Like millions of women across Britain, I will stop at virtually nothing if it promises to make me fitter faster.
From
toning footwear to vibrating dumbbells, Jazzercise and aqua-aerobics,
you name it, I’ve tried it. And, as a busy mother-of-two, if it requires
no effort on my part, so much the better.
So,
when I heard about a new, high-tech exercise regime, which simply
required me to strap myself into a body suit that looks like something
from RoboCop, plug in some electrodes and let science work its magic, it
sounded like a dream come true.
A new, high-tech exercise regime,
which simply requires you to strap yourself into a body suit, plug in
some electrodes and let science work its magic - it sounded like a dream
come true
And
if it’s good enough for Usain Bolt — not to mention the WAGs and models
who frequent the exclusive West London gyms that are the first to offer
it in the UK, before it rolls out nationwide — it’s good enough for me.
E-Fit
was first designed as a rehabilitation aid for elite athletes — top
footballers Frank Lampard and Lionel Messi are fans — but has since
garnered a reputation as a quick fix for weight-loss and improved muscle
tone. This, in turn, has led to huge demand from normal women who want
to get rid of cellulite and stubborn body fat.
It
uses Electrical Muscular Stimulation (EMS) technology to provide the
equivalent of an hour’s workout in 20 minutes, giving your muscles
electric shocks as you work out. Although you can’t see results straight
away — it takes about four sessions — EMS apparently stimulates 90 per
cent of your body’s main muscles every time you use it.
Nadia Cohen with specially trained E-Fit expert Csaba Hegedus who travels the globe training people to use the system
The
scientists behind it claim it can help with body-shaping, weight-loss,
stamina and endurance, as well as improving posture and reducing back
pain. The system also promises to stimulate your mood and sense of
wellbeing — in fact, pretty much the only thing it won’t do is give you a
massage afterwards.
During
a single session, the device works 350 different muscles, contracting
them a total of 36,000 times, meaning they’re working up to ten times
harder than during conventional exercise — ideal for busy women who
don’t have enough time in their week to spend hours pumping away in the
gym.
Admittedly,
it sounds oddly reminiscent of the Slendertone-style slimming belts
that have been around since the Seventies — the same belts that led
thousands of couch potatoes to believe they could get a six-pack just
from sitting on the sofa and which were dismissed as ‘quackery’ by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The scientists behind it claim it can
help with body-shaping, weight-loss, stamina and endurance, as well as
improving posture and reducing back pain
It’s
true the principles of EMS have been around for a while, but the
technology has advanced and new research shows EMS can have a positive
effect in conjunction with exercise.
Sadly, you still can’t just sit on the sofa and expect miracles.
Various
studies confirm you can get serious results from this approach. In
fact, the American Council On Exercise recently tested developments in
equipment, and revealed that muscle strength and endurance improved over
time in those who had used an EMS device.
So,
with all this in mind, I headed to one of the six gyms in the UK to
offer E-Fit, and eagerly squeezed myself into the gymwear provided — a
skin-tight T-shirt and three-quarter-length gym trousers, specially made
from 95 per cent breathable cotton, so that nothing will stand in the
way of the electrodes as they power through to your muscles.
Then,
it was on with the gear that contains the technology — a bulky,
high-tech jacket and unflatteringly-padded shorts — with extra straps
fastened around the biceps and calves. I smiled at specially trained
E-Fit expert Csaba Hegedus as he pulled the straps tighter. How bad
could it be? Csaba, who travels the globe training people to use the
system, warned me that my muscles would be put through their paces,
thanks to short, sharp electric shocks.
It
sounded a little extreme, but the list of benefits spurred me on, not
to mention the fact I knew it would be over in 20 minutes.
As
he jabbed at the buttons on the shiny, silver keyboard attached to the
suit by a series of wires, I began to feel a slight tingle through my
body.
‘Crank it up!’ I chirruped with a thumbs-up, thinking of all the hours of gym-time I’d save.
This ultra-modern system works by
contracting the muscles, during which you basically clench your entire
body while waiting for the pain to subside
I
felt brave — this was easy. All I could feel were jabbing, pinprick
sensations all over my body. It was rather strange, and certainly not
nice, but by no means painful or uncomfortable.
So,
at my insistence, Csaba cranked it up. The scale goes from zero to 100.
By the time it reached half capacity, I was a jibbering, juddering
wreck as, every few seconds, electronic pulses seemed to sink beneath my
skin, before trying to blast their way out to the surface.
I couldn’t say aloud what I was thinking — because I was too breathless to do more than gasp.
This
ultra-modern system works by contracting the muscles, during which you
basically clench your entire body while waiting for the pain to subside.
Csaba
kept reminding me of the importance of moving — this is designed to
boost your workout, not replace it, so you can’t just let the machine
take the strain.
He
led me through a gruelling regime of bicep curls with light weights,
lunges, squats, running and jogging on the spot, before fast-paced
sit-ups, abdominal crunches, cycling and scissoring my legs — each of
the exercises accompanied by what felt like constant, static electric
shocks.
As
he cranked up the intensity, I gritted my teeth as electrodes pulsed on
to my skin, triggering my nerves to contract and relax the muscles.
At £50 per session, E-Fit is not much
more than a regular session with a posh personal trainer, and takes up
far less of your day
As
your body is rigid, even the simplest squat or lunge is a real effort.
Performing strengthening and toning exercises while wired up to the
machine apparently intensifies the way the muscles respond, forcing them
to work twice as hard in the same time.
Towards
the end, I could feel my muscles were contracting involuntarily, even
when Csaba switched the machine off. Was this normal? I asked. ‘Yes,’
Csaba reassured me. ‘It’s a sign it’s doing the job.’
The underlying muscle tissue is activated, too, which is what gives such a powerful sensation and makes you even more exhausted.
By
the end of the session, I collapsed, drenched in sweat, feeling as if
I’d been through an hour of circuit training, not a 20-minute workout.
At
£50 per session, E-Fit is not much more than a regular session with a
posh personal trainer, and takes up far less of your day. So, if you can
endure the discomfort, this could be worth the effort.
And if it cuts down my time in a sweaty gym, I could definitely be persuaded to return.
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