“I bought a $30 ab belt and a $200 one. Only one had me sore the next day.”
Since the video went live, people keep asking which belt I still wear. Here are all 14 days, including the part I cut.
I'm 54, and my back quit crunches years ago. Same 20 minutes a day on both belts, same couch. One buzzed my skin. The other made me sore.
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“I must admit that I thought all ab stimulators were gimmicks.”Kevin K., 60, strength coach · 5-star review
Both boxes came the same afternoon. I opened the cheap one first.
Sticky gel pads on a thin plastic belt. I turned it all the way up and got a weird tingling on my skin, like a phone on vibrate. Nothing moved under it.
The $200 one sat in its box for an hour. What got me to actually strap it on was a photo on Ape Born's site: Jake Platt, an Olympic athlete, wearing one with a group of regular people, a few of them my age. If he trusted it, I figured I could give it 20 minutes.
Then I strapped on the $200 one, a wide strap with no gel pads. Two minutes in, my stomach pulled in hard on its own.
I could really feel the contractions, and I was breathing like I was mid-workout. I hadn't felt my abs work like that in years.
I sat up in bed and felt it right away. My abs were genuinely sore, like the morning after a real ab workout.
I hadn't done a single crunch. The cheap belt left me nothing to feel at all.
I gave the cheap one a fair shot. Its pads stopped sticking after about two uses, just like I said in the video.
The $200 belt has nothing to peel. Strap on, press the button, pick a mode. Under a minute, and by Sunday I wore it through a ball game.
The two belts look alike. Inside, they work in different ways.
I read both boxes to find out why. The cheap one uses basic EMS, and its weak signal mostly stays in the skin. That's the tingle.
The $200 one uses FDA-cleared (Class II) NMES. Its signal reaches the nerve that tells the muscle to fire.
SKINFATMUSCLE
Signal stops in the skin
Muscle stays still
Signal fades in the skin. Muscle stays still.
SKINFATMUSCLE
Reaches the muscle nerve
Muscle contracts
Signal reaches the nerve. Muscle squeezes for real.
- 600+ deep muscle contractions in one 20-minute session.1
- About the same as 3,000 crunches, sitting down.1
- No sticky gel pads, so there's nothing to peel or replace.
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Then I did the math for a full year
The insert on the cheap belt said to buy refill pads. So the $30 belt was never really $30.
My math: $30 belt plus 12 months of replacement gel pads at roughly $25 a month. Pad prices vary by brand.
Two weeks. 14 sessions on the $200 belt.
The cheap one made it to day 9. It's in a drawer with the leftover pads.
I'm not shredded. Two weeks isn't magic, and what I eat still decides what's on top.
But my stomach feels tighter when I sit up, and I catch myself sitting up straight for no reason.
To be fair, the cheap belt won one row. It cost $30 on day one.
If you're gonna get an ab stimulator, get one that's actually FDA-cleared.
Being sore on day 2 is normal. NMES makes the muscle squeeze hard, hundreds of times in 20 minutes, and abs that haven't worked like that in years feel it the next morning. A tingle that stays in the skin never reaches the muscle.
Start low and go up a level when it feels easy. Use it 20 minutes a day, follow the 8-week plan, and keep an eye on food, because food still decides what you see on top.
The belt that won comes with the 8-week program built by Olympic coach Jake Platt.
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It was the NextGen Ultra by Ape Born. Here's the version I'd buy today.
After the video, I found out Ape Born sells the same NMES unit as a Full-Body Kit: the abs belt from my test, plus straps for both arms, both thighs and both calves.
The Full-Body Kit: abs belt, 2 arm, 2 thigh and 2 calf units, plus the 8-week challenge.
recommended by 429+ clinicians
20 minutes a day sitting down gives your abs 600+ real contractions, about the same as 3,000 crunches.1
There are no sticky gel pads and nothing to replace. It's HSA/FSA eligible, and Ape Born promises stronger muscles in 60 days or it's free.
Velcro strap, built-in pads. Nothing to peel.
The one honest catch is time. You can be sore by day 2, but a firmer stomach takes weeks of 20-minute sessions plus how you eat. People who quit in week one never find out.
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Real buyers, real photos
BEFOREAFTER
BEFOREAFTERBuyer photos shared with Ape Born. Results vary with use, food and training.
I got this for my husband he was previously using one he bought that was cheaply made. But this one is more than I expected I like the material.
The best part is it has velcro straps and not the gel pads like others. It surely is expensive than other machines out there but is worth the price.
Straight answers to what people ask
“Won't it just tingle like the cheap ones?”
That was my $30 belt. With NMES you feel the muscle pull in. Start low and go up a level or two each session, because some people feel little the first couple of days and then have to turn it down. Strap it snug on bare skin. The arm and leg units feel strongest, so try one on your thigh first.
“Isn't this just a TENS unit?”
No. A TENS unit is made to block pain signals, so it mostly buzzes. NMES is made to contract the muscle. That's why you can watch your stomach pull in.
“Does it burn belly fat?”
Honest answer: no. It builds and tones the muscle. What you eat decides the fat on top of it.
“Why not just go to the gym?”
Keep going if you can. This works alongside it. You sit, and your muscles work with zero weight on your back or knees. That's why so many buyers have bad backs.
“Will it fit me?”
The straps adjust, and extender belts are available for bigger waists. If your arms or calves are slim, ask support about a size-adjusted band before your first session.
“What's the free Elite Club trial?”
It's Ape Born's members club: video coaching and weekly live calls with Jake Platt, the member community, a lifetime warranty and monthly store credit. Your first 7 days are free. Keep it for $49.99/mo or cancel in one tap from your account.
“What if it doesn't work for me?”
Send it back within 60 days for a full refund. Ape Born's promise is stronger muscles in 60 days, or it's free.
“Who shouldn't use it?”
Skip it if you have a pacemaker or a hernia, or if you're pregnant.
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What the first weeks look like
You feel the contractions in the first session. You might wake up sore the next day, like I did.
Strapping on is a habit now. You nudge the level up a notch or two.
Your usual level feels easy, so you go higher. There's room: 19 levels and 12 modes.
In Ape Born's 8-week study, everyone felt their abs more toned, with +121% endurance and +59% strength.2 94% saw visible toning in 60 days.2
Composite of a typical first two months. Results vary with how often you use it, how you eat and how you train.
Why it isn't a $30 Amazon belt
Gel pads every month, a skin tingle, and it wears out in weeks.
No refills, ever. Used daily for a year, that's about 34 cents a day.
What actually shows up at your door
Priced the way Ape Born lists each item.
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Two ways to go from here
You can buy the $30 belt, feel the tingle and buy pads every month. I did that, and mine is in a drawer.
Or you can try the one that had me sore on day 2, and take 60 days to decide.
The 60 days are there so you can find out on your own stomach.
Choose bundle
- Ultra Abs, Arms, Thigh, and Calf Stimulator
- 8-Week Transformation Challenge
- Access to the Elite Club community
- 1-on-1 Expert EMS Consultant
- 1:1 Olympic coaching & Weekly Live Calls
- Lifetime warranty & shipping protection
- Ultra Abs, Arms, Thigh, and Calf Stimulator
- 8-Week Transformation Challenge
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