Not too long ago, reducing fat and building muscle without diet and exercise was a mere pipe dream.
Realistically, lots of pain, time and discipline goes into diet and training to shed some weight. (Or if supermodels are to be believed, lots of lemon water and cutting out alcohol, sugar, dairy and anything else that brings you joy).
News flash: the tables have turned. Now, you can literally lay down and be strapped to a machine that spot trains your problem areas.
This is exactly what happens during a session of Emsculpt — a revolutionary lunchbreak treatment that promises a non-surgical six pack (or butt lift) in as little as eight weeks.
But does it really work?
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It was 5pm on a Friday night when I hopped out of a cab and headed straight into Dr. Saras’ Sydney clinic for my complimentary Emsculpt treatment. More curious than nervous, I reclined patiently while one of the nurses strapped a paddle over my stomach (i.e. where I wish I had a six pack).
The nerves were non-existent until she asked, “Have you had any children?”
“Um, no,” I croaked back.
“Oh OK. It’s just the way it feels, some people compare it to those first little contractions you get in early labour.”
Already strapped in and too stubborn to quit, I just squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for an (apparent) early introduction to motherhood.
I can honestly say the first few minutes are jarring. I nervously babbled through them while the nurse laughed sympathetically and I struggled to remember why I was there in the first place.
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Dr Saras Sundrum, cosmetic physician and founder of Dr Saras & Co., had mentioned beforehand that it was “intense” but not “painful”. Personally, I would describe it as an involuntary shake-up of the ovaries.
There are “relaxing” half-minutes woven in so the body, assisted by some sharper pulses, can get rid of lactic acid build-up. It can also set off some slight cramping (I copped a bit in my left leg, but nothing major).
And that’s only if you’re treating the abdominals. These funky paddles can also be slapped onto your glutes for a non-invasive booty lift that would make even Kimmy K proud.
Fun fact: she’s already tried the treatment and loves it. Fans of Keeping Up With the Kardashians (available on Foxtel) were buzzing after the cameras followed her into an Emsculpt session.
So I won’t lie: this is not comfortable. Tolerable, yes. But not comfortable.
You may find yourself a bit winded as the machine forces your abs to fire up. After all, the applicators are literally forcing your body to burn fat and build muscle.
It’s the fact that most machines only do one — not both — is the game changer.
“In that one 30-minute session, you are getting 20,000 supramaximal contractions. You could not do that on your own in the gym. No normal person can do that,” explained Dr Saras.
Immediately after my first session, I sat up feeling physical tingles in my lower body. But dare I say it, my core already felt a bit tighter.
“The first one’s always the worst,” Dr Saras told me. And she was right.
Maybe it was because I knew what to expect, but I found the remaining three sessions much more manageable.
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Reference: https://www.news.com.au/