Voluntary electrocution

[Dog Welder]

I just saw one of these commercials for those ab zapping electrocution dealies. What principle do these things work off of? The reason I ask is because most of the stuff that we see on TV is a crock some of the weirdest excersize equipment turns out to be legitamit. Example a couple of years ago I saw and add for some flexing bow thing that you are supposed to just jiggle. I looks like a leaf spring off a car/truck that flexs. Anyways a year later a physical therapits told me that surprisingly those bow thingees are acutally good for building isometric strength. So these electric shock ab things...what do they do and is it legitamite? Thanks.

[MMike]

In theory they should work. Your muscles flex from the electrical impulses generated from your nervous system, so these are just impulses from an external power source. I thikn Bruce Lee used them....

My mom had a TENS machine for pain management (she has spinal problems.....two fusions so far). But we used to play with it. Put one electrode below your elbow and one above, and let 'er rip. Muscles wouldflex involuntarily and lift up the forearm. It was neat. And the muscles would feel "worked" afterwards. But I'm not sure if the system would replace conventional exercise.

Maybe you could use it while piloting your "Ginger" around town?

[MtnBikerChk]

I think mens health or mens fitness did a review of those things once. They are crap. **shrug**

They are for people on the constant search for a great body with no exercise and lack of a healthy diet.

[The Toninator]

Bruce Lee used one, but his was 110 not 12v.

[Heidi]

Sorry, but this reminds me of the Simpson's episode where they go to family shock therapy counseling and it turns into a crazy electocution fight. LOL

[MMike]

Hey, like my Physics 201 teacher always said, "It's the amps! Not the volts!"

Originally posted by The Toninator
Bruce Lee used one, but his was 110 not 12v.

[ATXjimATX]

i know folks who have been prescribed to use those things for muscular rehab-- for example after surgery or something--- and for that i think they kinda make sense-- getting the muscle used to doing its' business of contracting and relaxing over and over etc...... but i gather that they are pretty darn useless otherwise....

O_D_D

[jaydee]

They work on the principle that if you tell people they can get more results with less work, you can sell a lot of s**t to a lot of people. They do contract the muscle, but not maximally and not controllably. If you can get the same burn from DR HO that you get in the gym or on a bike with a similar number of reps, it might be slightly better than useless. But ye canna do it. It'll never work. You'll need more dilithium. You need to train the entire neuromuscular system for any real result. The Russians claimed to get results from this (called "Russian faradism") in the 60's, but a little investigation prived it was the steroids, not the voltage, that produced gorillas (no offence, I.R.). In my physio clinic, I would only use the muscle stim for post-op muscle inhibition or on recovering denervated muscle groups to slow down atrophy. Self-inflicted pain is still the only real answer.

[jaydee]

proved it was the steroids, not prived. proved proved proved proved proved