Bionic Gym, Exercise Anywhere

The full picture

Samuel Maddock

Leading Healthcare Professional and Health Technology Researcher

Editor - Well Professor?

In this review...

• Introduction
• What is Bionic Gym?
• Why Is Shivering So Effective?
• The User Lab Test
• What The University Experts Say
• The Verdict...Well Professor?
   

Bionic Gym taps into the shivering response to achieve its results. You will be familiar with this, as it happens each time you get cold. The colder you get, the more your muscles shiver. But, this is always at the same rate of 7-8 Hz. This rate is the key to Bionic Gym. It’s nature’s hack… The research behind Bionic Gym is impressive too, and our independent academic expert, Dr David Broome, highlights this in his Lab report included below.

What is Bionic Gym?

Bionic Gym stimulates the motor-neurons, where nerves connect to muscles. It simulates the leg and gluteal muscles to contract repeatedly. NMES technology as it is known, is similar to EMS and TENS, and has been around for over sixty years. But it hasn’t been effective enough to mimic aerobic exercise, until now.

If enough muscles contract at this optimal rate, they need more blood, oxygen and energy. This is the Bionic Gym workout.; you sweat, get out of breath and burn calories just like you are running a marathon.

By the way, inventor Dr Louie Crowe has done just this… The equivalent of a marathon, just sat on his sofa!

Bionic Gym leg wraps and control unit

Why is shivering so effective?

Shivering is nature’s way of warming us up when we are cold. Muscles move at the same speed and burn calories to achieve this. The pattern of control from the brain to the muscles is always stays the same, its’s just the amount of shivering that changes. Dr Louis Crowe created the technology to replicate this pattern and target the largest muscle groups in the body, the legs.

The ability to shiver without getting cold, and burn a lot of calories in the process. Bionic Gym was born.

Over the past years, Dr Louis Crowe has become a world expert in the field of NMES. His research, through numerous collaborations, has proven that stimulated shivering, applied to the leg muscles can replicate intense exercise as follows:

• Burn calories rapidly.
• Raise heart rate.
• Enable sustained exercise (Once trained with BionicGym).
• Increase aerobic fitness.
• Enable exercise without stressing the joints.

Watch the Bionic Gym Video Review

The User Lab Test:

Set up. Overall the Bionic Gym set up is relatively simple. But there is a process to follow to get it working properly.

Firstly, like most tech products these days, there is an app to download. This is very simple. Secondly, the Bionic Gym and its accessories need setting up; two leg applicators, 4 electrode gel pads, a control/power unit and a connecting cable. The charger for the control unit is unique and attaches to the bottom of the unit with a magnetic connection. This makes it easy to operate and a handy blue light appears to indicate it is charging.

Once the control unit is charged you can then connect it to the app via Bluetooth, which is straightforward. The control unit then has to be put into a pocket on the right leg applicator; there is a small pocket on the side of the applicators that the control unit slips into. It is held in place by the same magnetic connection as the charger.

Bionic Gym with the gel pads fitted

When preparing to put the leg applicators on it’s important that the gel electrodes are in the right place on your thighs to get the best connection to the muscles. To get the correct alignment for the electrodes it is best to apply them to the thighs first, and then wrap the leg applicators around your legs making sure they go over the gel pads. This will ensure they are placed correctly every time you put them on and will make using the Bionic Gym much easier in the long run.

To apply the applicators, the vertical bar that joins the upper and lower strap goes on the inside of the thigh; this vertical bar is where the control unit goes. Once the applicators are in place you need to connect the right applicator to the left; this is done with the connection cable, plugged into the jack on the control unit and then into another jack on the left applicator on the vertical bar. Once this is done you are ready to go, using the app to start an exercise program.

There are a variety of exercise programs on the app; once you have chosen the program and pressed start, the app sends this to the control unit which can take a few moments to process before you start the program. Once you begin the program, you can increase the intensity of the impulses using the volume buttons on your phone.

Well Professor Tip:
Increase the intensity gradually to a level that feels uncomfortable, then leave it for a few minutes to acclimatise to this intensity before increasing again. I find this is the best method to get up to the high intensity workouts, and getting an intense workout.

Bionic Gym can be used almost anywhere

Ease Of use. Once you have completed the initial set up the Bionic Gym is very simple to use and easy to get along with. Whilst it takes a few sessions to get used to using the Bionic Gym and the level of intensity that works best for you, after a few sessions it becomes very easy to use.

Well Professor Tip:
The Bionic Gym can be used when sat down, lying down or standing up.

To get the best work out and raise your heart rate effectively, it is best use the Bionic Gym whilst standing as this recruits more muscle groups, resulting in an intense workout. I find occasionally moving from side to side or bending my legs up and down, plus going onto tip toes and back, increases the workout intensity for even better results. Bionic Gym definitely leaves you breathing heavily at the end of an exercise session.

App. The app is easy to use and straightforward to navigate. There are no major frills but this makes it simple to operate and quick to get a program started. Overall, it looks good and gets the job done.

Build Quality. The general build quality is good; the applicators feel well made and robust. They are also soft and comfortable when being worn. This gives a good quality feel to the Bionic Gym and confidence it will last a long tim

User Experience. The overall experience with Bionic Gym has been very good, it does take a bit of getting used to but sticking with it paid dividends and the workouts improve as you progress. I found making sure the applicator straps were placed as high on the thigh as possible made a big difference to how the workout feels, by helping to recruit the glutes as well as the hamstrings during an exercise session. There is a lot of user information in the social media forums and Dr Louis Crowe, the inventor, does a lot of facebook live feeds providing some great hints and tips on how to get the best out of the Bionic Gym.

When using the Bionic Gym I’m definitely getting a decent workout. High intensity settings on the app, up around the 65-75 level, gives a strong contraction of the muscles and an intense workout.

I have great trouble with my knees after having 7 surgeries on them over the years and so I’m very limited on the level and type of exercise I can do. I feel Bionic Gym gives my a very viable alternative and useful workout without the limiting issues of other exercise methods. The convenience of being to stand in my kitchen and get a workout is fantastic and this could be done anywhere.

Bionic Gym has the ability to be used in many areas, from rehab in order to maintain cardiovascular fitness, to a business trip workout in your hotel room. Bionic Gym is a revelation when it comes to effective yet convenient exercise.

When using the Bionic Gym I’m definitely getting out of breath and feel I’m getting a decent workout. The convenience of being able to stand in my kitchen and get a workout is fantastic."

Steve Harper, Well Professor Tech Guru

Dr Louis Crowe trained for a marathon on his sofa

Who’s behind it?

Bionic Gym was created by Dr Louis Crowe, a Medical Doctor from Ireland. It was the result of a simple but profound observation he made twenty years ago after swimming in the bitterly cold Irish sea. His entire body shivered at the same rate. It had a rhythm. His next thought altered the course of his life, as he set about inventing the technology to recreate the shiver response.

What the experts say?

We collaborate with some of the greatest minds in the industry, to provide you with a truly independent view of the products we test. The Lab is the heartbeat of Well Professor, where we do all the hard work so you don't have to. Inside you can find the academic reports of the sceince behind the product technology and see which claims are backed by real evidence.

Read the lab report

the science to date supports that using BIONIC GYM leads to a significant cardiovascular and energy expenditure response".

 

Dr David Broom, Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University

The Verdict...Well Professor?

Pros:

• Provides An Effective Cardiovascular Workout
• Great Way To Keep Fit Without Putting Stress On Joints
• Backed By Proven NMES Research

Cons:

• Takes Some Time To Set Up
• Electrode Gel Pads Get Sticky
• Expensive 

Bionic Gym offers a new dimension in exercise, one that we feel is a particlaur breakthrough for those that want to keep fit but cannot put stress through their joints. But that is just one way to benefit. Bionic Gym is for those who want serious exercise results, wherever and whenever suits them.

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