Tesla Former: a gym for the lazy, and a must have for athletes

Tesla Former is a functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) device from the European medical equipment manufacturer Iskra Medical. A high-intensity electromagnetic field induces an impulse in the motor nerves, and the muscle contracts on its own, without a command from the brain and without any effort on your part.

In ordinary training the brain never recruits all the fibres of a muscle at once: that is a protective mechanism. Magnetic stimulation bypasses this limit, so the contractions are supramaximal, deeper and stronger than voluntary ones. In one session the muscle does an amount of work that would take hours in the gym: up to 50 000 contractions. Meanwhile the joints, tendons and spine take no load at all.

If you have no time, energy or appetite for the gym, Tesla Former gives your muscles the load they are missing. Abs, glutes, thighs, back: a course brings back tone and shape without a single squat. The session is done lying down, fully clothed, with no sweat and no shower afterwards. It is a lunch break rather than a workout.

But let us be honest: Tesla Former is not a weight loss tool. It builds muscle tone and shape, it does not burn kilograms. If localised fat is the main concern, the place to start is body contouring, and the best overall result comes from a combination: first the fat tissue, then the muscle frame.

The second audience for Tesla Former is people who already train a lot. The device solves the tasks the gym handles poorly:

• deep core stabilisers that are almost impossible to isolate with exercises;
• sleepy glutes, a common story for desk-bound athletes: the muscle is there but it fires badly;
• asymmetries and lagging groups, worked on precisely without overloading the rest of the body;
• getting back after a break, restoring neuromuscular control after an injury or a pause.

Postpartum recovery is a separate direction. Stimulation helps to bring tone back to stretched abdominal muscles in mild diastasis and strengthens the core, taking part of the load off the back. There are also discreet programmes for the pelvic floor muscles, with no exercises and no discomfort. When to start is decided by the doctor after an examination, usually once the postpartum period is over. The skin of the abdomen, meaning stretch marks and laxity, is the job of a different device: Virtue RF microneedling.

The method is not suitable with a pacemaker, metal implants or electronic devices in the body, and during pregnancy, cancer, epilepsy, thrombophlebitis and acute inflammation. The doctor checks the full list at the consultation.

Does Tesla Former replace the gym?
For the muscles it gives a comparable and even deeper load. But it does not train cardio endurance, flexibility or coordination. The honest answer: it replaces the strength part, not sport as a whole.

Does it hurt?
No. You feel intense rhythmic muscle contractions: unusual, but not painful. Afterwards there may be light muscle fatigue, as after a good workout.

Will it help me lose weight?
On its own, no: the device works with muscles, not with weight. For fat deposits there are other methods, and the best result comes from combining them. The doctor will suggest the order.

How many sessions are needed?
A course is 5 to 20 sessions of 45 minutes, twice a week; the first changes are visible after two or three. One session a month is enough to maintain the effect.

Can I do it after childbirth?
Yes, it is one of the main indications: restoring the tone of the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. Start only after an examination and the doctor's approval.

How long does the result last?
As with ordinary training: months, if you stay active. A maintenance session once a month locks it in.