If you’ve been around here for a while, you know that this is a post that is a little unusual for my website. You all know that I love BionicGym, but as with anything, there are some things that might not be completely ideal about it. While I still think that BionicGym is a great product and program, here are the biggest problems with it.
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Gel Pads Wear Out
One of the biggest issues with BionicGym is that you have to replace the gel pads. Now, if you are used to paying for a gym membership, this might not be a problem for you at all, since it will probably be cheaper than your monthly membership.
You will need to replace the pads every 30 to 40 uses, so if you are using it religiously every day, that will take you to just about a month or a tad bit more. Right now you can buy a 3 set pack gel replacements online for under $50, so it costs just about $15 a month to use BionicGym after your initial cost of buying the device.
This isn’t a very steep investment, especially considering that you can do it in the comfort of your own home and you won’t be spending all the gas money you would have to go to the gym.
Jumpy Legs
Another issue with BionicGym is just about the level of comfort. When you are sitting at a desk and using BionicGym at high levels, your legs can get really jumpy. In fact, they can become so jumpy that it is hard to focus on anything else. Laying down it is not as noticeable, so if you are the type of person who likes to use BionicGym while watching a movie, then this might not be an issue for you.
However, if you like to get work done while working out, then you do need to do something to remedy this issue. What I have found to be the most helpful is attaching ankle weights to my legs to keep them from kicking so much. This really helps to calm my reflexes and it probably is a little bit of an extra workout, which is nice.
Need to Warm Up To High Levels
This issue really isn’t too much of a problem, but you can’t just jump right into a high-level workout. You have to work yourself up to the high levels, which can be a pain if you know that you can handle some of the higher levels.
However, just like you should never start an intense workout without warming up first, it really is just a safety feature to make sure that your muscles are nice and warm before moving up to more intense levels. Even in interval training, you typically start at a baseline and work yourself up to the peaks and back down.
People Who Cannot Use BionicGym
I would love to say that BionicGym is for everyone because I really do believe in this product and that it can drastically help anyone’s path to weight loss. However, there are some people that just should not use BionicGym or any EMS (electric muscle stimulation) training.
Pregnant
One of the groups of people who should not use any EMS training is pregnant people. Although exercising is completely normal and healthy for most pregnant people to take part in, EMS training has just not had enough research done on it to know if it is safe or not for your unborn baby.
It is difficult to find a lot of information online about what the concerns are for pregnant women, but it is likely because there are no women who are willing to be guinea pigs with their babies in a scientific study. In fact, there are a lot of medications that have been on the market for a long time that are still not cleared for pregnant women, not because they have been proven to be detrimental, but because there isn’t enough known about them.
So although you might be using the Bionic Gym, which focuses on the thigh muscles, any EMS training is not for pregnant women. I would especially stay away from the EMS patches that stick to your abdomen during this time.
PaceMakers
For fairly obvious reasons, people with pacemakers should not use Bionic Gym. This is because there are electrical impulses that are used with pacemakers to make sure that your heart is beating at the right frequency at all times. If you have a pacemaker and use BionicGym, it could seriously mess with the electrical pulses that your pacemaker is using to keep your heart beating at the right rate.
People with pacemakers have to be careful with the kinds of fitness trackers that they have as well, so there are a lot of things in this electrical world that they need to be wary of.
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Illness
If you are someone who has an acute illness, then you really should not be using the BionicGym. However, this isn’t a huge deal, since most people with pneumonia or the flu don’t feel up to working out anyway. But if you have a rare sick day at home from work and want to take advantage of it by working out, just don’t. Your body is already working overtime to make sure everything goes back to normal without you having your body shiver for reasons not associated with your illness.
Over 350 Lbs
Although the BionicGym will not do any harm to someone who weighs over 350 pounds, it is not recommended for anyone who weighs more than that. This is the real disappointing thing about the BionicGym. The people who can benefit from this kind of exercise the most are the people who have a lot of excess weight on their joints. It is so difficult for someone who is obese to walk around and makes exercise discouraging and painful.
The BionicGym seems like an answer to these people’s prayers. It could help them lose weight, but apparently, if there is too much fat wrapped around the muscles, the electric pulses cannot penetrate into the muscles well enough to cause the shivers that it needs to make you do the work.
Exercises That You Can Do
So are you someone who has too much weight to use the BionicGym effectively? Well, there are answers, but unfortunately, until you get below the 350 lb goal, you cannot use the BionicGym for results.
Here are some options for low impact exercise:
Cycling
It can be scary to get on a bike for the first time when you weigh over a certain amount, but this can be done just as easily on a stationary bike! Recently there has been a huge craze for spinning class and Peloton bikes. You don’t have to spend that much money to get the same kind of workout. You can buy any generic spinning bike and then just use the Peloton app to get some great workout videos. It may not have the same tracking features, but you can still get great low-impact results at a fraction of the cost.
You can of course use a regular stationary bike and follow any of the training programs already on the bike.
Walking
Walking is always a great exercise. It doesn’t put as much wear and tear on your muscles, but you actually can burn more fat walking at a good pace than you can burn while running. Running is more of a cardio exercise, which is great for your heart, but when you stay in a lower heart rate, your fat burn will be the primary result.
It is important to have the right shoes for walking and make sure that you aren’t shuffling.
Swimming
A classic low-impact workout is swimming. Your joints will get a welcome break from the stress that they are under in normal everyday life. You will be able to swim and work out completely pain-free. In fact, any other issues that you might have associated with moving can be remedied or relieved in a pool. If you have back problems or arthritis, for example, this will be a great workout for you.
If you find it hard to stay motivated in the pool, consider joining a water aerobics class or get a fitness tracker that you can follow a regime to keep you on track.
Barre
Another great low-impact workout is barre. This is similar to ballet and pilates exercises. There are a lot of ways that you can make them high-impact, but there are even more modifications to give you an amazing workout while having very little impact on your joints. You can do most of the exercises either on the floor lying down or standing and moving one limb at a time.
All you need for this is a stable chair!
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Conclusion
Overall, if your body is fairly healthy, and you have a spare hour each day, you can use BionicGym without any negative repercussions. The big bummer is that you cannot use it if you are overly obese, since these are probably the people who would benefit from it the most. However, it is always a great motivation to lose those pounds to get you down to 350 pounds so that you can use the BionicGym regularly. Ultimately, the BionicGym is a great option for almost anyone to use to lose weight.