How did you get started in FlexEffect?
I began teaching Facial Exercise in 1976. At that time,
Isometrics were the only form of facial training known to the
public. A year later, still teaching Facial Isometrics, I became
interested in weightlifting and soon after stepped into
competitive bodybuilding. This move called for a marked
reduction in body fat. Consequently, this loss of fat had an
aging effect on my face. As a Facial Trainer this was not an
acceptable trade-off!
I had no intention of giving up bodybuilding, but determined to
remedy my dilemma. On a hunch that resistance training could add
fullness to my face in the same way it did to my body, I decided
to convert each Isometric exercise into an exercise using
resistance. This was the beginning of ‘Facial Resistance
Training’ Est.1979
Knowing what it took to increase muscle density (fullness), I
knew resistance training would be far more aggressive than the
facial training I had been doing. This took a lot of nerve on my
part since I, too, had been duped into thinking any handling of
the face could prove detrimental. When I described my new
training technique, which I later dubbed ‘FlexEffect’ as ‘an
extension of bodybuilding’ or ‘facialbuilding’, fellow trainers
thought I was out of my mind. Frankly, I wasn’t so sure they
weren’t on to something.
Much to my relief, my hunch paid off. A very short time proved
facial muscles to be every bit as responsive to resistance
training as the rest of the body. My face was still thin, but
with the extra lift and firmness, I went from gaunt to a
healthier more athletic look.
Who would benefit?
Everyone. A better question would be: who would get the most out
of it? The answer to this question is the person who starts
early, before the signs of aging set in. For them, time stands
still. However, the majority of testimonials reporting excellent
results are not from the early birds; they are from the late
starters — men and women ages 45, 50 and up.
Would you say FlexEffect is better than a surgical face-lift?
FlexEffect is not a magic bullet. There are those with such sun
damage and advanced facial aging that they may never be able to
achieve all they hope for in training. But that doesn’t mean
they can’t get all the benefits that only training can offer.
Cosmetic surgery can alleviate lines and sag but it cannot
replace the fullness of the face. In most cases surgery flattens
the face, which is why so many women have cheek implants
inserted at the time of their surgery. The exact opposite is
true of facialbuilding. FlexEffect does a beautiful job
replacing fullness, considered to be the most youthful feature
of the face.
Those who start facialbuilding while their face is still firm
could expect to erase the need for surgery indefinitely. Many
late starters with an excessive amount of sun damage and sag may
still find they get enough return from their training to forego
a major facelift.
Before anyone ops for surgery they should first invest time in
training to get as much out of it as they can. Then, if the
results of their training stops short of their goal, by that
time, electing to have surgery, they’ll find they won’t have the
need for as much surgery and their skin will be in far better
shape for healing. Once all is healed, they should jump back
into their training and not let it happen again! What are your
thoughts on Botox?
The most popular cosmetic procedure today is Botox. This
procedure has done much to build my business. I have many
clients who decided to give FlexEffect a try after trying a few
injections of Botox.
Paralyzing the muscles (corrugators) to prevent frowning also
causes those muscles to atrophy: within six weeks as much as
half of the muscle is lost to atrophy. Over a period of time,
repeated injections will result in hooded lids (drooping upper
eyelids). The area of the injection also becomes extremely flat.
This is not what I would call a fair trade off.
For every person trying to eliminate a line or furrow through
Botox, there is a trainee eliminating the same line and furrow
through FlexEffect – without the side effects.
What type of changes should one expect to see?
Initially, the change most Flexers comment on about three weeks
into their training is how their face feels different to the
touch. They notice increased tautness and thickness in the cheek
and mouth area. Lips become more defined, and there is an
increase in facial oil production. This is a real bonus since it
is natural oil that holds moisture in the skin — bye bye dry
skin! Three months will bring a visual lift in the cheeks, even
more firmness, and smooth skin where there used to be fine
lines. In six months, friends will be asking you to teach them
the exercises.
How does Flexeffect affect the skin?
Without doubt, Flexeffect is a tremendous benefit to the skin.
The supply of blood to a contracting muscle is ten times greater
than normal. Resistance Training brings a vigorous supply of
blood to the surface. This blood carries vital oxygen and
nutrients to the skin and growing tissue, while carrying away
old and damaged cells. With this constant flushing of oxygen and
nutrients, the skin cells become healthier. Before a cell dies,
it clones itself. This newly cloned cell will become healthier
before cloning itself — and so on, and so on. This means better
skin tone and better texture. The bottom line: you cannot
beef-up muscle without beefing-up its surrounding tissue.
Like any form of fitness training, FlexEffect takes time and
discipline. Muscle builds fast but it’s going to take your skin
considerably longer (re-cycling of cells) to show the benefit of
your training. Give yourself a year. I know a year sounds like a
long time, but it’s worth it. Besides, you’ll be watching your
face improve from month to month. Can’t get more exciting than
that!
About the author:
Deborah Crowley IFA Certified Personal Trainer, former
competitive bodybuilder and Founder of ‘FlexEffect Facial
Resistance Training’ This article was a recent interview for
Ms.Fitness. To find out more about FlexEffect you can visit Deb
online at www.flexeffect.com