Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm probably the perfect candidate for a product like this since I'm tall & thin (6'7" / 215 lbs) without a lot of muscle definition. Before I go into details, let me sum it up by saying that I've been using the Flex Belt for one month and have seen noticeable results. Don't get me wrong - I still don't look like a gym rat, or somebody out of the movie 300; but, my abs are more toned than they've been in 20 years! Now, on to the details: *** My Routine *** Right from the start I decided I wasn't going to do any additional exercise while using the Flex Belt because I wanted to make sure any results were actually coming from this product. My normal routine is to ride an exercise bike every morning for 32 minutes - and that's about it. I spend all day at work, so the best time for me to use the Flex Belt is in the 1 hour before bed when I generally relax to let my mind wind down from the day. *** Flex Belt Setup *** Right out of the box, the Flex Belt seemed like an extremely high quality device. I watched the video on their website, charged the controller unit, and got the gel pads placed on the belt. The gel pads were a lot stickier than I had imagined; but, the overall setup process went very smoothly. *** The Workouts *** I'm sure everybody has different tolerances; but, I found I was able to go a lot higher on the levels than the intro video had led me to believe. In fact, I started the first workout at around 40 and ended up around 90 by the time the Level 2 program had ended. Over the next few days, I found I was starting every workout at a higher level than the previous workout, and was always able to increment ~40 levels over the course of the workout. I also moved into the 'advanced' programs by the end of week 1. After the first couple of workouts, I thought my abs were going to be sore; but, there wasn't any muscle soreness until after the third workout - and that was minimal. I have to say I was a little skeptical that the Flex Belt was working since I'm used to a lot more soreness when I work out. :) By the end of week 2, I was hitting the maximum level on the belt - and have alternated between the 'advanced' programs ever since. I should also mention that the Flex Belt instructions say to use it 5 days a week - and my intentions were to go ahead and do it 7 days a week (I mean, why not?). Needless to say, life got in the way and 5 days ended up being about what I was able to pull off anyway... *** Mistakes *** In my quest to be more efficient, I decided to just double up the Flex Belt with my normal exercise bike routine. That appeared to work fine until the next day, when I realized the gel pads were no longer as sticky. My suspicion is that the sweat from working out destroyed the gel pads... That's when I learned how important those sticking gel pads are! :) My next Flex Belt workout didn't feel as much like a workout as it did a shock torture session - which started me on a quest to get my gel pads back into working condition. *** Gel Pad Tips *** In order to keep the gel pads in tip-top condition, I started experimenting with Purrell hand sanitizer (which I read about in another review). I tried applying hand sanitizer to the gel pads before putting them away, but found that didn't make any difference (at least it didn't for me). What did work was applying hand sanitizer to the gel pads immediately before putting the belt on - which appears to improve the connection, so it works the muscles instead of just shocking you. *** Design Problems *** I'm not sure why; but, the Flex Belt has two controller settings - for the right and left. Personally, I can't think of a case where I wouldn't want them to be the same - and it's a pain to keep them in sync. In my opinion, it would make a lot more sense to have a single button with a single level for the entire unit... It would also be nice if there were a backlight on the controller display when changing the settings. I mostly used it while watching TV in the dark, which makes it hard to tell if the two sides are sync'd up. *** Conclusion *** If you're thinking about getting the Flex Belt to lose weight, I would say you should look elsewhere. I could probably burn just as many calories reading a book. If, on the other hand, you want to increase muscle definition in your abs, but don't like working out, then this is an excellent option! My abs look more defined than they have in years, and I haven't had to change my daily routine at all. NOTE: This Flex Belt unit was provided by the manufacturer for review.