The washboard ab dream? 15-min treatment simulates 54,000 crunches

Those washboard abs may not be such a distant dream with a brand new 15-minute body sculpting treatment simulating 54,000 ab crunches. But does it work? Read the review.

Muffin top, spare tyre, beer gut, pot belly, love handles – call it what you will, stomach fat can seriously undermine your self-confidence.

So when I found out there was a new super-fast body sculpting treatment that could simulate 54,000 crunches to get me those washboard abs that had so far eluded me, you couldn’t get me strapped on to the machine fast enough.

TruSculpt flex+ is a 15-minute non-surgical treatment that creates tone and definition through multi-directional bioelectrical muscle simulation.

This style of treatment is all the rage with celebrities who are using it to rid stubborn belly fat and get toned abs.

But does it really work?

The treatment involves applicators being placed on the areas of concern.

Mortified when I couldn’t fit into last summer’s body-hugging dress, I’d been labouring away every night for six weeks doing core sessions (and getting absolutely nowhere) when the opportunity presented itself to try the treatment.

It was honestly like the universe was looking out for me and my flabby stomach.

So a ‘hell yes’ later, I was strapped onto a machine at Toowong’s uber-nice Cosmetic Medicine Centre with the lovely Dr Mary Dingley guiding me through my treatment which included a sneak peek at the just-released truSculpt Flex+.

She explained I was having the ‘truBody’ experience – a double teaming of two treatments to blast my fat away before toning my abs.

I literally couldn’t be more excited to get rid of my ‘pouch’ and say goodbye to my rolls.

First up was truSculpt iD – a 15-minute treatment which uses radio frequency to target and heat stubborn fat – reducing fat cells by 24 per cent in just one treatment.

Honestly, what a dream.

A patient receiving the treatment.

A total of six applicators were placed on my abdomen – four where my never-before-seen six pack is for sure hiding and two on each of my obliques.

The heat pads heated up to 43C and cycled through for 15 minutes while killing my fat cells.

It was like a warm heat pack on my stomach.

The truSculpt iD applicators are strapped to your stomach.

And before I knew it, I’d just relaxed while ridding myself of a quarter of my belly fat.

Over the next 12 weeks those fat cells will die off and disappear from my body through my lymphatic system.

Well, that was easy.

Here’s how truSculpt iD works by heating your fat cells.

Next up was the 15-minute truSculpt flex+ - a new express treatment that only just launched in Australia on November 8.

Now let me be honest here, I didn’t know what to expect but I shouldn’t have been shocked that simulating 54,000 crunches in 15 minutes would require some effort on my behalf.

So on went another six applicators but this time the electro-stimulation contracted my muscles to strengthen, build and tone my abs much further than I could ever naturally do.

This machine holds the keys to your body sculpting dreams.

It’s nearly impossible to explain the sensation because I’ve never experienced anything like it before.

It cycles through something that feels like needle pin pricks, to a deeper pulsating contraction, to a swirling and wringer feeling to a deep intense contraction like when you’re holding a plank.

The different modes contract the muscles to the point of exhaustion and then relax it to increase strength and endurance, then another mode has fast, deep, sequential contractions simulating interval training to increase basal metabolic rate and define muscle mass.

I’m not going to lie, it’s not a walk in the park.

But neither is building a six-pack.

The truSculpt machine can both heat your fat cells and contract your muscles via different treatments.

The treating nurse acts as your own ‘personal trainer’, upping the machine’s percentage throughout the 15 minutes.

I started at 15 per cent and across the session, the nurse increased its intensity 1 or 2 per cent at a time based on what I could tolerate – the stronger the intensity, the better the result.

So, just like when you’re exercising, the results are in your hands.

At some points I had to concentrate on my breathing to push through it, but that’s only because I wanted to get maximum results.

You can back it off if it gets too much.

I got up to about 40 per cent.

The highest some regular clients can get is 70-80 per cent.

The brilliant part about truSculpt flex+ is within 15 minutes there’s a visible difference – you could see the outline of my future washboard, my stomach wasn’t poking out as much, I felt stronger and tighter and my love handles were significantly reduced.

There was zero downtime. Within seconds I felt completely normal.

The next day my muscles were a bit sore – just like I’d had a hard workout.

An example of a patient’s results achieved through the truBody treatments.

And because my body thought I’d done such a hard workout, it kicked my metabolism into gear and continued to burn more fat.

Another great thing about the treatment is the results are not only for us vain peeps.

It actually strengthens your muscles like working out does, so it has all the benefits of a strong core which helps people with various muscular injuries and ailments like back pain.

“People use it to help back pain, pre and post-surgery or to prevent surgery – anything that can be helped by having a stronger core,” said Dr Dingley.

It can be used on any area of the body that needs sculpting including the abs, legs, buttocks, arms and even under the chin.

This isn't my body yet - but it’s the direction the truBody treatment will take me.

An original 45-minute version of the treatment only entered the Australian market in early-mid 2020 and has been embraced because people can see real results fast.

“You don’t get that degree of muscle toning yourself, I’m in the best shape of my life,” said Dr Dingley as I prodded her rock hard abs with envy.

Cutera - the aesthetics company behind the treatments - recommends a burst of four truSculpt flex+ treatments across two weeks to get started.

From there, you can choose to maintain it by regular exercise and healthy eating or having intermittent maintenance treatments every month or so.

The two treatments truSculpt iD (fat reduction) and truSculpt flex+ (muscle toning and strengthening) combine for a ‘truBody’ treatment.

I’d highly recommend doing the combo to blast away that stubborn fat before getting into toning that six-pack hiding underneath.

After only one treatment I could see a noticeable difference – and I can fit back into my dress. Win!

Long-awaited six-pack, here I come.

One truSculpt iD treatment starts at $1500 per session while a truSculpt flex+ treatment starts at $750 per session.

The author was provided the treatment for the purpose of a review.

Originally published as The washboard ab dream? 15-min treatment simulates 54,000 crunches