So we’ve all seen the informercials. Buff, super-toned models sitting down on the sofa, nonchalantly flicking through the TV channels as their torsos are hooked up to little pads and wires, muscles pulsating, cookies in hand. Alright maybe no cookies but the whole scenario certainly does exude effortlessness.
Whilst the prospect of exercising for 20 to 30 minutes with results equating to 18 sessions in the gym might sound a little bit too good to be true, that’s exactly what German fitness company, My 30 Minutes is offering. “Our clients in the Middle East absolutely love the concept- and the results,” says founder and owner, Jemima Steinhart, “especially in Dubai where the lifestyle is lazy and revolves around food.”
Looking at her near flawless physique, it’s hard to believe that Jemima used to be obese and struggled with her weight for years. Having grown up in a family where a poor diet and type 2 diabetes were prevalent, she says she suffered the effects of a negative lifestyle. She decided to turn her life around and went one further by getting fully qualified in health, nutrition and fitness and even went on to open her first gym in Germany where she discovered Electrical Muscle Stimulation.
“No matter how hard you train, you only ever reach around 40% of muscle groups through conventional training,” she explains. “Even a body builder, despite the amazing definition that they achieve, they only use around 50% of their muscle capacity. With EMS you train over 90% of your muscles, even the smallest groups and the ones embedded deep within the body like around the spine and the pelvic floor muscles, which means that in 20 minutes you get a full body workout.”
Located in a quaint Jumeirah villa, privacy is one of the great things about this fitness centre. Four closed off training rooms provide everything needed for a one-on-one training session, including a personal shower room and toiletries. I changed in to the cotton top and leggings and Jemima hooked me up to the EMS machine. She took me through the motions of the basic moves we’d be doing in my shortened 10 minute trial session. Squats, tricep curls, basic lunges all seemed easy enough but with the electrical waves going through my muscles, it was a very different story. The aim is to work your body against the resistance of the EMS which makes the most simple of exercises much harder. The session ended with a lie down on the floor with relaxing pulsations massaging my muscles.
Post-workout, my triceps and glutes ached for days; I really did feel muscles that I didn’t even know I had. As with any fitness technologies, there are those that are for and those that oppose but there’s no denying that EMS is an intensive muscle workout for those that need an extra push in the right direction.
Note: Contraindications include, pregnancy, those with pacemakers and cardiac conditions and those with more serious illnesses such as cancer and MS.
My 30 Minutes Fitness, Al Wasl Road, Jumeirah 1, Dubai, Tel: (+971) 4 385 5353
