The London Olympic Games are quickly approach. Athletes are training their hardest to qualify for the U.S. trials, which begin today for swimming, and that includes four-time Olympic gold medalist Janet Evans. One product she uses to do that is the Flex Belt, an electronic abdominal toning device.
“As an Olympian in swimming, our abs and our core are really important to us, so an ab core workout is something I always do at the end of every workout. But I find that there are some things I traditionally cannot get. I can’t get my obliques really well, I can’t get my upper abs, I can’t get my lower abdominals, so what I find with the Flex Belt is that it really helps me get things that I might not get by getting down on the ground and doing traditional crunches and sit ups,” Evans said in an interview.
The Flex Belt, promoted by other celebrities such as Denise Richards and Lisa Rinna, is an abdominal exercise belt that works by strapping it to your waist and pressing the power button. Its website claims: “The Flex Belt is clinically demonstrated to deliver firmer, stronger and more toned abdominal muscles while you are at home, at work, watching TV, exercising, folding laundry, helping your kids with their homework, taking a walk…virtually anywhere and anytime.”
The Flex Belt is one of several devices that uses electronic muscle stimulation to contract and relax muscles, causing them to tone and strengthen. It does not burn fat inches and is recommended in conjunction with dieting and other exercise to produce the best results.
Evans said that using the Flex Belt makes her better in the pool and at her workouts. She retired after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, but at age 40 is attempting a comeback. At age 15, she broke three world records, and a year later in the 1988 Olympic Games she won three gold medals and continued to break records in distance swimming. She has won the most titles in a single event by any swimmer at the U.S. National Championships, winning the 400 and 800 meter races twelve times each. Evans has raced in events at four Olympic Games and taken home a total of five Olympic medals. Her goal this year is to make it to the London Olympics, but is proud just to have qualified for the U.S. trials.
When asked why using the Flex Belt was important, Evans said, “You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to use the Flex Belt or an Olympic athlete to need the Flex Belt. It really helps you with your typical day; getting through your day you feel a lot stronger, you feel like you can do a lot more things. I think having a strong core is important for everyone.”
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U.S. Olympic Swimmer Natalie Coughlin Talks Health and Fitness
I need more patches for my belt