Cheat your way to a beach body at 50

These of us with no the profit of an military of personal trainers and nutritionists experimented with some intelligent spin and rebranded our unfortunate, pale, corpulent Father Bod ­physiques. But who were being we ­kidding when healthy 50-somethings including George Clooney, Gary Lineker and Paul Rudd proved that age is no for a longer period an excuse?

So below we are, mid-heatwave, planning for the seashores and pools, swimwear at the all set, beset by stress and anxiety for the reason that it’s time to get a seashore overall body, a challenging task at any time of everyday living, but specifically terrifying for the over-50s.

At the very least which is how I felt when my spouse knowledgeable me she’d booked a holiday getaway to Croatia that remaining me with just a few short months to get myself in purchase. I was luckier than some. I’m a standard gymnasium goer and hold myself in shape but, like lots of more mature males, I arrive undone when ­confronted with genuine ale and chocolate hobnobs. Sadly, no issue how quite a few miles you place in, you just can’t outrun a bad food plan. But, with some clever hacks and cheats, can you quickly outwit it? It was at this stage that I determined to give it a go. Confront, entire body, the performs. Convey it on…

The unwanted fat zapper

So here I am at Vive Physical fitness in the coronary heart of central London trussed up in rubber, utilizing a room-age workout program termed Miha Bodytec Full System ­Electrical Muscle mass Stimulation (EMS), marketed as a “highly effective and time-productive training method for raising muscle strength and mass whilst simultan­eously lowering overall body fat”.

The comfortable EMS vest is dotted with electrode pads that in shape above the primary muscle groups in the upper body, tummy, upper and lessen again individuals also don electrode-outfitted straps all over the glutes (buttocks), thighs and upper arms.

The total system is linked with wires that are fed currents from the handle console via the electr­ical umbilical twine, and every single electrode provides pulsed electrical stimulation to the muscular tissues it is pressed against, triggering them to agreement.

The more robust the electrical impulse, the tougher the muscle mass functions. The entire thing is managed by a individual trainer, who guides the participant via a one particular-to-a person set of exercises, managing the intensity of the contractions to cater for skill.

The end result is a short, extreme, specific muscle mass exercise routine, with out any pressure on joints or tendons. For this explanation, the program is a superior possibility for more mature persons and any one carrying ­non-muscle mass personal injury. In Germany, in which it was created, there are extra than 2,000 EMS studios.

Fraser Smith, Vive Health and fitness co-founder and main running officer, is my private coach for the session. He describes the added benefits for individuals who want to get healthy but have not acquired the time or inclination to strike the gym every single working day.