You can use an ab belt almost anywhere – while you watch TV, while you surf the net, when walking, playing with the kids, even when taking a nap! Imagine how much time you can save, by working your abdominal muscles while you do something else like drive to and from work – you are basically doing situps while you sit in traffic!

Ab belts are ideal for busy people who just don’t get time in their day to go to the gym for 2 hours, or those of us that are simply too tired after a long day at work to do 500 situps a night. You get home after a long day and you just want to rest, right? but you still want a toned midsection as well! Thats where an ab belt comes in.

In terms of which areas of your body you can use an ab belt, as its name suggests, an ab belt is designed to be used directly and only on your abdominal muscles.

That said, there is nothing stopping you using your ab belt on your lower back, if it comfortable for you to wear in that way. If you wish to target other muscle groups, there are other electronic products available such as the flex enervive mentioned above, that can be worn anywhere on the body to target any muscle group.

Ab toning belts remain the most popular of the toning products though, because the abs traditionally are the hardest muscle group to target specifically – this is why using an ab belt to tagret your abs makes it very easy to have a sixpack in a short time!

The two most popular ab belts on the market today are the Contour Abs and the Flex Belt – read the review of both I made and see which has the best features for you.

Personally I prefer the Flexbelt, as I’ve used both and found the Flexbelt to be of much higher quality, and much more effective. The flexbelt was designed to be the best product in its class, and to be used as a piece of exercise equipment by people who take their health seriously!

One point worth noting is that from all the various electrical toning devices available on the market, those focused on the abdomen are the most popular amongst consumers.

It is also often the case that people who are working out or are trying to tone up often focus on their abdominal muscles. This is partly due to the style of a lot of today’s clothing which is often tailored to show off your abs.

The main reason for wanting toned abs however is often because of the feelings it can result in when achieved. Having toned abs can improve your self esteem incredibly and makes you feel better about yourself due to the increased confidence it will produce.

Whilst excess weight around your stomach can be unattractive, it can also be dangerous. Excess weight increases the chance of illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure amongst others.

It can also cause muscle problems and cause people to feel lethargic and lazy making it harder to motivate yourself to get fitter and more toned.

While using an toning belt will not result in weight loss, it will help you achieve a more toned stomach. When you can visibly see the results achieved through the toning belt it will motivate you further and it may be easier for you to continue with your exercise or diet routine.

If you have no excess weight around your stomach then the results of using a toning belt will be even more apparent as the muscles will not be hidden under any stomach fat.

Muscles in your abdomen (or indeed any part of your body) are hidden by any excess weight you may carry, so no matter how toned your muscles may be, they will not be visible. If you want to achieve the best results for your abs then it is recommended that you carry out some form of exercise routine which will result in weight loss and a sensible eating plan.

The ab belt can then be used as an alternative to abdominal exercises such as crunches or sit-ups to supplement your exercise regime and achieve faster results.

Due to the design of ab toning belts it is easier now than it has ever been to incorporate their use into your everyday routine. The electronic abdominal toning belts wrap around your stomach and hold gel pads over your core muscles. The electrical muscle stimulators (EMS) used in the belt then pass through to the nerves in your muscles causing them to expand and contract at a rate unmatched by regular abdominal exercises.

Because the belt holds the gel pads in place, it can be worn under your clothes enabling you to carry out everyday activities without getting in the way. As you can carry out activities unhindered such as walking, watching TV, working, using the computer etc you are more likely to keep using your toning belt daily, therefore achieving the best results possible!

Ab  belts will however strengthen, build and tone the muscles already there in the same way conventional abdominal workouts will.

It is also advisable to stick to a healthy and balanced diet and keep an eye on what you drink. The way the body works means that if you have any fat, it will sit on top of your muscles and conceal them. So whilst you may have toned muscles, these will be hidden by any excess weight on your body, and in this case around your stomach.

This is why a gym or home exercise routine of cardiovascular/aerobic exercises to lose weight is recommended, along with weights and toning exercises to tone and strengthen your muscles.

The beauty of an abdominal toning belt is that it removes the need to carry out the toning exercises for your abs, giving you both faster results and more time for other activities. Many people who use toning belts also feel that using the belt encourages them to exercise more as they can spend more time focusing on exercises that burn fat, while the belt will concentrate on toning.

The desire to get the most from your results also encourages some users to work out more so as the muscle definition achieved with their toning belt will not be hidden by excess weight on their abdomen.

A common misconception of ab toning belts is that they are a miracle form of weight loss or a quick fix to achieve a ‘six-pack’. This has resulted in some bad reviews and has caused people to be sceptical of electronic toning devices.

It is important that people understand that electronic toning appliances are not an alternative to a sensible diet and a healthy lifestyle and exercise routine. However, they can be used as an alternative to toning exercises for the area of the body they will be used on – most commonly the abs.

This is why the best results will be achieved from your toning belt if you also stick to healthy eating and some sort of exercise regime that will result in weight loss. This will enable you to make the most of your toned abdominal muscles by ensuring they aren’t concealed by fat, making them more visible.

If you are serious about achieving toned muscles from your electric toning belt then it is also a good idea to try to use it on a daily basis and stick to your routine. This has been made even easier to do due to the design used by the majority of toning belts.

The most common design of toning belts means that they wrap around your stomach holding the conductive gel pads in place which cause the electric stimulation which works the underlying muscle.

This design means that the toning belt can be worn under your clothes, which in turn means it can be used while carrying out everyday chores, so there is no excuse not to use your toning belt everyday which will speed up the results you see!

A lot of ab toning belts like the contour abs make claims of weight loss and extreme toning results in a few weeks. However, this has been proven to be false and as such has given all electric toning devices a bad reputation. The more responsible manufacturers like Flex Belt don’t make such amazing claims about their product, and thus do not fall foul of the FDA.

Some people still view toning belts as the ‘lazy-mans’ alternative to exercise or have a misconception of them being a useless scam – but toning belts do work and achieve what they are meant to achieve, which is toned muscles – not weight loss.

Toning belts use scientifically and medically proven methods to increase muscle activity in the area they are used on.

Electrical muscle stimulators (EMS) are often used by medical professionals to increase muscle activity during some rehabilitation treatment. Electrical stimulation is sent to the muscle to increase muscle activity when patients are unable to do it themselves, for example when suffering from a broken limb. This stimulation keeps the muscles active and as a result stops them from becoming weak or ‘wasting away’.

Toning belts use EMS to send electrical stimulators to the nerves in the abdominal muscles.  These muscles then continuously expand and contract at a rate found to be faster than the rate achieved through normal abdominal exercises. This constant stimulation of the muscles results in greater muscle activity and therefore greater muscle definition.

To achieve the best results from your toning belt, it is recommended that you also consume a healthy diet and carryout an exercise regime, particularly focusing on fat burning exercises. This will reduce the amount of excess weight which may be present on your stomach and which will in turn hide your muscles.

When the stomach is free from fat the muscles are more visible and so any toning carried out on the muscles will be easier to see. If you are busy and don’t have the time do any abdominal exercises then a toning belt is definitely an alternative option worth considering, and if you normally do no crunches or sit-ups then the results will be even more evident to you.

One of the main reasons that electrical toning appliances have become more and more popular in recent years is due to the increased amount of people not being able to find the time in their daily routine to fit in as much exercise as they would like to.

The most popular EMS toning devices are electronic abdominal belts made by Contour Abs and Flex Belt. This may be due to the desire of a lot of people to improve the muscle definition in the stomach, which is one of the most visible muscle areas of the body. However the increase of abdominal toning belts in particular may also be put down to their design and ease of use.

Because ab toning belts wrap around your waste and so can be worn under your clothes, users find them convenient enough to use whilst carrying out daily activities and chores. As a result of EMS toners being so effortless to use, users find it easy to stick to a regular daily routine with their belt which inevitably helps achieve results faster.

Read our comparison of leading EMS toning products