By: Mae Lewis
If you could get fit in less time than it takes to watch one episode of your favorite series, that would be perfect, right? Electric muscle stimulation (EMS) is a technique that could make this a reality. EMS studios are springing up nationwide as more people discover the brief yet intense workouts offered by this cutting-edge fitness trend.
With EMS, you work out in a suit equipped with electrodes that target and stimulate individual muscles. EMS instructors claim you may see significant improvements in as little as 15 or 20 minutes, and celebrities like Ashley Graham and Lindsay Lohan have used this technology.
What Is EMS?
In medical terms, EMS means electrical muscle stimulation. Wearing a suit (over light exercise clothing) with electrodes placed along main muscle groups is required during an EMS workout. In some EMS studios, the suits are wireless and powered by a low-voltage battery; in others, you must connect them to a control panel through cables.
EMS is a training technique of delivering tiny pulses of electricity to the muscle during exercise. Small sensations will be felt when the electric current stimulates the targeted muscles to contract as you go through the exercises. It shouldn’t hurt. However, you could get a funny sensation in your muscles at first. To increase the intensity of the training, these contractions are designed to resemble the body’s natural muscle contractions upon brain activation. This exercise is designed to build the strength of the specified muscle groups.
Exercises with EMS equipment promise to shorten your training time from 90 minutes to only 15 or 20 minutes. You may notice a greater intensity of the benefits of your regular activities, such as squats and lunges while using EMS. The number of contractions, while hooked up to an EMS machine, can be doubled or tripled.
Although EMS exercises are novel, physical therapists have been using this method for decades. They employ electro-medical systems (EMS) to enhance blood flow to an injured location and mitigate muscle damage.
Why use EMS?
Research has proven that it works.
Positive findings validate the effectiveness of EMS in improving strength and athletic ability. Technology may be an effective training tool when used properly in terms of precise settings, timings, frequency, and total amount of work.
When EMS was ineffective in improving athletes’ performance, it was usually because the technology wasn’t used properly in combination with a structured training regimen. You need to know what you want to accomplish using EMS and have a strategy for implementing it.
When EMS units are included in well-planned regular training, athletes see the best results. EMS is no more effective than conventional training techniques and offers no benefit beyond voluntary training. Since EMS does not involve the central nervous system, it will not add to the cognitive load of a tired athlete. The combined effects of traditional training and EMS expose the athlete to a more challenging training setting while using less energy overall. If an athlete’s nervous system becomes overstimulated due to the demands of life and training, this is a win-win situation.
It offers a complete and clean muscle contraction.
Athletes will be underprepared if they depend on strength training. Compared to free weights, the muscle contraction produced by an EMS is complete. When stimulating muscles, the optimum frequency allows for preferential targeting of fast-twitch muscle fibers.
However, we wouldn’t advocate relying only on EMS for your strength training unless you’re utilizing it for rehabilitation or attempting to lessen wear and strain on a particular joint structure.
EMS functions best when combined with a normal training program that includes a coordination component to provide the most effective transfer of the training adaptation. Adding EMS treatments to your regular exercise in the right doses while supporting general conditioning and recovery will provide the best benefits.
It facilitates recovery
EMS is an excellent resource for athletes who need to recover and regenerate quickly but don’t have the time to follow traditional recovery and regeneration regimens.
Prompt and thorough healing is promoted by active recovery treatments that boost the body’s circulatory systems. Tempo jogging is ideal for athletes, but intervals on a stationary bike or in the pool may also help speed up recovery. When things aren’t perfect, various resources may help with the healing process.
After a tough workout, athletes may relax with their EMS units at home by using them while sitting down, reading, or browsing the web (but not while driving). Athletes often use EMS pads on bigger muscle groups with a pulsing program to increase blood flow, relax the muscle, and reset the muscle’s tone.
Portable EMS devices are convenient.
These days, EMS gadgets are larger than smartphones but still deliver quite a punch. The devices are small and lightweight, and the adhesive electrodes are ideal for on-the-go strength training and rehabilitation. They are available online, and you can shop for muscle stimulators anywhere.
Lengthy airport delays and lengthy durations of sitting on an airline, bus, train, etc., may cause stiffness in an athlete’s joints and muscles. EMS may greatly benefit athletes by helping with oxygen circulation, waste disposal, and even getting a good night’s sleep.
Having one in your gym bag is a no-brainer if you want to give yourself a competitive edge, especially if you don’t have a team of masseurs and trainers at your disposal. They will help with muscle stimulation during training and with recovery after a tough workout session. There is no denying these gadgets’ convenience, strength, and efficiency.
