency, can vary from 30 to 60 times per second, resulting in muscles constantly contracting vary vigorously. Exercise makes the body tired; rest allows it to recover. By repeating this process, the body adjusts to the effort, resulting in an increase in physical performance.

This phenomenon, called supercompensation, similarly occurs when training on the Power Plate.
However, the duration of training is much shorter, the effect is greater and hormonal production is increased. All of this is achieved with only a fraction of the stress on the locomotive system compared to conventional training methods. etc.........

Wanna read more about it? check http://www.power-plate.com/ (\"http://www.power-plate.com/\")

I think this is much safer. More expensive, so better material. Used in Gymn clubs, so should be safe for about every individual. Pretty safe for the heart, too. Suppose you want to train your chest muscles, just get into a push-up stance, and your chest will get training. You don\'t have to put anything on your body. It works with vibrations, rather than electrical impulses. The downside is that you need quite some money to buy one (I don\'t even know IF individals CAN buy it).

Andy
09-24-2002, 12:40 PM
@Jebner

I bought a prof. EMS some years ago. I like it verry much, because I am a lazy person *g*. It\'s some work to place the pads at the right points but after some time you should be able to place them quite quick. I haven\'t used it for quite some time now but it gave me a sixpack without workout or anything ... just lay down and check your belly every week /ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif

druid
09-24-2002, 01:19 PM
I don\'t think very much of those machines. I work at a drugstore where we sold those machines (until they were taken off the market) and they sold like crazy (like most of that stuff from TV that we sell, like that NADS hair removal crap) and of course within a couple of weeks everyone was returning it!! look people the reason you are not in shape now or have fallen out of shape is BECAUSE of lack of physical effort from your body. So having something do the work for you is not gonna get you into shape!!!!! get your a$$ up and exercise. After a while you while begin to feel SO much better. Not sleepy and tired all the time. There are many benefits to exercise other than a more attractive body. Better health, improved self esteem, and one thing I noticed from weight lifting is that when I sleep it is much deeper and much more refreshing. on nights when I only sleep like 4-6 hours I function a lot better then when I wasn\'t exercising and skimpped on the sleep. I would suggest going to a commerical gym (like bally\'s, gold\'s, LA fitness, or any other one). Look for aerobic machines, free weights(the most important part) and machines/pulleys. great place to try out your mones. Also I must add that the boflex machine looks good, but I have never tried it(that thing is expensive).

I know most of you are whinning about lack of time. Well I go to college and work. I always do one full time and the other part time. I also spend a lot of time planning my diet and still have time for a social life and working out. So for most people making time to work out simply means 3-4 hours LESS TV a week. Try it for a couple of weeks, and you WILL like it and feel great.

EXIT63
09-24-2002, 04:11 PM
I was thinkin about strappin 1 to my head. /ubbthreads/images/icons/laugh.gif

**DONOTDELETE**
09-24-2002, 04:16 PM
I saw a consumers segment on the tv news awhile back. They said that they tested these tyes of machines and found they don\'t work. They said the only thing that these machines do is leave burns marks on the skin. These machines are a waste of money and do more harm than good.

BNQ

**DONOTDELETE**
09-25-2002, 07:17 AM
Well physical therapists use electrode pads on the skin to build up muscles, I\'ve had it done to me years ago after an auto accident, it does produce results. The cheap belts probably are crap but that doesn\'t mean the principal behind it doesn\'t work. I wouldn\'t rely 100% on a tv report, good or bad, media loves to spin the facts to keep ratings up. Exercise is probably best the majority of the time, some people will never exercise no matter what you tell them, and there are other times when externally exercising muscles, meaning something other than the person attached to those muscles, may be needed before that person can do the exercising on their own. Exercise does make you feel better, I lift weights several times a week. I can\'t personally think of any downsides to lifting the weights for myself, although it doesn\'t help my sleep at all. I\'ve always slept like crap. Maybe I need to get one of these belts and modify it to use on my neck since I always wake up with it killing me.

**DONOTDELETE**
09-25-2002, 07:56 AM
Since I know nothing about these contraptions, I can\'t argue this fact with you. I was only conveying a message about a consumer segment that was done on a local news program I saw on these devices.

BNQ

xxxPantero
09-28-2002, 09:23 AM
Hey everybody, I\'m going to share some info with you that\'s worked for me.

If you have a lot of body fat, then start swimming laps in an Olympic-size pool - this works a lot more than running/jogging, is less harsh on your body, and also the twisting and turning of the breaststroke also tends to focus more on your abs.

Now, to have definition of any sort, you\'ve got to have low body fat and high muscle. If you have low fat and no muscle, you look skinny, and if you have high fat and high muscle, you\'ll be strong but without any definition.

But this post really helps out people like me, who have a low body fat, but still don\'t have that nice washboard stomach. When you want big biceps, what do you do? You do curls that at the finishing point, make your biceps look like you\'d want them to constantly, the \"flexed\" look.

Now, here\'s another question. When you do crunches, do they make your abs look the way you want? No, I doubt it. They give you muscle for a six pack, and you can feel some burn, but they don\'t make you look like you have a slim waist. What execise does that, then? The answer? SUCK IT IN!!!

It\'s true, sucking your belly in (to the point where it looks flat, not concave) works your transverse abs. And doing so makes your belly look the way you want it to. In time, I\'ve found that sucking it in enough for as long as I could, kept the muscles like that, and each time I had to try less and less. Last night I went to a buffet, and stuffed myself full of food. And guess what, instead of my belly popping out like normal, the strengthened transverse muscles kept my stomach flat!

It goes back to the analogy with the biceps: You want a certain muscle group to look a certain way, you do exercises that make it look like that during part of the rep. Crunches don\'t make you look flat, but they give you definition. But not many people want a six-pack of abs that look like a pot belly under a shirt - you probably want your chest to tisck out more than your stomach, correct?

Amazing!

I\'ve become a narcissist since I\'ve always wanted flat abs since I was skinny and had a small pot belly.

By the way... stop drinking beer and drink harder liqour - it\'s better for your stomach. You\'ll get drunk and kill all those brain cells without getting the empty calories to give you a pot belly like beer does. /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif Plus when you take a \"hangover dump\" in the morning, you\'ll notice your stomach will get flatter, also due to wroking out your transverse abs when you vomit. Gross, I know. Informative, definitely.

To the public you\'ll be like \"Eeeeeew\" and to yourself you are saying \"Hmm... I wonder if that\'s true, maybe I should try it...\"

Hope I helped!

P.S. If anyone feels offended, sorry. Just helping those that won\'t be offended. /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif

franki
09-28-2002, 09:27 AM
\"stop drinking beer and drink harder liqour - it\'s better for your stomach\"

I stopped drinking beer to get more girls. Everybody hates that bad breath you get when you drink beer. I think that is even a better reason to stop drinking it!

MaxiMog
09-28-2002, 09:56 AM
I don\'t drink much at all! No problems there!

As for my abs, I\'ve been training them by hanging above the ground, and then moving my knees to my chest, and repeating that a couple of times. I\'ve had very good results from doing this for some time. You can easily see that i have abs, sometimes even through my T-shirt if it sticks to my stomach.

druid
09-28-2002, 05:52 PM
yeah xxxPantero that exercise works your stomach pretty good -- it is called the vacumm. all the old school bodybuilders could hit a vacumm on stage (while standing with their hands behind their heads -- try that it is very difficult) and it looked like their ribs were sticking several inches out further then their stomach. But with the rampant abuse of GH the bodybuilders can\'t hit vacumms anymore (just look at pics from FLEX or Muscular Development and they have six pack guts -- a side effect of GH). I find that doing these exercises and holding your midsection tight whenever you think about it will tighten your stomach and eventually you will get used to sucking it in and will do it almost constantly. And it doesn\'t matter how many ab exercises you do -- if you got layers of fat on top of the muscles your not gonna see the muscles, so lose the FAT!!!

xxxPantero
09-30-2002, 11:59 AM
BUMP! who wants flat abs?

marv14yag
09-30-2002, 03:13 PM
Post deleted by Bruce

DrSmellThis
09-30-2002, 03:45 PM
The above editorial comments do not necessarily reflect the truth.

**DONOTDELETE**
09-30-2002, 04:04 PM
Nor the general level of vehemence felt by other forum members.

BassMan
09-30-2002, 04:58 PM
Nor the level of general literary competency of anyone progressed beyond third grade in their writing skills.

camusflage
09-30-2002, 06:36 PM
Nor the effects of pheros on an average user.

If, however, this is what lots of weightlifting and suppliments do, then I think I\'ll stick with my regiment of cardio work, toning, and a high protein diet... /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif

Xehupatl
09-30-2002, 09:36 PM
LOL!!
what is this? the jerry-springer-show-forum? ahahahahaa

ste

marv14yag
10-01-2002, 03:43 PM
You ONLY see the part you WANT to see, did you even READ the rest? Maybe, but you FOCUSED on the weightlifting bulks you up. You still will use the machines and stuff that don\'t work, even though I have clearly DEMONSTRATED why they don\'t work...

Do whatever you want chief, I mean, it\'s you dog..I mean, it\'s not helping ME, if you\'re better physically, attractivelly, it\'s just, a control factor, you want to make people do something, just to control them, just go ahead, if someone ASKS for something I\'ll answer it, but, no, I guess I\'m NOT going to TELL you, what to do, do what yiou want, lol.

Bart

**DONOTDELETE**
10-01-2002, 03:50 PM
Jebner came on to tell everybody that he\'s using this thing *and he\'s seeing results*. You can\'t argue with that. Theory all you want to, the man bought the thing and he\'s getting muscles out of it. He was kind enough to come on and let you know his secret and he\'s been taking flak for that news flash since he opened his mouth. Doesn\'t seem very nice to me.

Bart, honey, what is wrong with you?

marv14yag
10-01-2002, 03:53 PM
Well, what I was trying to say though, is that, ANYTHING will get you results...I mean, he\'s getting RESULTS, because he\'s doing this MACHINE, instead of NOTHING...I\'m just saying, it\'s not MORE effective.

Anyway, eh...Girls problems, so, I\'ve decided to LASH out, on EVERYONE around me....

Bart

**DONOTDELETE**
10-01-2002, 03:57 PM
Damn wimmin. Can\'t live with \'em, can\'t shoot \'em with a gun.

Xehupatl
10-01-2002, 11:27 PM
Well only as long as you haven\'t got a gun ... /ubbthreads/images/icons/laugh.gif