5. Slendertone Flex Go! Pros, Cons, Verdict

Pros:

  The belt was very easy to set up and use. Instructions were clear and adequate and operation was foolproof. All in all, the belt is sturdy, able to withstand use under normal conditions, and is equipped with buttons and lights that make sense to the user. Muscles are stimulated to contract with this belt. Depending on the intensity level, it may vary from a slight contraction to a deeper workout. If at any time a user doesn’t want to continue, the pause button will stop the workout immediately.

Cons:

Gel pads are disposable after a few uses, making this product potentially expensive to continue using. While the belt is designed for both men and women, sharing the belt between two differently-sized users would be difficult, as the gel pads need to be positioned according to size each and every time. The belt needs to be worn for 25 minutes, five to six days a week for results (according to the manufacturer). For many this may seem like a lengthy time commitment compared to the benefits of 50 crunches, which only take minutes to complete. Additionally, at a level that contracted the muscles but didn’t cause an uncomfortable electrical stimulation, there isn’t the typical "burn" associated with a more intense core or ab workout. For fitness enthusiasts who rely on pain to know they are gaining, it’s a bit less dramatic than hoped for.

The verdict:

The Slendertone Flex belt does what it says, stimulating muscles to contract without the need for back-breaking crunches or exhausting core machines. However, the irony is that most of us who wish to achieve “rock-hard abs” are only going to get them with the combination of a reduction in body fat and the intensive ab concentration that  this gadget could potentially provide. The instructions for use indicate that a good diet and plenty of exercise are the only way for the belt to provide visual results, which is code for “if you’re fat, you can work out all you want, but you will just have stronger muscles hiding under all that fat.

This belt would be more beneficial for those who are already committed to diet and exercise, and therefore are prone to the kind of success that yields dramatic results People who already eat right and work out could do this in their spare time for 25 minutes of a low-level workout. The Slendertone is best credited as a good way to bridge the gap for those who wish to strengthen their core, but for some reason, can’t do more traditional abdominal exercises.