DIY muscles?

[Simon Ferrol]

I remember in the 90s, you could go to Boots and you could buy one of these machines to develop abdominal muscles. I am reaching a certain age and I am gym-phobic. Do these machines work?

SF

[Smolley]

When I was a young boy I would see these adverts in Exchange and Mart with Charles Atlas who used a system called 'Dynamic Tension'.

[Owain Lastname]

Electronic muscle stimulators?

IIRC Slendertone was the popular brand.

Chasing a spaniel up a hill is probably as effective, and a lot more fun.

Owain

[Rod Speed]

Not for ABDOMINAL MUSCLES.

Bullshit.

[Colin Bignell]

In freezing rain?

[Adrian]

In message [e-mail], Owain Lastname [e-mail] writes

For you or the spaniel ?

Adrian

[The Natural Philosopher]

Both, surely?

[Sam Plusnet]

Wrong set of muscles, but these seem pretty popular, and two people I know think they're really good.

[alan_m]

I had an early version of this years ago. It only contracts the calf muscles so doesn't build muscle mass anywhere else. I found that it was best to soak your feet first (bath/shower/bucket) or else dead/hard skin formed an insulator.

The current advert says it relieves pain and improves blood/oxygen flow. I assume that pain relief is similar to having a TENS machine.

[Smolley]

Yes, it diverts attention.

[www.GymRatZ.co.uk]

They work well for the profits of the companies marketing as "no exercise muscles".

They have their place for professional sports people and rehab. but the level of muscular contraction required to stimulate muscle growth would be that of an intermittent highly intense muscular cramp.

"like doing 1000 sit-ups in your chair" Without going too deeply into the complexities of skeletal muscles, there are, in the most simplistic terms 2 types of muscle fibre: White "fast twitch" - strength/power stimulated by anaerobic exercise; Red "slow twitch" - endurance/repetitions stimulated by long bouts of aerobic exercise.

100m sprinter V matharon runner phisique

The body changes by adaptive response and conservation of energy. Ones muscles will decline to the point where daily (in)activity can be maintained/sustained.

What I would say is the very best thing anyone can do for health, cure, wellbeing etc is to change dietary habits from that of multiple meals which maintains almost constant insulin secretion and switch to "OMAD" (One Meal A Day) typically afternoon to evening. Effectively "fasting" for 18+ hours every day.

Also... preferred food sources being proteins and fats which don't spike insulin levels though sweetpotatoes, greens etc don't spike insulin either.

I have done a number of "water Only" fasts. First time for 14 days and second time for 12 days. Energy levels go through the roof. Strength is increased and mind is very clear! Growth hormone increases (strength gain) and defective cells are naturally destroyed including cancer cells, also insulin sensitivity is increased and potential reversal of Type 1 & 2 Diabetes.

If you (we) can get past a lifetime of habitual eating and stop being a clock controlled Pavlovs Dog, after 24 hours the hunger subsides. Water is genuinely all you need. I haven't managed a full 21 days yet as for me the 14 day point is where mind and physical functioning starts to degrade but 10 days is a breeze.

Sorry for the overly long answer to a very simple question but "3 square meals a day" is the WORST way of eating but the lifetime of conditioning (and addiction) is very hard to break.

Simple answer... No, you will try it once and never use it again, and any references to Bruce Lee are based on Bruce Lee tried everything. Electro-stimulaters might have assisted muscle recovery from his intense weight training but they didn't cause muscle growth directly.

Cheers Pete

[brian]

In message <unh191$1iism$ [e-mail], Simon Ferrol [e-mail] writes

Do sit-ups every other morning , gradually increasing the number. The pain eases after a while. Planks are supposed to be more effective, but harder.

You don't need fancy machines,

Brian

[Harry Bloomfield Esq]

TENS?

[Harry Bloomfield Esq]

Just a very, very expensive version of a TENS unit.

[brian]

I've a TENS foot massager that my wife used. It didn't seem to help much.

Brian

[Ottavio Caruso]

Am 11/01/2024 um 15:26 schrieb brian:

Where did you put it in?

[alan_m]

It tends to be short term pain relief but for it to work well you also have to endure some pain from the electric shocks it gives.

[SteveW]

My wife suffers from repeated kidney stones (she has something called, IIRC, Randall's Plaques that make her very prone to them). She finds that a TENS machine give her a lot of pain relief.

[Brian Gaff]

Dunno you need to ask the lady who posts those videos DIY with Emma. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

In other words, big springs? Brian