Is Emsculpt the holy grail for a six-pack?

A tight stomach without having to go to the gym even once? Sometimes things seem too good to be true. But when I got the chance to try Emsculpt, I of course said yes. Now I am quite slim, but I do have a stubborn little belly. A thirty-minute session is equivalent to 20,000 sit-ups. Studies have shown that 19% of the excess fat disappears and that muscle mass increases by 16%. Okay, I'm doing it.

Now I love exercising and I definitely work out three to four times a week, I'm just not really intense about it. I always choose the easier classes and even then I still cheat a little. The result is that I am quite fit, but the six-pack is still a long way off. On top of that, my husband is a huge feeder. Just when I've had a super healthy meal (vegetarian, low carbs, green leafy vegetables, yes yes), he shows up an hour later with cubes of cheese or Tony's. And saying no is not my strong suit.

So the Emsculpt, a new technique approved by the American FDA where electromagnetic energy causes intense muscle contractions. It reminds me a bit of a device I once had from Tel Sell, which also promised you a six-pack while sitting on the couch. At Falck Clinic, two huge pads are attached to my stomach. Doctor Pieter looks at me with a slightly sadistic smile. ‘Are you ready?’

What follows is a huge contraction of my abdominal muscles. And another one. ‘Whoa!’ I exclaim. ‘It's only at thirty percent now,’ says Pieter. Oops. ‘You'll get used to it,’ he says reassuringly. Slowly but surely, he cranks up the power to a hundred. It's quite intense, but since I've also given birth to two children, I know how to puff through it. Pieter advises me to just enjoy watching Netflix and to pay as little attention as possible to the fuss in my stomach. The more attention you give it, the harder it is. Just let it go, is the advice.

That turns out to be a good one. While I watch The Morning Show (great series!) the Emsculpt is doing its thing. Contractions are alternated with a kind of drumming on your stomach, to relax your muscles for a moment. The thirty minutes go by quite quickly and I feel that my stomach already feels a bit tighter. All day I feel like I've trained quite intensively, but I can't really call it muscle pain.

After four sessions (which you should ideally do within two weeks), the difference is noticeable. My stomach is flatter, but what is especially a nice bonus is: I no longer have lower back pain. According to my physiotherapist, it could be that I now put less strain on my back muscles because my stomach has become stronger..But what really makes a big difference is: I no longer have to cheat in the gym classes. All exercises are a lot easier and I'm even inclined to book the more challenging classes (if you see someone going all out during HIIT soon, that's me).

What I thought I saw in the mirror is confirmed by the scale: I am one and a half kilos lighter. That's just that one kilo that always makes your pants too tight and that you can't seem to lose. Hooray!

I am quite positive about Emsculpt, but you do have to be willing to invest something. Four treatments cost you 1600 euros including 1 follow-up treatment after 3 months. This is because the device itself is very expensive and a doctor connects you to it, and they are not cheap either. By the way, you can use Emsculpt not only for your stomach but also if you want to give your butt a good lift, or if you want to go into summer with Michelle Obama arms. I say: this treatment is ideal if you have little time, want quick results, or are stuck on a training plateau that you want to break through. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll have to do those 20,000 sit-ups the old-fashioned way.