Flex Belt VS Slendertone: Who Wins The Battle For 6 Pack Abs?

Flex Belt vs Slendertone: The Flex Belt is equipped with an external rechargeable battery pack. Slendertone is packed with battery in the belt. In comparison, the Flex Belt includes an extension option for larger waists, whereas the Slendertone comes in one size alone. 

Wearable fitness tech has indeed come a long way in the recent years. From basic fitness trackers to complex devices that present a thorough snapshot of your health and activity; the category has rapidly evolved and currently presents a lot of options.

Midsection or “ab belts” have been in the fitness market in various forms for quite a while now; almost all of them claiming to bring an out of control belly under control and promising a flat tummy while you binge watch your favorite show.

The key objective we have today is to minimize the confusion for a potential buyer.

Flex Belt VS Slendertone: Getting It Straight

The Flex Belt vs Slendertone is a good match. They are both wide belts that you can use to directly trim and flatten those abdominal muscles. The results will, of course, depend on a lot of factors like fat percentage, diet, Flex belt or Slendertone use, sleeping habits, and more.

Whether you’re a fitness junkie, a mother running after your kids, a 60-year-old retiree or even a couch potato of the highest order; NOBODY wants extra unwanted pounds creeping up on their bodies.

From exotic magic fruits to punishing training regimes and futuristic gadgetry; we tend to spend our time and hard earned cash on anything that promises to give us a set of abs carved out of granite. Usually, a lot of these “solutions” rely on gimmickry and fail to deliver any tangible, long-term results. However, every now and then there are promising developments with measurable benefits.

We will take a look at two of the most well-known brands of “ab belts”: Flexbelt and Slendertone. We will dissect their technology, overall fitness benefit and other relevant aspects before giving it to you straight and letting you know which one deserves your attention and cash.

FLEXBELT

What is it?

The Flex Belt is a wearable electronic belt that promises to work your abdominal muscles helping you to achieve a midsection that is flat, toned, and tightened.  It’s manufactured by Bio-Medical Research Ltd based in Galway, Ireland, which is well known for making abdominal toning products for quite some time.

The underlying tech

The Flex Belt employs the EMS technology.

EMS stands for electrical muscle stimulation. It has been used by medical practitioners for more than 3 decades now, mainly employing it in physical therapy and muscle rehab routines.

It’s also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or electromyostimulation. At its core, it revolves around sending electrical signals to the targeted muscles thus replicating muscle contraction and relaxation. The electrical signalsare sent through with the help of electrodes that are in direct contact with the muscles.

It has been an effective tool to combat disuse muscle atrophy which can occur after musculoskeletal injuries, such as damage to bones, joints, muscles, ligaments,and tendons.

More recently, it has caught the attention of fitness industry and completive athletes and has been seen in various forms and products over the past few years. It has been used for muscular strength training for competitive athletes. Moreover, it has been used as a muscular recovery tool after training sessions.

How The Flex Belt is used

It’s actually pretty simple.

You wrap it around your waist. The belt comes along with 3 medical-grade gel pads that are fixed on the inside of the belt. The key purpose of these pads is to contract and relax the abdominal muscles, simulating the effect of conventional ab movements that come with excercise. 

This is done by transmitting electrical impulses to your abdominal region through the pads. A controller attached to the belt lets you control the intensity.

Is it effective?

The FDA has been quite severe on any EMS devices claiming to help with weight loss and midsection firmness. In order to be given the green light, an EMS device needs to prove to the FDA it does what it claims it does.

The Flex Belt happens to be one of the very few devices that have managed to clear FDA’s rigorous testing.

Its credibility is further bolstered by a study conducted in 2005² by Dr. John P. Porcari, a well-known Professor in Exercise and Sports Science, published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine.

The study observed a group of individuals who used the belt 5 days a week for 20-40 minute sessions, for about 2 months. The results were quite encouraging. Here’re the findings:

Is it Exercise programs effective?

The Flex Belt comes with 10 different programs. The programs progress from beginner to expert level. They vary according to the experience the user has with physical exercise, his activity level and his intensity threshold.

The varying programs provide workout variety and facilitate constant improvement by making sure that your midsection does not get used to single form of stimulation. You can expect to find program durations ranging from 20-40 minutes, several set & repetition ranges, rest periods and variance in exercises.

Here’s a brief overview of the Flex Belt programs:

It is important to note that the last two programs P9 and P10 are bonus programs that mimic the stimulation we get from a conventional abdominal crunch.

Intensity levels

A usual issue with most ab belts is the lack of control over the stimulation intensity. The variations often start with an intensity level that is barely noticeable then abruptly jump to a level that may be too powerful for some individuals.

The Flex belt gets around this issue by offering a massive 150 intensity levels. It allows the wearer a lot more precision and control to match his precise activity and intensity thresholds.

Who should use it

It has proven to be an effective fitness tool for various needs and situations.

You don’t really have to have a fluffy beer belly to use it. It’s a great option to mix things up and add a bit of variety to your usual abdominal training routine.

If you happen to be a busy housewife or a business person who is always stressed for time, then this is a very useful tool to squeeze in a quick, yet an effective workout without compromising your schedule.

Old age or injury can weaken our lower back, which means some of us may not be able to handle and extract proper benefits from a traditional abdominal training program. Flex Belt will allow you to burn those calories off without putting unnecessary stress on your back and joints.

It is a great tool for rehab from injuries and for individuals with complications that limit their mobility.

Lastly, if you find it difficult to get used to an environment of a typical gym, the Flex Belt will allow you to burn calories from your living room.

Slendertone

What is it?

Slendertone is a line of wearable electronic belts that promise to work your abdominal muscles helping you to achieve a midsection that is flat, toned and tight. This line comes with 3 different models and price points:

The underlying tech

All 3 models of Slendertone employ the EMS technology. As explained earlier, the EMS revolves around contracting and relaxing the targeted muscles by sending electrical signals.

Connect Abs Toning Belt:

Abs8 Toning Belt:

Abs5 Toning Belt:

Effectiveness & safety

The Slendertone line has also been approved by the FDA to be used by the masses, so it did pass tough testing and proven itself worthy.

Exercise programs

Slender Tone Connect Abs. 

It comes along with 5 individual programs, each of these catering to a specific toning goal. These are:

• Essential Toning
• Upcoming Event
• Fitness
• Advanced Toning
• Post Natal.

Each program has a fixed, 6-week duration, except “Upcoming event”, which allows you to set the duration. The manual recommends 5 weekly sessions.

The Post Natal program is slightly different than others, since it is designed specifically for new mothers to help them get back into shape post-pregnancy.

 The others vary in difficulty and duration, ranging from 20-30 minutes.

Abs8 & Abs5 Toning Belt.

Although both these models come with 10 exercise programs they are quite limited in other important features, as they don’t provide progress tracking and reminders.

Intensity levels

Slender Tone Connect Abs lets you choose from 100 different intensity levels according to your goal, the level of your experience and your intensity threshold.

Who should use it

The user profile is quite similar to that of the Flex Belt, ranging from busy parents looking to yank back their fitness to athletes and fitness enthusiasts looking to amp up their routines.  

Conclusion – Flex Belt or Slendertone

The choice between these devices could get a bit confusing, especially if you happen to be new to wearable fitness tech. Here’s what to consider:

Although both options use the same technology (EMS), are manufactured by the same parent firm and have the same underlying objective, there are a few clear reasons why The Flex Belt is a far superior option.

To start off, The Flex Belt is the latest iteration of Slendertone with several enhanced tech features. It has also shown positive results in research studies.

Functional improvements compared to Slendertone models:

This makes it a great option for people who want to burn more calories in a short time span, as well as for those who want a greater level of control over their session.  

Even though the Flex Belt is slightly pricier, both options come with a 2-year guarantee, which, after closely examining all features, makes it the clear runner-up.