Ab belts are made to be worn by those who want to give themselves a workout to create firmer abs without having to stick with an exercise routine that requires them to do standard crunches or push-ups. Such an ab belt provides stimulation to the nerves in the abdominal muscles which in turn carry the signal to the muscles nearby. The muscles respond by contracting in the same way they do during crunches.
Contents
Electronic muscle stimulation
The technology that is used in these belts is called Electronic Muscle Stimulation, or EMS, and it has been used in the medical field for many years. The recent improvements that have been made to EMS have led to the new generation of ab belts that are now available on the market.
As to the effectiveness of EMS, according to a study presented in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, a twelve-week program of EMS was used on elite rugby players, applying treatment to the knee extensor, plantar flexor, and gluteus muscles. At the end of the twelve weeks, the EMS training program showed beneficial effects on muscle strength and power while those in the control group showed no improvement.
Ab belt reviews
Flex belt
Rating: 
At the top of the list for ab belts is the Flex Belt. Considered by many sources to be the most up-to-date toning belt available on the market, it has gotten the best reviews of all the ab belts. At about two hundred dollars, the Flex Belt comes with the controller, 3 gel pads, a rechargeable battery pack (no batteries needed!), an extension for larger size waists, a carrying case, a manual and a 2-year warranty.
A six-week clinical study conducted by a Professor of Sports Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse showed that 92% of the people who used the Flex Belt achieved firmer, more toned abs. The technology used in the Flex Belt is based on 100% medical science and is the first ab belt using EMS technology to be cleared by the FDA as a class II medical device for direct to consumer sales.
Read the Flex belt reviews or visit the official site!
Contour Abs
Rating: 
The Contour Abs system, also known as Contour Belt is currently being advertised on some TV commercials and websites with a $14.95 trial offer for a period of 30 days. After the $14.95 trial and 4 monthly payments of $49.95 the Contour Abs belt is yours.
There have been some consumer complaints about the Contour Abs because of confusion over the 30 day trial terms, but nevertheless the Contour Abs is one of the best ab belts on the market as of today.
The Contour Belt (one size fits most, no extension included) comes with a controller, 4 gel pads, a set of AAA batteries, a manual and a 1-year warranty.
Read the Contour Abs belt reviews or visit the official site!
Sport-Elec Shape-N-Tone
Rating: One of the ab belts that have been advertised on TV is the Sport-Elec Shape N Tone Ab Belt. This ab belt sells for about 150 dollars and has four different programs as well as thirty levels of exercise.
There are four built-in conductive pads and according to the manufacturer it is for all fitness levels and all ages.
The Shape’n’Tone from Sportelec is a decent ab belt, but it can’t keep up with the likes of the Flex Belt and Contour Belt!
Read the Shape N Tone review or visit the official site!
Slendertone flex
Rating: The Slendertone Flex Ab Belt is a less expensive version that is about $150. It is a previous model of the Flexbelt and comes with many similar features except that it does not have the high quality construction and performance.
Although the Flex Belt is a superior belt to the Slendertone, the Slendertone is a good choice for those who want a good ab belt without paying as much.
Read the Slendertone Flex review or visit the official site!
Conclusion
Improvements in electronic muscle stimulation have definitely brought about a new generation of electronic ab belts! Your best bet is to go with one of the market leaders which happen to be the Flex Belt (official website) and the Contour Abs (official website).
Recources
Comprehensive ab belt review
Complaints at www.complaintsboard.com
Article about electronic muscle stimulation
Tags: ab belt, contour abs, ab contour reviews, slendertone, contour belt, contour abs review, flex belt, ab contour review, contour belt reviews, abs belt, contour ab belt, ab machine, contour ab belt review, contour abs reviews, ab belts, ab belt reviews, ab contour
21 Comments
The contour abs belt doesn’t work!!!
A friend of mine did get pretty good results with the flex belt after using it regularly for a couple of weeks. I’m tempted to give it a try as well!
I have been using the flex belt for about a month now and i am impressed. One 20 min set a day was about all i could handle. Some people have been bad mouthing ab belts in general but I don’t think they were using it correctly. Watch the video and do the full workout if you can!! Out of a score of 100 I would probably give it a score between 85-90. Very good product when used properly.
My friend bought the contour abs and didn’t realize they were going to keep charging him like $50 a month for 4 months for it! Their website doesn’t make it very clear what the total price is, he bought it because the price seemed real cheap.
He liked the idea of an ems ab belt but the contour abs belt hasn’t really worked very well from the get go, did seem pretty bad quality. I’m glad I got to have a look at my friends ab belt first, and then read this review. I’m going to buy the flex belt instead!
I bought an ab belt at a thrift store and it hurt like heck!! I dont know how people can stand them? It was like really strong electric shocks!! I dunno bout you guys but im gunna stick to my it works body wraps! good luck!
I am a sniper w the navy seals, in part of our sniper schooling after BUDS training(basic underwater demolition seals) we were all shown an ems system to make our cores tighter and at max performance for stamina during long periods of stationary prone positions for days at a time! My seals team of 8, was purchased the flex belt by the military for us, and it is a proven fact, and medically researched! I don’t know about the contour abs, but I promise the flex belt will tone and make your abs rock hard. But yes, cardio is a must for the fatty cells that surround any muscles! The system does work, and the more you use it the higher intensity levels u can work up to!
As a sniper u have to have very strong muscles in all areas of your body, for certain aspects of war, and the flex can work in other areas other than the abs, I shoot a barrett 50 caliber rifle, and used the flex to strengthen my pecks, shoulders and upper back muscles. As for the people who criticize others, do not worry about them, they have lack of information, and are extremely self conscious of themselves, have probably not exercised a day in their pathetic video gamed lives, and would love to have them in my training for a week! Good luck to all!
After reading this article I decided to purchase the flex belt. It arrived promptly and I have begun to use it as part of my workout routine. I will report my results here in a couple of weeks.
Good article, I made the right choice two months ago and bought the flex belt. I am glad I never purchased the contour abs belt as my results with the flex belt have been tremendous. People are starting to comment that I must spend hours each day in the gym but I know my success is down to the flex belt 😀
I just wanted to say thanks for saving me both time and money! I was just about to call and order a contour belt. When they said they would let you try it for 30 days for just $14.99 they forgot to mention that the real cost was $215.00 and that it would take 30 days to get here.
THE CONTOUR ABS BELT IS A SCAM!!! Once you get the ab belt the 30 day trial period is already over and you’re stuck with a $215.00 piece of crap. Thanks to the info in this article I can buy the flex belt instead and save myself a lot of hassle! Thanks again.
i wish i had read this review before i purchased my ab belt. i purchased the ab contour belt over two months ago and after steady use i had finally decided to give up on EMS. maybe i will give the flex belt a shot before i disregard the whole thing.
Regarding Electronic Muscle Stimulation…I am a physical therapist and we use E-stim for several physical problems. It can be used with Bell’s palsy but offers varying results. It can be used to help stimulate quadriceps activity after an ACL reconstruction and help facilitate muscle use post-operative. Understand this: E-stim does contract the muscle, and often times, it is uncomfortable to people. It will allow for increases in muscle strength, but it is no substitute for resistance exercise. When combined with resistance exercise, it can be more effective than either one alone. I saw bits of the contour abs promo, and the host is a highly trained athlete who is getting paid to sell this product. Don’t believe for a second that she uses an ab belt alone to get those abs. Her training regimen and nutrition plan keeps her slim and ripped looking.
A special note to those who are fat: doing all the situps and crunches or wearing of an ab belt alone is not going to make your waist smaller or cause you to burn fat. To burn fat, the body needs oxygen to metabolize fat in an 8 step process called the Krebs’ Cycle. To slim down, get rid of the fat by additionally doing cardio exercise, and use ab belts to tone and firm abdominals.
Finally, there really is no such thing as contracting the lower abs over the upper abs. If a muscle contracts, it contracts–period. If you hooked up an EMS unit to your biceps on the lower end of the muscles, and it made the muscle stronger, it’s not as though only a small part of the biceps would increase it’s muscle mass. The advantage that bodybuilders have with altering their exercises for a muscle is to activate muscle confusion; different movements keep the nervous system from getting used to a routine, thereby challenging the body to respond and adapt.
I had a C-section 8 months ago and would like to get back into shape and have more energy befor my daughter learns to walk. I bought the Flex Belt and the one for my thights over a month ago. It works. I’ve been exercising and taking kickboxing classes and I’ve seen faster results since I’ve used the Flex Belt. But each time I use it, I start my PMS. There is no literature and I’m not sure what kind (if any) damages it does to a females body. Although I saw AMAZING results, I stop using it for now.
Does these belts really work?
Last night I ordered a contour ab belt andasked for the 14.95 trial ofer with 4 payments of 49.95. Within two minutes at 9:44 pm I received a confirmation for 2 ab belts one at the trial offer and one at full price. At 9:46 pm I replied informing them of the error and requesting them to take off the full price belt. No reply. this morning when I went to the pharmacy to get my diabetic supplies my card was declined. they charged my card for the amount of the paid in full belt. I called them and got the supreme runaround from a “customer service rep” named Dave. He told me they had preauthorized my card for 424.50 or they couldn’t have shipped the order and they had only charged my card the 14.95 + the 9.95 for priority shipping. when I informed him I was looking at my bank statement online right that moment and they had NOT authorized or charged anything but the full amount for one belt which I did NOT order, his reply was “Don’t talk down to me” when I replied “How about I just cancel the whole order his reply was “Go ahead” the fact that he insisted they preauthorized my account for 425.70 when there was only 255.00 IN the account is proof enough this guy was giving me the run around. I emailed asking to speak to someone in authority. No reply. I intend to contact the Minnesota Attorney general first thing Monday. All I wanted was a damn ab belt.
What do you know? I just went to my bank site and they’ve put the 224.70 back in. Miracles happen I suppose and just MAYBE I owe Contour ab belts an apology. We’ll see if the charge of 24.95 appears to indicate they shipped the original belt I purchased. No apology for that terminal asshole Dave though.
Earlier I made two posts regarding a bad experience with contour ab belts and one of their customer service reps. I then posted that the charge had been removed from my bank account. They have both been deleted, but in the interest of fairness to Contour ab belts I want to post this eamail I received from them about 30 minutes ago.
Dear Steve,
Thank you for contacting Contour Technology.
I am sorry to hear about terrible experience you have gone through. We ask that you please contact our Customer Service Department at 1-866-644-7706 to speak to one of our Supervisors.
If you have any other questions or concerns, or if I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me again.
Regards,
Catherine B.
Customer Care
Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 am to 10:00 pm (EST), Saturday 8:00 am to 6 pm (EST)
—–Original Message—–
From: Contour Abs [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Saturday, July 16, 2011 10:31 AM
To: Customer Service, Contour
Subject: Contour Abs – Contact Us Inquiry
Email Address: ***@nc.rr.com
Comments: An addition to my last email. Strange isn\’t it that although your man Dave insisted they HAD to preauthorize my card for 424.50 and only charged me 24.95…. there is a 224.70 charge on my account and there was NOT 424.50 IN THE ACCOUNT TO PRE AUTHORIZE.
________________________________________
I got the Contour Belt over 2 months ago and I’ve lost some weight and fat around my tummy , but I do try to watch what I eat and work out, as to the Price and 30 day trial gos they do explain in the commercial that they will take 4 payments of 49 dollars a month, it took a wk for my belt 2 get 2 me and I do see results, I use it once or twice a day, oh.. I forgot 2 say that if ur 30 day trial is over by the time ur product shows up, call they and tell them that u barely got it, caz they told me that they start counting the 30 day trial from the moment it gets 2 ur door, good luck 🙂
I have had the contour ab for some years now, i use it maybe not as often as i would like but when i do, i have gotten great results, in addition to abdominal workouts, the EMS control unit can be attached to individual pads, which the company sells and use to stimulate other muscle groups, it has a massage setting as well,
my youngest son plays high school football, and when they get muscle cramps, injuries etc. the school has a more professional machine desgned to do the same function,, the coutor abs also come with a diagramn that shows you where to place the pads on your body to work the different muscle groups, it also comes with a pad designed for the back for a small additional price. My batteries that came with mines to this date hasn’t been changed and i’ve had mines close to 2 years or more. hmmmmmm you are also able to adjust the left and right intensity of the belt, Well to sum it up, i think i made a great purchase and replacement pads are available, hmmmmmm i think i will send contour a bill for pumping up their product like this hahaha, but honestly to me it worth it.
can it work for children up to eleven years old because my son ask that
I have been interested in the contour ab belt for the longest time. I have tried to order it but I didn’t have a Bank account. I am so glad I read
these comments first. I guess u get what u pay for. Right?
I have had the Contour belt for around a year.I love it.But the problem I am running into is the ends that go into the box.I sent this one back they fixed it but now it is doing it again.I don’t like being without it because I am use to it and swimsuit season is coming.What should I do this time/Thanks Marilyn Rankin