Those of us who don’t have the benefit of an army of personal trainers and nutritionists have tried some clever spins and rebranded our sad, pale, corpulent physiques as the Daddy Bod. But who were we kidding when fit 50-year-olds including George Clooney, Gary Lineker and Paul Rudd proved age is no longer an excuse?
So here we are, in the middle of a heat wave, getting ready for beaches and pools, swimsuits at the ready, wracked with anxiety because it’s time to get a beach body, a daunting task at any time in life, but especially terrifying for over 50.
At least that’s how I felt when my wife informed me that she had booked a holiday in Croatia, leaving me only a few short weeks to recover. I was luckier than some. I go to the gym regularly and keep fit, but like many older men I get upset when faced with real beer and chocolate. Unfortunately, no matter how many miles you run, you can’t outrun a bad diet. But with some clever hacks and cheats, can you temporarily outwit him? It was at this point that I decided to give it a try. Face, body, the works. Turn it on…
The fat zapper
So here I am at Vive Fitness in the heart of central London, wrapped in rubber using a space-age exercise system called the Miha Bodytec Whole Body Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS), advertised as “a highly effective and time-efficient training method to increase muscle strength and mass while reducing body fat”.
The snug-fitting EMS vest is studded with electrode pads that fit over major muscle groups in the chest, stomach, upper and lower back; participants also wear electrode-equipped straps around their glutes (buttocks), thighs, and upper arms.
The entire system is connected by wires to which currents are fed from the control console through the electrical umbilical cord, and each electrode delivers pulsed electrical stimulation to the muscles it is pressed against, causing them to contract.
The stronger the electrical impulse, the harder the muscle works. The whole thing is overseen by a personal trainer who leads the participant through an individualized set of exercises, controlling the intensity of the contractions to cater for ability.
The result is a short, intense, targeted muscle workout, without any stress on the joints or tendons. For this reason, the system is a good option for older people and anyone with non-muscular injuries. In Germany, where it was developed, there are more than 2,000 EMS studios.
Fraser Smith, Vive Fitness co-founder and COO, is my personal trainer for the session. He explains the benefits for people who want to get in shape but don’t have the time or desire to hit the gym every day.
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