Getting a lower price may not always be the best thing.

If you buy it from the official website then the least expensive I think you’ll end up buying the belt for is $175-$179 and that’s using a discount code. The MSRP is $199.

Now some folks have bought the same belt via Ebay for under $150 supposedly. This is possible, however I feel there are some risks associated with buying a device like this off of ebay when you could just buy it direct.

First off you may not get the same 2 year warranty and you definitely won’t get the 60 day money back guarantee.

There’s also a slight chance that you’re buying refurbished product, return or used device rather then a new one. Not to say that there’s an issue with buying a refub or used belt, but you should know ahead of time that’s what you’re getting and pay accordingly.

Now this last point is something I just discovered lately, and as of yet don’t have proof but it’s something to take into consideration. Buying from an auction site could mean you end up with a non authentic product. There are companies who copy designs and make them look the same and then sell them on non official websites. This is just something to watch out for.

If it was my money I’d spend the extra bit to buy from the official website. Why? Because I get a good warranty and I get a good guarantee.

I’ll keep this post short today, but it came to my attention from reading reviews on amazon for Slendertone that it’s possible some companies off shore might be manufacturing counterfeit ab belts. I don’t have confirmation of this, but I wanted to post about it here since some folks are really focussed on trying to find the cheapest price they end up going to Ebay, Amazon or even craigslist to find a belt for cheap.

There’s a risk if you’re not using the official manufactured device, and that’s that the device might not be as safe as it should be. You could shock yourself or worse.

So to remedy this situation I wanted to urge people to only buy from the manufacturers official websites.

FlexBelt – www.TheFlexBelt.com

Slendertone – www.Slendertone.com

Contour – www.TheContour.com

Ordering from the official websites ensures you not only get the right and legitimate product but you’ll also get the best possible warranty and guarantee you can with your belt.

For some of my readers I know the Flex Belt is just out of their price point. Even with the flex belt coupons I’ve provided the device is still gonna set you back about $180 bucks. So what’s a better alternative?

This is just my opinion, but Contour Abs, Slendertone System Abs and the Flex Belt are more or less all the same price point. Sure they’re $179, $149 and $179 *with discount respectively, but if you’re not gonna spend $179 on the Flex ab belt, you’re likely not gonna spend $149 on the Slendertone either.

What’s the alternative?


The only other belt I’ve pointed people towards who didn’t want to spend more then $100 bucks is the Sport Elect ab belt. It still uses EMS, although not as powerful or as many options as some of the other devices mentioned in this post, but the concept is the same.

The big downfall I see to this device is the use of contact gel. What’s contact gel? Well basically it’s a gel you rub on yourself or the electrodes before placing the belt around your mid section to ensure you get a food connection. It’s not that messy, but some folks just find it gross.

The other downside is the quality of the belt. Some might say it’s not as nicely finished as the other products. The controller, battery holder etc. doesn’t look as nice. However, if functionality is the key, and it should be, the Sport Elec belt can still get the job done (albeit you won’t progress as far with this belt since it doesn’t have the same number of intensity levels or programs as the other belts).

So if there’s all these negatives to the Sport Elec belt you might be wondering, “what the heck’s the benefit?”. It’s the price. RIght now you can order the Sport Elec Ab toner for around $50 bucks. That’s quite a significant savings compared to the other devices.

So there you have it, want to get an EMS belt but don’t want to drop the $180 bucks on the flex belt, the Sport Elect might be the best alternative.

I’ve had a few questions from readers about whether the flex belt is better for men or women. The answer to this is no, but let me explain a little bit more on this topic.

Generally speaking, and don’t take this as gospel because it won’t be the same for everyone, but men generally want an ab belt to get six pack abs while women want a flatter stomach. This isn’t to say there aren’t some women who also might want six pack abs, however, generally (using that word a lot in this post) those women are also interested in body building etc.

From a men’s perspective the flex belt isn’t going to be the only thing you need in order to look like a men’s health fitness cover model. You’re going to need to be doing focussed and intense ab workouts a couple of times a week, follow a strict diet and get in tons of cardio. The Flex Belt will be your secret weapon that will allow you to get in ab workouts even on your off days from the gym and recover from hard ab workouts with a EMS session on the same day.

Women who want a flatter stomach will want to follow some of the same advice I mentioned above for men less the ab focused workouts. Using the flex belt should be enough ab toning for you to flatten your stomach pending you’re also getting some cardio exercise and eating right to keep belly fat to a minimum.

So at the end of the day, whether you’re a man or a woman the Flex belt suits you both and will help you achieve the goals you have for your ab fitness.

Remote showing on Program #1 with Timer counting Down

10 Different Programs

The Flex Belt has 10 different built in programs. You could call these workouts, since they vary the duration, training level and toning power of the belt on your abdominals.

The first 5 settings of the belt are deemed to be the ones you use for natural progression from the first day you start using the belt.

Here’s the suggested routine from the manual:

So you would start at the Beginner program using the Intensity level that’s best for you. You would perform 2 sessions with that program then move onto the intermediate program and so on. ALong the way you’d also be adjusting the Intensity level you feel comfortable using at that program.

What are micro Columbs

The measure of micro Columbs is basically the amount of current that the belt emits for the electronic muscle stimulation. As you can see the higher program you use the more toning power the belt emits which in my understanding means the same intensity level will work your abs harder.

Where do you go after the first 5 Programs?

In a way the first 5 programs the Flex Belt offers are the base training for what’s to come next. There are 5 other programs built into the belt with not online boost time, but they also increase the Toning Power as well.

Here’s a look at the next 5 programs built into the belt.

You can see from the table above that Ab Power and Pro (ii) exert the highest level of toning power. The endurance program uses a lower amount of toning power, but is also 10 minutes longer then any other program in the belt. Finally the Crunch (i) and (ii) programs are more about small jolts of EMS power to simulate crunches. This is a bit different pattern then the other programs.

Use of the 5 final programs is more for on-going maintenance. You’ll continue to garner benefits especially since you can continue to increase the intensity level up to 150 (I’ve not made it to 150 that’s for sure).

I hope that by understanding a bit more about how the Intensity levels work you can see that the Flex Belt isn’t just some cheap device that you out grow within a few weeks. Instead it offers a lot of potential for someone to continue to use and benefit from it for weeks to come.

I’ve had a few questions from readers in regards to what’s the best intensity setting to use on The Flex Belt? I wanted to write a short post explaining a bit more about how Intensity settings work, which you should use and how to increase them as you continue to use the belt.

Starting Intensity Level

The idea is that when you first start using the device you begin by using the strongest intensity level you can stand. Too low a level and you’re not giving your abs the workout they deserve, too high and well you might be a bit sore later on. For most people it seems to be somewhere between 30 and 70 for a starting level. This will vary based on your current abdominal fitness and how much belly fat you have covering your abs right now. You will need a higher current of EMS to give the same workout for someone who has more belly fat compared to some who has less.

Increasing Intensity Level

Similar to working other parts of the body eventually the same intensity level will begin to produce less results. This is when you want to boost the level you’re using. This might mean you increase it by 5, 10 or even 20 levels. It’s all personal preference and you’ll need to see how it feels to know how high you should set it.

I’d suggest keeping a journal of what you started at, how long you stayed at that intensity level and then what intensity level you move up to. This will show you your progress over the weeks.

Programs

Intensity levels aren’t the only thing you can use to boost the workout your abs gets from The Flex Belt. You’ll also find that moving up through the programs offered in the belt will also yield a different workout.

For example: Program 1 is a beginner program and the training level is considered “light”. It’s a 20 minute long session and the Toning power is 14 micro Columbs (uc). In the Flex Belt manual it suggests only spending 2 sessions at this level, although you can spend more if you’d like. From there you progress to Program 2 which is still the same toning power but now goes for 25 minutes and then the Advanced program which is the same toning power but now 30 minutes. Longer periods of time at the same intensity level will produce great abdominal endurance in my opinion.

The point of this post is that there isn’t one best intensity setting to use on the Belt. Rather you need to find your comfortable starting point and then go up from there.

Weight loss around the mid section is often a problem area for men and women alike. Research performed by the Harvard School of Medicine suggests that the danger in this adipose tissue lies in the fact that cells produce chemical signals called cytokines, which cause insulin resistance. Studies also indicate that certain fruits and vegetables may help individuals reduce fat in this area.

Blueberries for Belly Fat and Cardiovascular Health

According to the Cardiovascular Center at the University of Michigan, blueberries are one of the 5 belly fat busting fruits and vegetables you should try. After consuming blueberries consistently for 90 days, laboratory animals experienced a visible decline in fat in the abdominal region. Additionally, the altered diet decreased triglyceride levels while increasing insulin sensitivity.

Grapefruit the Proven Fat Burner

Nutritionists categorize grapefruit as a catabolic food, which means the body uses more calories for digesting the fruit than the fruit puts into the body. The fruit also acts as a natural diuretic, which reduces excess body fluid. Research additionally suggests that individuals consuming grapefruit before exercising more effectively reduce the size of fat cells.

Hot Peppers and Fat Burning

Chilies, jalapenos and dried red peppers contain a chemical called capsaicin. Cayenne pepper, paprika and crushed red pepper also contains this substance. When present in peppers, the compound produces the heat associated with hot peppers. After consumed, the body naturally responds to this chemical by raising the heart rate and metabolism, which aids in weight reduction. Capsaicin also produces a feeling of fullness, which curbs the appetite, which also increases weight loss.

Pomegranate Fruit and Juice for Better Health

According to scientists at the University of California, pomegranates contain the most antioxidants of any available fruit. The antioxidants, known as polyphenols increase metabolism, which helps reduce fat. Polyphenols also reduce inflammation, inhibit appetite and prevent lipid plaque formation in arteries. Chemical substances in pomegranates also seem to aid in reducing blood pressure.

Watermelons and Health

Containing approximately 90 percent water, watermelons provides an additional means of fluid intake, which helps the body eliminate toxins. The fruit also contains the chemical lycopene, which studies suggest lowers LDL cholesterol and improves energy levels, which aids in weight loss. The fruit additionally contains the amino acid L-citrulline, which the body converts to L-arginine. This amino acid helps regulate blood pressure.

Consuming the 5 belly fat busting fruits and vegetables improves energy, which increases stamina, overall weight loss and fat reduction. These foods offer additional benefits that include improved cardiovascular health and enhanced insulin sensitivity.

It seems that everyone is always wondering what you should eat and how soon after a workout. There are a lot of conflicting opinions out there about this topic, and a lot of confusing advice as well. Follow this quick and easy guide to know exactly what to eat and how soon after a workout.

The body needs energy and it needs it fast after a workout. This is the time when your body will quickly transform any protein you give it into muscle to start the rebuilding process. So the most important thing to give your body after a workout is protein.

However, this cannot just be any kind of protein. That is because most forms of protein come with fat, and consuming fat slows down the digestive system. This means that the body can’t get the protein as quickly as it wants if it is consumed with fat.

This problem can be easily avoided by consuming a whey protein powder after a workout. Whey protein powder is a great source of protein that does not have any fat in it. It gives the body exactly what it needs without any fat to slow it down.

In addition to getting protein to rebuild muscle after a hard workout, the body needs one other thing to help the recovery process, carbs. Obviously the body burns through carbs during a workout. If the body does not receive carbs after a workout, then it will start to break down muscle to get the carbs it needs. This is quite a problem that can be easily avoided by consuming carbs after a workout.

Not just any carbs will do. This is a time for exercisers to forget everything they have been taught about good carbs. This is the one time that it is actually good to consume bad carbs in the form of sugar. The good carbs like brown rice and whole grain bread slow down the digestive process just like fat does, so obviously they need to be avoided.

The sugar is best when it comes in the form of dextrose. This dextrose can be added to the whey powder and water to give exercisers the perfect post-workout “meal.” It should be consumed as soon as possible after a workout, preferably within 30 minutes.

Follow this easy guide to what you should eat and how soon after a workout, and soon you will quickly notice the difference in your recovery process. It will speed the process and leave you feeling stronger and less fatigued. Using this easy recovery meal is one of the major keys to gym health, feeling good after a workout and building back strength for the next workout.

There is no shortage of negative reviews of The Flex Belt out there, and there’s no easier place to find them then on Amazon.com. I’ll admit before I buy anything I always visit Amazon.com to check out what other people think of it. I don’t just do this when I’m shopping online, heck I’ll do it when I’m in a store from my iPhone.

I of course also did it before getting the Flexbelt and I wanted to share with you my views on the negative reviews about the flex belt that exist out there.

If you take the time to read the reviews on Amazon about this device you start to see a trend. Every one of the less then 3 or better star reviews is either complaining that the belt didn’t help them lose weight or they’re just hating on the device and EMS (electronic muscle stimulation) in general.

Here’s an example review from a consumer who bought the belt and returned it.

“I bought the belt, and although I felt it work my abs, I showed no results as far as weight loss. That’s not what this belt is good for. Plus, the gel pads wear out super fast and they’re not cheap. You’d be better off spending $200 on a gym membership. One good thing I can say is they were very quick and gave me no hassle when I wanted a refund!”

If you analyze this review the first thing we see is that the reviewer says they felt it working their abs, which is the goal of the belt. However they then go onto say that it showed no results for weight loss, which is not what the belt is for. They also suggest that spending $200 on a gym membership would be a better idea, I won’t necessarily argue with that if you have a couple of hours each day to commit to going to the gym. They end their review by saying that Flex Belt was good about giving them a refund, which in my opinion speaks highly of their customer service.

What’s the takeaway here? The reviewer was expecting the belt to do something for them that it’s not designed to do, but did comment that the device worked as advertised “I felt it work my abs”.

If you go to Amazon and check out the reviews for the Flex Belt you’ll see that there are more positive then negative ones, and the majority of the negative reviews (at time of writing this) are more people just hating on EMS rather then actually providing constructive feedback to other consumers.

I stick by what I’ve been blogging about on this site since I started it. If you understand what the Flex Belt is capable of (strengthening and toning your abs) and you follow a healthy diet and get regular exercise then not only are you going to get stronger abs but you’ll likely begin to lose some inches on your waist line, feel better not just in a healthy sense but also about yourself.

Don’t let the cynics scare you off of something you want to try. I’ve always found the only way to know for sure about something is to try it for myself. The Flex Belt offers a 60 day money back guarantee and as the sample review I posted above suggests they honor that guarantee.

Gel pads are the only consumable item with the Flex Belt. While some other ab belts do require your to buy contact gel (gel that goes between the electrodes and your skin) or replacement batteries (most belts use AAA’s) this device has a rechargeable built in battery that doesn’t need replacing, or at least not for some time.

So how can you stretch out the life of your gel pads so you don’t have to be buying replacements all that often?

#1 Keep em Covered

The most important thing you can do to prolong the life of your gel pads is to always keep the plastic coverings on them when you aren’t using the belt. I made a stupid mistake after I first got my belt and tossed out not only the plastic covers that are on the sticky back that affixes to the belt but also the covers that you keep on the surface that touches your skin when you aren’t using them.

Be sure to replace those plastic covers as soon as you done your session and store your belt in the carrying sac that is included with your flexbelt. This ensures that dust, pet hair and any other dirt that could get stuck to the pads is kept away.

Also the plastic covering ensures that the pads maintain their moisture.

#2 Keep it clean

For this I’m talking not just about the pads but you. I would suggest not wearing the belt right after a run or really strenuous activity, first wipe yourself down, especially your abdominal area, and then put it on. I’ve been doing this and it seems to help. We tend to release a lot of salty sweat when we work out and while I don’t have any proof that this is breaking down the gel pads, I figure everything we can do to help ensure they stay in good condition is work it.

#3 Wipe em down

I read this final tip on another forum when I was researching the flex belt initially. I’ve been doing it every once and a while since and it keeps the gels pads nice and clean. I use hand sanitizer on my gel pads to wipe off dirt, grime, and any fuzz or other debris that might become stuck to them either after a workout or while my belt is being stored.

You don’t need a lot, so start with a less is more approach if you’re going to try this. Also, don’t use a paper towel or kleenex just use your fingers as the later will get stuck to the gel pad surface.

These three simple tips should help you maximize the lifespan of your Flex ab belt gel pads.

A couple of other tips if you haven’t ordered your device yet are to order at least one second set of pads when your order your belt. If you use one of the coupons I’m offering here then you’ll get the discount on the belt and the gel pads and the belt, also you’ll only pay the one shipping fee (or possibly get free shipping).