|
|
| www.1001TopWords.com |
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Exercise The Right Way - The Wrist Extension 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. Increase Your Training Intensity - Negative Repetitions You can only build muscle tissue if you can generate progressively stronger muscular contractions, so this calls for an emphasis on finding ways to increase exercise intensity. This should not be confused with exercise duration as maximum training intensity will actually shorten the time needed to achieve maximal muscular growth. 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. How to Gain Weight and Build More Muscle! For many thin guys around the world, gaining weight without using illegal steroids has been a challenge. For thousands of lean young men, the dream is to gain weight, but no matter how much they eat they remain thin. Some people are naturally thin; that means their genetic makeup is in such a way that the body burns more calories than others. The very basic method of weight gain is to eat more calories than your body burns off. By providing the body with more calories, this balance can be altered and body mass can be increased. Weight training is of great importance in this context, which enables the body to absorb more nutrients from the food by increasing the level of certain hormones and increasing the muscle mass. Building a Better Home Gym If you're looking to get fit and into shape, home gyms may provide the best option if joining a traditional gym isn't feasible. Muscle and Fitness -- The First Key To Achieving Your Goals Lets discuss what I term as Muscle and Fitness -- The First Key. 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. Your body is not interested in building muscle mass, and in getting bigger and stronger, your body is interested in survival and in avoiding change. In order to do this your body has developed many mechanisms that allow you to quickly adapt to a host of possible stimuli's and stresses. So by repeatedly performing low repetition/heavy weight workouts, your body will quickly adapt to this form of stress, and as a result stay the same. Deep Muscle Soreness And Body-Shock Fatigue In my experience there are two distinct types of muscular fatigue associated with intense progressive resistance training (only intense training is sufficient to trigger muscle hypertrophy) and these two types should be recognized and understood. The first type of fatigue is direct muscle soreness and is the result of a particular exercise targeting a specific muscle. Scientists are at odds as to the exact cause of muscle soreness but most believe that it is associated with some sort of cellular micro-trauma. Direct muscle soreness is usually the type of pain and discomfort that most folks experience when they begin serious progressive resistance training program. Exercise The Right Way - The Biceps Curl 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 bodybuiders' training regimes. Exercise The Right Way - The Lying Triceps Extension 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 Role Of L-Glutamine In Building Muscle L-glutamine remains the supplement of choice for many bodybuilders. It is a free form amino acid that can be found naturally in beans, meat, fish, poultry and dairy products. It is also an important component of protein powders and is one of the twenty non-essential amino acids found in the body. Exercise The Right Way - The Hammer Curl 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 bodybuiders' training regimes. How Proper Calorie Fragmentation Improves Body Composition? It is a well-established fact that calories control everyone's bodyweight. No matter how many meals a day you have, it is the calorie balance in the end of the day that matters. If you eat fewer calories than you are burning, you will lose weight. It won't matter if these calories come from chocolate, bagels, meat, eggs, fruit or whatever else. Choosing The Right Bodybuilding Supplement Before wasting your money on a pile of bodybuilding supplements you really need to work out what you are hoping to achieve. Don't lose sight of the fact that sound nutrition forms the basis of any muscle building program and no amount of supplementation with the latest and greatest products will make up for bad eating habits. The bottom line is, bodybuilding supplements should be used IN ADDITION to regular food, not INSTEAD OF it. Muscle Building Tips and Supplements: Dos and Donts Packing on Muscle mass involves a lot of dedication and care. At times, trying too hard can have its negative effects too. Right guidance and proper techniques make the perfect recipe to MUSCLE BUILDING. Muscle Building is no joke, but at the same time, very much possible. The bottomline is to workout in the right direction and not to harm your body. Here are some Do's and Dont's for Muscle Building. An Amazing Technique That Can Make Your Gains Skyrocket While Others Have Reached A Sticking Point! If you clearly understand and apply the principles involved in natural bodybuilding, you will experience very rapid muscle gains. However, over a long term, eventually a 'sticking point' or plateau in your training may be reached. It is at this point in training that further muscle gains can sometimes appear almost impossible. Sticking points are almost always a direct result of overtraining. More often than not, this plateau can be overcome with a brief layoff. ?Bodybuilding Sins? That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts It's one thing for someone who sits at a computer all day and never exercises to have back pain, but for a bodybuilder, someone who spends hours and hours each week pouring everything they've got into building muscle, it should be criminal! Six Minute Abs Six minutes out of your day. All you need is a level floor. Muscle and Fitness -- The Second Key To Successfully Achieving Your Fitness Goals Lets discuss Muscle and Fitness -- The Second Key To Successfully Achieving Your Fitness Goals. But just before that, I'd like to remind you about what the previous article discussed. Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts: Part 5 Welcome to article number five in our 5-part series "Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts". In this article we are going to cover some basic, yet powerful training principles that are often overlooked and are responsible for nearly all bodybuilding injuries?
|
| © Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |