Embed from Getty ImagesDrew Barrymore is the new spokesperson for a procedure called EmSculpt, which costs between $3,000 to $4,000(!) for a full series of sessions, each running between $750 to $1,000. It’s an electromagnetic treatment that targets and works the muscles rapidly like very intense exercise, resulting in fat loss. It doesn’t just remove fat like other treatments, it tones the muscles and fat loss is secondary. You can learn more about it here. That review states that it does work somewhat to increase core strength, but that it’s not a miracle cure and takes a while to see results. It doesn’t sound bad if you have the money for that, which I definitely do not, but some of you do. (Like the woman who has my dream car, a Tesla! My dreams are realistic.) Anyway Drew promoted the product in a new interview with People:
The 44-year-old actress had diastasis recti — when the abdominal muscles separate — during her pregnancies with daughters Olive, 6, and Frankie, 5, and her core never went back together.
“I love exercising, but after two kids I kept getting injured because I just did not have a core,” Barrymore, the new spokesperson for EMSCULPT, tells PEOPLE. “My midsection was like a fish tank and I just kept getting sidelined.”
Barrymore says that she would want to work out, but because of the problems with her stomach, she would “be completely messed up” afterwards and have to stop again. “I just could not find that good balance.”
It’s something that she wishes people talked about more.
“Women are having children all the time, and no one’s talking about how their body is forever changed,” she says.
Barrymore heard about EMSCULPT, a non-invasive, electromagnetic procedure to eliminate fat cells and tighten muscles, and decided to see if it would heal her ab problems, and enable her to do the workouts she loved.
“I felt immediately different. And it looked immediately different, but it just functioned differently,” she says.
“It was just about the way it functioned,” she says. “I just want to feel empowered and good about myself, and I really was looking for something that would allow me to be stronger so I could get stronger.”
Now Barrymore has gotten back to working out consistently.
“I love hot yoga, I love physical therapy and Pilates to really help me with my pelvic floor, then EMSCULPT to strength my core, and then I love to top it off with dance cardio,” she says. “I love going to the clubs and dancing it off, but now that I’m a mom, that’s not my life, but I still have that person inside of me — she didn’t die! So if I get to go to a workout class and exercise the demons and dance it out to good music, oh my god that’s all I want.”
I’ve heard of diastasis recti and how typical ab work at the gym can make it worse. (Commenters told me about it years ago here.) Here’s more on what you can do to treat it. (Also it is very possible to overwork your pelvic floor and to have too tight muscles there, especially if you run or jump for exercise. That happened to me.) As for this procedure reviews say the results aren’t immediate like Drew claims, but she probably has to say that. A lot of celebrities endorse these type of procedures, with Brooke Shields representing something similar called CoolSculpt. I can’t fault Drew for hustling. Santa Clarita Diet didn’t get renewed, but she also has that Flower Beauty line and her Barrymore wines.
E! has an interview with Drew, also to promote this, and she said she tried a dating app once and hated it. Her fantasy is to go on a blind date with someone who doesn’t know who she is. Of this ab sculpting thing she told E! that “no matter how hard I dieted or exercised, after having two kids and my genetic predisposition I was never losing weight and I kept getting injured. This was a game changer… I can work out more.” I wonder if she got this done and then approached the EmSculpt people or if they approached her and then she did it. Either way it sounds like it works somewhat to increase core strength, but I’ll save 4k and just do some planks. (I’m not doing planks. I do standing crunches in Zumba. I don’t even go to Strong by Zumba because I hate burpees. I’m fit-ish.)
She’s also expanding her product lines:
Burpees are the worst!
THE worst!
I hate them so much!!
The worst…and honesty think they do nothing. They are more cardio than strength training IMO. There is much better cardio out there than this demon exercise.
They are the devil’s workout
Agreed!! I had an epiphany a few years ago that sun salutations are basically low-key Burpees and ever since then, I gave up burpees in favour of more sun salutations. Best thing ever!
Conversely, maybe this is why I hate sun salutations.
I love them.
I don’t know, sounds like snake oil to me. A machine/treatment that actually tones muscles? I think if she has a physical therapist to work on other issues she could heal her ab issues in a less sketchy way. But who knows, lol, maybe it is worth it.
Imagine if KKK was shilling this……
Like most other procedures, I have tried this one! I had the machine cranked up to 100 and I definitely felt it in my abs but did not see any reduction in body fat… so unless you have low enough body fat you still won’t end up with a 6 pack and results are temporary.
I’ll stick with workouts and healthy eating and save the 4K for a vacation!!!
Sienna, you’ve tried a lot of body treatments? Have you tried Body FX or whatever it used to be called by inmode?
Yes for body I’ve tried:
Cool Sculpting
Vanquish
SculpSure
Emsculpt
BodyFX
I’ve tried all these because I work in the industry (on the skin side). Body Fx is by far the best – unlike everything else it is a hands-on treatment, which means the tech can target the specific target areas and maintain the 42 degrees needed for apoptosis. It is also RF which means you also get skin tightening.
However body sculpting is all about managing expectations and outcomes. I work out lots and watch what I eat so, it is small amounts of fat we are talking about reducing.
Just now saw your reply! Asking because I’ve been thinking about it a lot and have a Jamaican wedding/honeymoon coming up in about 3 months. I walk about 4-5 miles with a lot of incline every day to keep legs somewhat toned but I have really stubborn cellulite/bulges on the sides and back of thighs that are there even when I’m down to size 2 jeans. I’m more of a 6 now. Weight goes straight to butt and thighs so always up and down with pant sizes. I have only ever spoken to one person who has tried this, and she said after 6 treatments, she saw zero results.. BUT she had her stomach done. I thought lumpy thighs might be a whole different thing!
If it’s electrical stimulation, it could work. Physical therapists use a similar treatment to strengthen weak muscles, for instance.
I’m sure drinking a lot doesn’t help your abs
I was going to say this about the genetics comment but I kept it to myself.
I truly appreciate what she’s saying about how having babies can really, really f$”k your body up in ways that make it hard to get back into a regular exercise routine. Especially if you have kids when you’re older. I just got fitted for a boot after what I thought was a simple sprain when I was out for a jog about six weeks ago. Nope. Turns out I tore soft tissue that holds your ankle tendons in place and may need surgery.
I had my second baby a year ago, at 41. I’ve always been a runner but the last 4 years it’s just been a cycle of injury, rest, rehabilitate and go back out there only to reinjure.
It’s had such a negative impact on my mental health, my sense of confidence, my ability to get rid of the lingering extra weight…
I hate getting older. It’s crappy. Having babies makes it worse even though I love them and wouldn’t change it.
If there were a procedure that was scientifically backed and could stabilize my feet and ankles so I could run without injury I would save up and fork over $4k without a doubt.
But a Tesla would be awesome, too:-)
34 and was in the run, injure, rest, run reinjure cycle for a solid 2 – 3 years with chronic shin splints. I thought I would never run again like I use to. I don’t even run lots of mileage, I run about 15 miles a week but for probably the past 15 years.
Losing weight (even a few like 5lbs) made a huge difference. I feel like every extra lb I carry wears my body down running so I lost 7lbs and am back running better than I have in years.
I also have incorporated yoga and pilates into my practice and i feel the stretching has helped prevent injuries. It also soothes my aches and pains when they begin to creep back and helps keep them at bay.
I try not to make running the only work out I do and work out a lot outside of running to strength train and it’s helped me reduce my injuries.
I also stop immediately when I feel pain, even if it means cutting a work out or run short. The second I feel pain in my legs, I stop and walk with zero shame!!!
Goodluck!
Oh, I hear you about every extra pound adding stress and causing more injury. What’s really tough for me at 42 (and after the second baby late in life) is that my metabolism is just not what it used to be. I’ve gotten 20lbs off but have 15 to go and part of what helps is my running. So it’s kind of a chicken and egg dilemma there. The difference between 35 and 42 is craaaazy.
I have incorporated indoor rowing which I love. I know I need to do yoga or pilates but have struggled to enjoy either of those things. I can’t get into it. It’s time for me to stop making excuses though, and work on what I can, especially adding in more weight and resistance training to help stabilize my stride.
Getting old is no fun!
I think Drew’s deal here is probably mostly snake oil, alas.
Yup, I had a pretty “easy” pregnancy and birth with each of my two and it still does a huge number on your body. Even if you lose the weight quickly, the muscle strength you lose while pregnant and the potential damage to your core especially is HUGE. And the sleep deprivation doesn’t hurt either. My youngest is now 3 and I feel like I’m still struggling to get into a consistent exercise and healthy eating groove. And yes, the extra weight definitely increases the potential for injury. I do a lot of pilates and brisk walking now, I was doing HIIT and weights and running and finding I was constantly getting injured, strained, or just so fatigued I would be unable to focus on other important things (like a healthy diet!).
I know this may come off as “smarmy” but running can cause lots of injury with little results as we age. HIT can even be damaging if not performed correctly with other types of exercise, like weight training, NOT more cardio. Strength training combined with consistent slow cardio often has the best results for bone/muscle health & even fat loss. Women have been lied to about how to exercise, a big part of that myth is cardio is the way to stay in shape an lose weight.
I bought into CoolSculpt when it first came out, basically it sucks your fat into a vise and freezes it. What it did was separate the fat from my underlying muscle so created a pannis rather than just a lump, which required abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) to remove.
Yes, the booze is a huge factor….from someone who loves her bourbon and tried the easy way to slim rather than give it up.
Wow!! I also tried CoolSculpt (belly/lower back) and it worked really well
She should consider a pelvic floor physiotherapy for her diastasis recti.
And where is the research behind what she’s promoting? You can increase muscle size or they can atrophy, but how do you “tone” a muscle?
Women splitting their abdominal muscles during pregnancy is a real thing, though maybe little known. I had no idea until I read a blog post by a woman who had it happen to her. It typically goes back to normal after some time but for some women like Drew it doesn’t and it can be a lifestyle issue if you can’t exercise your core. Plus it puts pressure on your internal organs so it’s not a good thing to live with. The procedure sounds more like a way to heal the abdominal muscles than to tone them or lose weight in Drew’s case.
My friend had this happen to her, she finally had to have surgery to fix it. They also gave her a tummy tuck and she now has a nice stomach. Why must giving birth be so hard on one’s body? Imagine if we could just plop out an egg!
Lol! But then you would have to sit on your egg for most of the day. Very inconvenient!
Oh yeah I also read some women had to have tummy tucks because their connective tissue wasn’t repairing itself. I’m sure some people use this procedure to tone or sculpt their muscles but diastasis recti (which is what Drew had, her abdominal muscles separating during pregnancy) is a real thing. If some women want to use this as a way to fix their ab muscles due to pregnancy I have no issue with it.
But if we just dropped an egg, we could keep it in an incubator says the mom of three.
I don’t care; pregnancy and pushing a human out your hoohaw is horrible.
The Housewives of Denver are all about The Mommy Makeover.
Basically, you get a tummy tuck and boob job at the same time.
Sounds good to me but still risky and expensive.
I looked into that CoolScupt but I don’t have enough of a problem to qualify and my older daughter threw a fit and said the way it works is it destroys tissue that doesn’t get removed or pooped, so, you have all this dead tissue in your body. Gross.
I was a runner for over 30 years and I could do it again IF I get my knee fixed and get off my ass.
I’ll do that eventually and I’m actually not on my ass much but it does get harder as you get older and you do get tired and we didn’t come with replacement parts.
I don’t think Drew needs to worry about money unless her exes got chunks of it. She’s a Barrymore. I think she inherited money along with the alcoholism.
@Nancypants – your daughter is totally mistaken about how CS works, it destroys fat cells which are then naturally eliminated by your body.
I had a four inch diastasis after my twins (6#10oz and 6#1oz) at age 35 eighteen years ago. I had to have the muscles permanently tethered together a year later. Last year, a PT told me that now there is therapy to close a diastasis recti. I still sometimes get symphysis pubis pain. My hips and knees bother me. Babies can really do a number on you.
I found Pilates to be really helpful in repairing/strengthening my pelvic floor. There are exercises you can do specifically for diastasis and they are really simple and effective. My big postpartum pelvic problem was incontinence. I tried all these kegel exercises and they were not super helpful on their own, but once I added in things like bridges, heel drops, heel slides, I saw a big difference and could really feel my deep core and pelvic muscles getting worked in a gentle way. I can now go all night without having to get up to pee, which is so awesome!
If it’s claiming to “tone” muscles that’s a red flag right there. You can’t “tone” a muscle – they can get bigger – via strengthening or they can shrink from lack of use…
Yup. This is a whole lotta bull and Drew obviously knows nothing about exercise physiology. And where are her before and after picks?
I love hot yoga so much. It had me feeling so good I forgot I wasn’t 20 and overdid a stretch, my sciatica flared and I was in serious pain and limping for a week.
Also, I have sagging stomach skin from my second pregnancy at 39. It’s so gross and makes me feel so insecure about myself. I’m scared to death of tummy tucks (and can’t really afford if I weren’t) so I just have to live with it.
Right there with you. I am currently in weight loss mode after my two kids and I am rather terrified of what my stomach is going to look like when I reach the finish line. I know there’s a lot more skin there than there used to be.
I continue to feel so grossed out lately by the huge influx of celebs shamelessly hocking anything and everything. I know they’ve always done it, but they’re all being so brazen about it now. Yuck.
I have pretty severe diastasis recti, but about 6 months ago I casually mentioned to my doctor how sore my formerly inny, now outty belly button was. Turns out I had an umbilical hernia! I had surgery and now i don’t have pain and have a real belly button again. I still have the DR but it’s all so much better.
My point is: I probably had this problem for 7 years and all the blogs and exercise guides, a chiropractor and even a PT who specialized in DR and pelvic floor work just kept telling me how pregnancy changes your body, work harder at exercises, etc. No one asked if i had pain, no one warned that this was even a thing. If you’re suffering post-partum, don’t do it in silence!! Demand that people take your concerns seriously and not dismiss you with “oh that’s what happens to moms, boy doesn’t it suck, haha.”
ps – i also have a urethral sling because no amount of pelvic floor therapy was going to stop me from leaking constantly. LIFE ALTERING.
You know, it’s interesting how this discussion is framed. It’s framed in terms of access to private (and expensive) surgical procedures.
As a European, I think it should be framed as a question of public access to healthcare for women and physical / medical therapy.
I had diastasis recti for my 3 kids. In Belgium (where I live) you are fully reimbursed for 9 sessions with a physical therapist after each birth. Which is how I recovered. Not with some fancy, expensive procedure that burnt my savings.
But of course for this to happen you need to prioritize women’s health as a society. I feel the road Drew took is the road where women are asked to bear the brunt of the costs of recovering form child birth. Is that how it should be?
Great points!
Back in the 90’s, I used to go tanning (yeah yeah, I know..hindsight) and the place I went was called Sharp Image tanning and toning, and I shit you not, half the place was filled with those machines where you lay there and it moves your leg for you. Once I asked if those machines ever got used, since I never ever saw anyone on them. They said “rarely”. Spoiler- they closed up shop years ago.
I work for three plastic surgeons in the midwest. The majority of our tummy tuck patients are moms (late 20’s-40’s) who have DR. It’s super common and rarely can exercise completely bring those muscles back together. Loose skin? Forget it. A tummy tuck is the only way to get rid of it.
Oh good lord she’s an idiot. She’s always seemed dense to me but this proves it. I realize there is a real medical condition at the core of the reasoning for this ‘procedure’ but she’s so dumb. And her face looks way puffy too. Not a good look on her.
I have been working out with a personal trainer twice a week for nearly 2 years, have toned up everything except my belly which I still have a small pooch with. I have never had kids, but I have PCOS. I am on a low carb/low sugar diet. I am contemplating ultrasound cavitation, since it is far cheaper than Coolsculpt. I have heard great things about both. Has anyone tried the Cavitation??
Smells like bullshit.
As I was reading Drew’s comments, I kept thinking “why doesn’t she do Pilates?”, and then saw her mention it at the end. I still don’t look anywhere nearly as good as I did before pregnancy (my baby is 16 ….years), but I started reformer Pilates in March and I am so much stronger already. Especially in my core.
I love it so much, I think everybody should do it.
She’s American. Many American women aren’t told what to do in order to have their abdomens go back to normal after giving birth. Even with the separation, which is treated in other countries but not here, due to ignorance and the lack of caring about what a woman is going through.
Separately, CoolSculpt isn’t the same as electrical stimulation. CoolSculpt freezes the fat cells until they die. What Drew mentioned is like using a TENS unit or other electrical muscle stimulation.
Go and see a women’s health physiotherapist and work with a personal trainer who is trained and experienced in pre and post natal fitness and women’s health. I am a personal trainer who works in this field and see so many women with DR and pelvic floor dysfunction. In most cases it can be fixed with appropriate exercises and we usually work in conjunction with a women’s health physiotherapist too.
This procedure makes me angry. Expensive band aid solution for a serious issue.
“Either way it sounds like it works somewhat to increase core strength, but I’ll save 4k and just do some planks.”
I don’t know if “Just do some planks” will repair the physical issue DB is speaking about.
“The 44-year-old actress had diastasis recti — when the abdominal muscles separate — during her pregnancies with daughters Olive, 6, and Frankie, 5, and her core never went back together.”
Some people with that condition MAY be able to do planks, or do planks without harming themselves, but that’s not true for many people and other physical therapy/treatment is needed to regain core/abdominal muscle function.
But it’s OK, you do you.
For people looking to lose weight and not do tons of cardio or go hungry: I FINALLY found the best solution.
Look up your maintenance calories on a macro-calculator, ADD approx 100 calories and then transition to a healthy mealplan. Do it slowly or your sugar and caffeine withdrawals will be too hard. 3x a week, 4x a week until you get to 6x a week.
The best way to maintain your meal plan is to premake up to 4 days.
After you transition start lifting weights. I only use dumbbells at home but at a significant weight, to where you can get three set of ten and feel very tired. Be sure to keep proper form.
I started doing this and my weight has been coming off and staying off. I don’t feel hungry, I don’t dread working out because I’m not jumping up and down, I’m not doing any strenuous ab exercises, and I’m seeing my body actually getting the shape I like instead of the dreaded untoned chubby slim.
I’m slowly adding more calories as I lift more and I’m excited to finally get toned arms, legs and lose the spare tire.
The ONLY difficult part is finding good recipes. The pre-made meal plans for body-building and cutting is basically unseasoned chicken with brown rice and steamed broccoli. There really isn’t any reason to cut seasoning. Make your own meal plan with healthy tasty recipes that incorporate healthy fats/oils, and the recommend amount of protein and carbs. The macro calculator will tell you the best percentage per day you need.
I hope someone read this because it really works for me, and I know it could help others.