Everyone wants strong, toned abs to look in the mirror and admire, but toning your abs without working your back can lead to muscle imbalance and even back pain. With strengthening, endurance and stretching, these four simple exercises will keep your core stay in top shape.

The Lunge

The classic lunge works your stabilizing muscles from your back all the way into your calves. Put your hands on your hips, contract your abs, lunge until one knee is at a 90-degree angle, and straighten again. Repeat ten times per leg.

When this becomes too easy, hold a free weight in each hand while you lunge, or put your foot out at an different angles when you lunge.

The Plank

The plank has the benefit of working both your back and your abs at once, improving strength and endurance. Lie on the floor propped on your forearms. Keeping your back straight, abs contracted and hips tilted, push up onto your elbows and toes.

As a variant, lie on your side, propped on an elbow directly below your shoulder, with your feet together. Contract your abs and lift your hips off the floor, making yourself into a straight line. Hold each of these for twenty to forty seconds, repeating two or three times.

The Corpse

Though unpleasantly named, this yoga position is excellent for stretching and releasing tension from your back muscles. Lie flat on your back with your arms to your sides and slowly rotate your knees outward. Breathe through it, stopping before becomes uncomfortable, and relax until your back feels adequately stretched.

The Locust

To really give your back a stretch, try the simple but demanding Locust. Lie on your stomach with your arms to your sides. Bend your elbows, point your fingers toward your feet, and raise your legs up as much as you can.

Hold for one second, then release. Repeat ten times if you can, but stop if you experience pain. The Locust not only stretches but improves endurance.

These core exercises are an excellent addition to your abdominal exercise routine, especially as a balance to the Flex Belt or other ab machine. True power comes not just from strong abs, but from a strong core overall. Never forget to work out your back.

Dr. Raichlen from the School of Anthropology, University of Arizona has concluded a study involving humans, dogs and get this Ferrets.

In his study Dr. Raichlen measured endocannabinoid levels (chemicals similar to cannabis which lighten our moods). He had 10 volunteer recreation runners, 8 dogs of different breeds and of course several ferrets.

Each of the people and animals participated in 30 minutes of training which was equivalent to approximately 70% of the maximum heart rate. Positive reinforcement was used for the animals said Dr. Raichlen in an interview with the NY Times.

After the 30 minutes was concluded blood was drawn from each subject and their endocannabinoid levels measured.

On a second day the same test subjects walked for 30 minutes, less the ferrets who rested in their cages, and again after the activity blood was drawn and endocannabinoid levels were measured.

We’re Wired to Be Active!

It turned out after testing both after walking and running that both humans and dogs showed increased endocannabinoid levels while the ferrets showed the same levels after resting as they did after running.

While this is not a conclusive study since the human participants were recreational runners which isn’t a general sample of all people and we can’t conclusively compare results between humans and ferrets. However one thing that we can begin to formulate from this is that humans are rewarded in the from of increased endocannabinoid levels for moving and being active. So just one more reason you should get out there and get moving. It’s not just about burning calories and losing weight it’s also about the neurological benefits as well!

Source: NYTimes.com, PubMed.gov

Alright, so it’s time for my no BS review of the Flex Belt. I’ve been posting here for a while, and I’ve written lots of overview posts of how I use it, what I think of the equipment and features, but a full review is long over do.

For those of you who don’t already know this device is manufactured by Slendertone and is very similar to the Slendertone System Abs. From what the official site says the Flex Belt is the “high end” version of the system abs belt with more intensity levels (0-150 VS 0-99) and more programs (1-7 Vs 1-10) plus a few additional bonus items you get when you order direct from the official website (dieting software, magazine subscription etc.).

I don’t place much value in the magazine subscription or the dieting software. I know it’s what all the other ab belt companies are doing (ex: contour provides workout routine and dieting plan when you purchase their belt as well) but lets face it you’re either interested in leading a healthier lifestyle or your not. If you fall into the later then you can probably just stop reading this review right now because you’re not going to like what you’ll hear.

How It Works

So just as a quick overview of how the Flex Belt works for those of who are reading this just after seeing the infomercial on TV or haven’t done any research on this device yet.

This belt, and others similar to it, use technology known as electronic muscle stimulation, or EMS for short. It’s been used for years by physical and physio therapists to treat muscles in patients that may have atrophied from lack of use or been in an accident and require recovery of their muscle mass and strength. In this medical environment EMS technology has become the industry standard and is proven to work.

Electronic Muscle Stimulation

The 3 Gel Pads on the Inside of the Belt

How is the electrical current sent through your skin? In a physical therapists office he would have a small machine with wires that connect to gel pads that would “suction” to your skin with the help of a jelly like substance known as contact gel. In an ab belt there are just gel pads that are moist and sticky and thanks to the belt being completely wrapped around your waist they’re able to make great contact without the need of any gel (although I have seen on ab belt that uses contact gel still, kinda messy yuck!).

So that’s the simple version of how The Flex Belt works and how it flexes your abs and makes them work. Lets move onto the actual experience using the belt.

Using The Belt

Flex Belt says that using their EMS belt 5 times a week for 6 weeks will guarantee results. So much so that if you’re not satisfied with the device you can request a full refund within the first 60 days. While I haven’t exercised this right, I have been in contact with Customer Service and I can say there are real people on the other end, which is good news. So I’m sure they’d deliver on this guarantee should you want to take advantage of it.

The belt is easy to use, the difficult part is being consistent in using it. I say this from experience. I go through bouts where I use it 5 days a week at the office for a couple of weeks, and then it will sit in the corner for a week and I won’t put it on. Surprisingly, if it’s sitting in the corner, I’m not getting a flatter stomach .

Create a Routine

The best advice I can give anyone who buys this belt is to create a routine around it. Try and use it at the same time every week day and then take the weekends off. Since most of us work Monday to Friday it’s easiest to create a routine during those days and then give yourself freedom on the weekends. It takes 20-30 minutes to complete a session so using it in the morning before work, on your commute or even at the office would work.

Why This Belt Instead of All The Others?

There are a couple of reasons why I like this abdominal belt over others that are available. The first is that it is small and compact. You could get away with wearing this underneath a sweater if you wanted at work and no one would know it’s there. The second reason is that it has a really sleek wired remote that also doubles as the rechargeable battery for this device (most EMS toning belts take AA or AAA batteries). The third reason is because it offers a wide range of training options with 150 different intensity levels and 10 different workout programs. It’s just all around a more versatile and full featured ab belt compared to any other device available right now.

Is it Safe?

The Flex Belt is FDA cleared for use as an abdominal stimulator, so this tells us that the FDA thinks its safe. However there are a few disclaimers that they like you to know about. Such as if you recently gave birth then you must wait a minimum of 6 weeks before starting to use the device and you should check with your doctor. If you had a caesarean in the last 3 months your doctor must approve use of the belt prior to starting on a program.

What Does the EMS Feel Like?

The sensation of EMS is like a slight buzzing or warm feeling. I personally don’t’ feel discomfort, but I can feel it working my abs, and on days where I really push the envelope with the intensity level I have a bit of soreness afterwards. However that’s a result from the workout in my opinion not serious side effect of EMS.

Does it Work?

I know on their official website there’s a fancy video with a PhD talking about the clinical studies and trials that have been conducted on flexbelt. This is great, but lets talk real life scenario.

Without a doubt the Flex belt strengthens, tones and firms your ab muscles. My abs are stronger and firmer then they were when I started using the belt and just based on the fact that I started at intensity level 40 and am now working my way closer to 80 tells me that my abdominal endurance has increased. OK, so that’s all great but do I have a flatter stomach? Well I think so yes, however I don’t 100% attribute that to the abdominal toning belt. You see the Flex Belt doesn’t burn belly fat it strengthens and tones muscles. That’s only one part of the six pack abs flat stomach equation.

The Weight Loss Equation

The other half of the equation is diet and exercise. So if you’re a pretty thin person already chances are you’ll see some visual results in a few weeks without doing too much else. However if you carry a bit of weight around your stomach (don’t feel bad like 99% of us do too) then you’re going to need to do a bit more for yourself then just wear the toning belt every day.

Get out and start walking, jogging, bike riding or swimming. Something that will burn more calories for yourself then you would normally just sitting at your desk all day. Also cut out the soda pop and snacks. Replace that with water and fruits or veggies. Trust me on this. I know dieting sucks, but this small change can make a big difference. How? Well soda and snack foods are about the most calorie dense foods we eat. Water and fruits are not and they offer a ton of other great things our body needs. This small change will reduce your caloric intake and likely cause you to drop some water weight if you haven’t been drinking 6-10 glasses of water each day. The cardio exercise will burn extra calories, so the equation goes something like this

Reduce the calories your eating now + burn more calories with cardio exercise = calorie deficit each day so you lose some weight

Now this is’nt the perfect science of it all, but it’s the basic idea. If you’re getting out and being active, not eating a bunch of crap, watching your portion sizes at meal time and not snacking on junk food you’re gonna do good with this.

Here’s some images from my results at the beginning.

I’m still working this thing, so I’ll continue to post update photos as often as I can.

What are the intensity levels like

Increasing the Intensity level on the right side only to 26

When I first started I began just under intensity level 40 and increased it every few days. I wasn’t too sure how I would feel after the workout at first so I was hesitant to just jack the intensity, however I quickly moved up to 70 and beyond after a couple of weeks. The intensity level you feel comfortable with is going to vary from person to person. The important thing is that you try and always workout on the highest intensity level you feel comfortable with. This ensures you’re getting the most effective workout each time.

While I haven’t broken the 100 level barrier yet, it’s nice to know that I’m only a little over half way through the potential power the belt offers. So there is still lots of room for improvement and results as I continue to use the Flex Belt.

What are the programs like

Programs basically are different variations of how the EMS turns on and off and for how long. So for example in the Beginner program the EMS turns on for 2-3 seconds and then turns off for a about the same time. This continues for the full 20 minutes. As you progress different patterns are used for how long the EMS is turned on and off and for how how strong an intensity is used. The higher programs work your mid section harder not only by being a more intense workout but also varying how the EMS flexes your abs.

Each program includes a warm up and cool down phase. The warm up prepares your muscles for the main part of the session and the cool down will relax your muscles prior to completing your session.

Here’s the details on the programs that are included with the belt:

Table from the Manual Coming Soon!

When you first take your belt out of the box it’s set to program #1, Beginner. The belt will automatically progress through the different programs up to program #6. To access programs 7, 8, 9 and 10 you must manually select them using the program button on the remote.

The toning power column references how effective the muscle workout is during that program. The higher the value the more effective the workout.

With each program you manually set the intensity level and you can also adjust the intensity level through out the session (you cannot change programs once you start, you must shut the belt off and choose a new program).

Personally I’ve gone through the first 6 programs. I’m now using program #7 and am going to bum up to “ab power” which is program #8 next week.

Buy or Don’t Buy This Thing?

I like The Flex Belt, in my opinion if you’re going to own an ab belt, this is the one to have. I like it because it’s concealable under clothing, has a rechargeable battery, has 150 intensity levels, 10 workout programs and more. The price on this belt is a bit more then the competition yes ($199 regular price) but I’ve got a couple of coupons you can use to reduce the price so that helps (click here to save 10% and get Free shipping today).

However, what really matters as to whether you should or shouldn’t buy this device is if you’re prepared to put the work in or not. Are you going to use it 5 days a week? Are you willing to make the lifestyle changes to reach your maximum potential results? If you answer yes to this then I say get it! They’ve got a 60 day guarantee on this thing so if you’re not absolutely amazed with it you can send it back and request your money back in the first 60 days.

Check out the informative video on their official site.

A lot of weight loss blogs talk about the benefit of running or weight loss, and there is a HUGE benefit to jogging or running for weight loss. However, what some people might not realize is that the difference between the calories your burn while you’re running versus those you burn while walking aren’t all the different until you begin to reach a certain speed. What is that speed? Well it happens to be about 5 MPH.

Here’s a simple example I borrowed from About.com. A 160 pound person walking at 5 MPH jogging at 5 MPH is burning about the same number of calories per mile. Where we begin to see a benefit is when we begin to jog/run faster then 5 MPH. You see, 5 MPH is 12 minute miles, which is a pretty good walking pace. However, to go much faster then that and you are almost jogging, or at the very least walking very briskly. So as we approach 6 or 7 MPH we begin to increase calories burnt per mile (119 & 121 respectively). So this is all fine and dandy, but you’re probably starting to think that you’ll need to be jogging for 4 or 5 miles each time you go out to burn the number of calories you want gone.

I have a point, so stick with me through all this boring stuff. You see the more calories you can burn while you’re exercising the more belly fat you’ll lose and the flatter your stomach will be and the better results you’ll achieve while using and wearing the Flex Belt.

OK, here’s something I do once and a while, it’s an alternative to the long boring drawn out job, which can be peaceful and enjoyable, but it’s not what we want to be doing every second day.

To burn some serious calories and in less time then it would take to go out for a 4 mile jog you can consider some interval workouts.

What Are Intervals?

Put as plainly as I can describe it running intervals is the process of running fast for a period of time and then slow for a period of time followed by another period of quick paced running and so on. The idea is you do several quicker intervals that are either a set distance or a set period of time followed by a period of slower running where by your heart rate can recover and your muscles can as well. Normally you’ll determine the distance and/or times you’ll run harder for ahead of time.

Example: a light 10 minute jog followed by: 1 min hard running followed by 1 min of slower recovery running repeated 6 times, then a 10 minute cool down jog, might be a quick interval workout you could do on a local trail or sidewalk.

So what are the benefits of doing these interval workouts rather then just a steady run? Well two fold.

1 – You confuse your body and muscles by speeding up and slowing down so your body is less efficient at fueling itself since it’s not sure what type of energy requirement you need moment to moment. You see when you’re running steady for 30 minutes your body can rely on stored glycogen for energy rather then having to go to fat stores for energy. This means you’re not only burning more calories but you’re burning more of the calories that matter to get rid of body fat.

2 – I more or less just eluded to this, but interval workouts lasting the same period of time as a steady run will burn more calories then the steady run and leave you feeling like you worked a lot harder!

Now if you’ve been following my flex belt review for any length of time then you know that I’m a runner. So I do interval training sessions each week along with longer steady runs. On the average I probably do 25-35 miles a week total. What I’m saying is my body is used to this, so please don’t just rush out the door tomorrow and try to run 4 x 1 KM really hard with only 1 minute rest in between. You probably won’t be able to complete all 4 intervals and you’ll likely hurt a whole lot the following day.

Start easy, do some more research on interval workouts with your favorite search engine and be creative with it. You’ll find your workouts are more fun when you’re challenging yourself more.

On another note, I also use this same concept on my bike and in the pool when swimming. I’m not as good at those other two activities so it challenges me a lot more.

To anyone who didn’t see yesterday’s post I just wanted to let everyone know I’m back in the saddle again and focussing on finishing my Flex Belt Review. I didn’t get the full 6 weeks in during my first trial. So this second go around, where it’s almost summer, I’m feeling ready to give it another go. So come back often to check my results posts.

Let me start off by apologizing for disappearing for so long. I had the best of intentions when I started this site to keep up with posting a few times a week, but of course life gets in the way and before I knew it I wasn’t posting my results updates as often as I would have liked to.

So I’m back at it today with some new photos and a report on how I’ve been doing.

I’ll be truthful, I haven’t been using the Flex Belt all these weeks while I’ve been MIA from the blog. So today I put the belt on, sat down at my desk and did some work for the full 30 minute session. I couldn’t recall right off hand at what intensity level I had been at before I fell off the wagon a couple of months ago, but by the end of todays workout I was up to 65 on both sides of the belt. I did the entire 30 minute session on Program 7 as I find this program gives my abs a mixture of EMS blasts.

What do I mean by EMS blasts?

Well on the lower intensity levels what happens is the EMS builds up to the highest intensity level and then lowers back down. It’s almost like a light breeze that builds up and then goes away. This is fine when you’re first starting out, but what begins to happen as you progress is your abs get used to the sensation of it building up and going back down. To mix things up and ensure you continue to improve you want to mix up how the EMS works.

At Level 7 (which I used today) you get a mixture of the smooth up and down EMS blasts as I described above for a few minutes then your abs are hit with about a half dozen high intensity zaps that cause your abs to flex quickly and aggressively. This is then replaced with a lower intensity steady stream of EMS signals to the abs for about ten seconds followed by a couple of periods of rest then another 10 seconds of steady EMS and so on for about a half dozen repeats. Then the entire program starts over again. This entire process of the three different parts: slow build up and fall off, quick zaps at highest intensity and steady EMS for about 8-10 seconds is repeated probably 5-6 times during a 30 minute sessions.

Few Notes About My Fitness Level

I’ve mentioned in other posts on the blog that I’m a runner and in my part of the world Spring is here and the first race of the season was last Saturday. So I’ve been training hard with a mixture of short and long runs (30 minutes – 120 minutes) as well as a one a week track interval workout which consists of either 6 x 1K, 5 x 2K or 10 X 400 M. These workouts are pretty intense and I’m burning some serious calories which is helping me shed the belly fat I do have over my abs. How ever aside from some basic Yoga core exercises I was doing in February and March primarily to strengthen my back I haven’t been doing any ab specific workouts.

Overall I feel I’m in pretty good shape and now is a great time to jump back on the bandwagon with the device to see how far I can push my results.

Here’s a couple of shots from earlier today when I finished my session at the office.

So as you can see, in my opinion, I’m not in too bad of shape. I think with a few weeks of consistent use (5 days a week is the goal) I can really get some definition in my mid section just in time for beach season. As the running season progresses I’ll also have the benefit of burning more calories and dropping more belly fat. I’ll try to commit to posting at least once a week with some results updates, so stay tuned for more!

One last thing, some of you might have seen it on the blog, but I’ve been able to secure some exclusive Flex Belt coupon codes for my readers. So if you’re sitting on the fence about whether or not to buy the system or not, take advantage of these discount offers and their 60 day money back guarantee to try the belt for yourself. Learn more here.

I’ve had a few people contacting me asking what the difference between the Slendertone system abs belt and The Flex Belt is. I’ve written a detailed post comparing the Slendertone System Abs VS The Flex Belt here, but in this post I’ll dive into a little more detail specifically on the system abs belt.

You see Slendertone is the worlds largest maker of abdominal toning devices. The Slendertone belt was the best selling device on it’s own, and basically what they did was re-release a juiced up version of the Slendertone System Abs belt and brand it The Flex Belt (see my full flex belt review).

So, in a way The Flex Belt is a Slendertone product, just marketed under a different name.

Features of the System Abs Belt

Like The Flex Belt, the System Abs belt has a small wired remote control with an LCD screen. This remote also contains the rechargeable battery. The belt uses 3 gel pads which touch the surface of the skin and allow the EMS current to flow through and work your abdominals. It includes a travel bag, plastic covers for your gel pads and also several programs and intensity levels which you can use to work your mid section.

The Flex Belt is actually made by Slendertone. The difference is it's a more powerful device.

Well that’s because like I said earlier in the post, The Flex Belt is a pimped out version of the Slendertone belt.

How Is The Flex Belt Different?

The difference between the two devices comes down to the levels of Intensity and programs built into the belt.

The Slendertone belt varies it’s intensity from 1-99 and has 7 built in programs.

The Flex Belt varies it’s intensity from 1-150 and has 10 built in programs.

Why do more programs and intensity levels matter?

Let me use an analogy to explain this. When you’re lifting weights you start out with something pretty light, maybe 10-15lb dumbbells. However as you strengthen your muscles you increase the weight of those dumbbells so that you can continue to improve.

Think if you only had a 20lb dumbbell. What would happen once you reached that level? Well you’d plateau and not be able to improve any more right?

Think of the increased intensity levels in The Flex Belt as more weight if you were using dumb bells. The increased intensity levels allow you to train your abs harder.

What about Programs?

Ever hear of muscle confusion? Tony Horton, the creator of the P90X program talks about this and it’s at the core of why his system mixes things up so much. Lets refer back to my previous example about dumbbells. Let’s say that all you do all the time are dumbbell curls. Every day, that’s it. Eventually your biceps learn the movement and it becomes more difficult to improve with that exercise. However if you mix up your bicep workouts then you keep the muscle guessing about what’s going to come next.

That’s the same sort of thing that’s happening with programs in The Flex Belt and System Abs belt by Slendertone. Each program varies how the Electronic Muscle Stimulation trains your abs. This means that you get a different workout at each program level and then on top of that you can vary the intensity level as well.

So you have multiple ways to train your abs.

The more programs you have the more variety in the workouts you can give your abs. Make sense? More programs is better.

Flex Belt or System Abs Belt?

Both devices are pretty similar, but for me I like the increased intensity and program levels that you can get with The Flex Belt. Of course not everyone is going to want or need that. The choice really comes down to personal preference, but if you use one of the Flex belt coupon codes I have then you can discount the Flex Belt almost as low as the System abs belt (regularly $199 vs $149).

I’ve received a few messages from people wondering if they can get a Flex Belt second hand or find a discount somewhere.

I have a pretty detailed post on using my Flex Belt coupons, but I thought I’d write this specific post about discounts as well for those of you that have contacted me.

The base price on The unti is $199 if you buy it from their official site. I’ve also seen it sold on some sites (which look like they are probably owned by the parent company as well) for a $99 payment up front then two more payments of $49. This of course still equals $200 bucks.

The best discount on a new belt I’ve found is using the 10% off and free shipping coupon when ordering direct from the manufacturers site.

If you use that coupon you’ll save

• Almost $20 on the actual belt
• $14.95 on the regular shipping

So a total of almost $35 bucks.

You can of course also use the 25% off coupon I have available, however you’ll then have to pay for your shipping so everything ends up being more or less equal.

How about at Ebay?

I’ve done research on ebay and I’ve never found an actual Flex Belt for sale. All I’ve ever found is a System Abs belt.

NOTE: You can tell the difference based on if it says X-10 on the belt or X-70 (the later denotes the flex belt with more intensity levels and programs)

The other downfall to buying on an auction site is you don’t know if it’s new or used sometimes, you don’t’ get a money back guarantee and you don’t get a warranty.

How about Amazon?

You can buy it on Amazon, however you’re going to pay the exact same as you will at the official website. I’d suggest using a coupon and buying from the official site to get not only the best discount, but also the guarantee and warranty.

So in conclusion, to get a discount on the Flex Belt don’t bother looking for a used one, don’t buy it on Ebay or another auction site. Definitely don’t go looking on Craigslist or Kijiji. Use one of my coupon codes. You’ll get the best discount I’ve been able to find, you’ll get their 60 day money guarantee and the manufacturers warranty.

The question that everyone wants to know the answer to before they spend a dime on the flex belt is do ab belts work. The short answer is YES, ab belts work. The technology they use (electronic muscle stimulation) has been proven to work in numerous clinical studies and trials. It’s used in hundreds of hospitals and re-habilitation clinics all over the world, and it’s been studied in depth for it’s effectiveness on the toning and firming of abdominal muscles by academics.

Ab Belts have been tested and proven effective, but your expectations and how they work may be two different things.

Like most fitness and exercise related items your results are going to be directly related to the effort you put in.

So you have to use the device as directed. Most belts, including The Flex Belt, will tell you to use the device 5 days a week for about 30 minutes a day. While less time will produce some results you won’t achieve optimal results if you don’t follow a schedule.

Watch what you eat

The biggest reason people are dis-satsifed with their results using an ab belt in my opinion is that they don’t improve their eating and dieting habits.

Most of us have a thin layer of fat covering over our abdominals. That doesn’t mean we’re out of shape or even over weight, it’s just a tough place to lose those last few pounds from.

Maintaining a healthy diet is a key to ensuring you don’t increase that layer of fat covering you abdominals.

The Flex Belt incudes a one month membership to their proprietary dieting software that you can use. It’s pretty slick and will help you see where you can improve in your every day eating habits.

Other Exercise

To help burn off that thing layer of fat it’s a good idea to do a bit of cardio exercise every day as well. Why? Well because a balanced diet that is meeting your caloric needs each day with exercise means you should create a calorie deficiency in your body. This leads to your body burning fat for energy which means weight loss.

You might be saying “If I have to do all this extra work then what’s the point of using an Ab belt?”

Well the point is that an ab belt still firms and strengthens you abdominals safely and efficiently. Whether you were to use an abdominal belt or do 50 sit-ups a day you’re still going to need to follow a healthy diet routine and maintain some level of cardio exercise.

My point in this post is to explain that ab belts work, but they are not a silver bullet wear em once a day get super six pack abs solution. You need to be keeping a well rounded and healthy lifestyle.

If you’re already eating pretty healthy and getting your exercise then an ab belt will be a great addition to your routine and there won’t be any major lifestyle changes needing to be made.

If you read my Contour Abs Vs Flex Belt comparison post the other day then this is the next post in my comparison series. I wanted to compare the Slendertone System Abs belt to The Flex Belt.

The Flex Belt is actually made by Slendertone. The difference is it's a more powerful device.

I did some digging around to try and find out and the best page I found was actually on the official Flex Belt website.

It turns out that The Flex Belt is manufactured by Slendertone and is a special edition belt built on the Slendertone System abs belt. How ever there are some important differences to consider before you purchase either one.

More Intensity

The first difference is that The Flex Belt has an additional 50 intensity levels you can use as you progress through your workouts. Where Slendertone System Abs has 1 – 99 for intensity levels, Flex Belt offers 1 – 150.

What does this actually mean to you? Well it means that you can train your abdominals harder with The Flex Belt then you can with Slendertone System Abs.

More Programs

The original Slendertone System Abs had 7 different programs built into the belt while the Flex Belt has an additional 3 programs to choose from.

So why does this matter? Well let’s first look at what the importance of programs are? Programs vary the way the electronic muscle stimulation is sent through the belt. How does it vary it? Well it uses slow build up of intensity to a point where the maximum intensity level is held for several seconds or longer, it sometimes will throw several quick blasts of EMS at your abs during a 10-15 second time frame and other forms of mixing up the intensity and duration you feel that intensity on your abs.

Training programs help you progress more quickly and also ensure you’re muscles don’t get bored with the workouts. The more variation the better when it comes to this type of workout. So technically with the additional 3 workouts inside the Flex Belt you have more variety to choose from.

There are a few other differences in the actual bonus materials you get when purchasing each of the Belts. The flex belt comes with a free 1 year subscription to one of several popular magazines as well as access for a whole month to their online diet planning software. While these are nice, they aren’t features that contribute to the success or failure with the belt.

The Cost

There’s a $50 difference between the System Abs and Flex Belt ($149 compared to $199). I think the difference is worth it, but if you use one of my flex belt coupon codes you can get that cost different down to about half that ($25), which definitely makes it worth getting the flex belt.

Questionably the most popular ab belt on the market is the Contour Belt. They’ve been around for quiet a long time and likely have thousands of customers.

The Contour Core Sculpting System is the #1 competitor to The Flex Belt.

That’s what this post is all about.

The Contour Abs belt uses the exact same type of technology as The Flex Belt. Electronic Muscle Stimulation, or EMS for short. It’s also FDA approved as a Class II medical device for toning and strengthening abdominal muscles, the same as The Flex Belt.

It also comes with your initial set of Gel Pads (4 with the Contour), 4 AAA batteries, the EMS pack which connects to the belt and several refenerence materials (quick start DVD, diet and exercise guide etc.).

The premise of the device is more or less the same as the Flex Belt, with a few exceptions to the operation.

Contour has 100 intensity levels, as compared to Flex Belt’s 150 intensity levels, and from what I was able to find out during my research the contour belt uses the same program to train your abs during each session, of course you can increase the intensity though.

The Flex Belt offers more intensity levels, different workout programs and a rechargeable batter.

Where The Contour Belt uses AAA batteries, the Flex Belt has a rechargeable battery pack which is part of the wired control device. Also in comparing the EMS control device for the contour to the Flex Belt you can see that the Flex Belt is far easier to move around while wearing as it’s less bulky.

In terms of price these devices are pretty close. If you use either my 25% off Flex Belt Coupon or the 10% off and free shipping coupon you’ll be able to purchase the Flex Belt for a bit less then the Contour. However comparing their retail prices at time of this writing, Flex Belt sells for $199 before discount, as does Contour, but they have a 10% off sale running on their website.

Last but not least, if we compare the guarantee offered by the companies. Contour offers customers 30 days money back, while Flex Belt offers their customers 60 days money back.

So in conclusion, while both belts are similar, there are enough differences in my opinion to want to get The Flex Belt over the Contour belt.

Just to highlight once more what those differences are:

• Contour takes AAA batteries while The Flex Belt has a rechargeable battery
• The Flex Belt includes 150 intensity levels and 10 programs to The Contours 100 intensity levels and one program
• Flex Belt offers their customers a 60 day money back guarantee compared to Contour’s 30 Days
• Price wise you’ll pay about the same price using one of my exclusive Flex Belt Coupon codes