It’s the electrical muscle stimulation device endorsed by Cristiano Ronaldo, but can it craft a core like his? Read on for our review of the SIXPAD Abs Belt.
When you think about investing in the best home gym equipment, your mind might immediately jump to treadmills, rowing machines, and dumbbells. While wearing a high-tech belt might not seem like the most obvious choice if you’re trying to build a stronger core, the SIXPAD Abs Belt can be a highly effective addition to your strength training arsenal – as long as your nutrition and exercise habits are up to scratch.
Men’s Fitness verdict
The SIXPAD causes your abs to contract and relax – like during a core workout. It can greatly benefit your performance – as put in the hard work elsewhere.- Lightweight and portable
- Can provide genuine training benefits for anyone who lifts weights or runs regularly
- Easy to use once you understand how
- Expensive
- Misleading name – you won’t get a six-pack just be using this device
- Slightly daunting set-up process, although simple once you get your head around it
How we tested the SIXPAD Abs Belt
Our team of experienced testers put the SIXPAD through its paces over a set period of time to monitor its performance. Throughout our review, we assess how easy the belt is to use and control, how it feels during the stimulation cycle, and whether or not it is an effective tool for building abs.
What is the SIXPAD Abs Belt?
Developed by Professor Toshio Moritani, an authority in the training effects of electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), the SIXPAD Abs Belt is a device that sits on top of your abdominal muscles – held in place via a belt.
The control unit is in the middle and fanning out from that are six gel pads that align with each of your abdominal muscles (visible or otherwise).
Once turned on, the device goes through a 23-minute stimulation cycle. It increases in intensity from the warm-up phase to training, before an end-of-session cool-down.
How does SIXPAD work?
SIXPAD works by transmitting external electrical stimuli to the muscles in the body. This causes them to contract and relax – like during a core workout.
You can adjust the intensity on the device itself, but there’s also a SIXPAD training app. This lets you see what muscles are being worked in real time.
Can the SIXPAD give you a six pack?
Does the SIXPAD Abs Belt work? Yes! (Kind of.) A recent study showed that SIXPAD helped users achieve a 12 per cent improvement in abdominal muscle size after eight weeks, while an eight per cent improvement was seen after just four week.
But there’s a caveat: those improvements were made ‘alongside a balanced diet and exercise’.
SIXPAD isn’t a magic bullet. Wearing it every day for a month isn’t going to get you rippling abs like Ronaldo, unless your nutrition and training are also six-pack worthy.
In short, you still need to put in the hard work elsewhere.
However, what it can do, if used consistently, is strengthen your core and lead to genuine gains in key areas of your training.
If you lift weights regularly, one month’s use of the Abs Belt is likely to improve your squat, deadlift and any other exercise that’s boosted by a stable midsection.
Runners, too, can benefit from the greater core control SIXPAD can provide.
If you solely want to get six-pack abs, you’re better off tweaking your training and nutrition to lower your body fat.
But used as a supplementary training tool, you might just be surprised at how the SIXPAD Abs Belt can benefit your performance.
Head to eu.sixpad.com for more info on the SIXPAD Abs Belt.
