The Science Behind the Fitness Trend: Electrical Muscle Stimulation

You’ve probably seen your favorite celebrities or fitness influencers wearing a suit with electrodes and going through seemingly basic exercises but struggling to move without weights. It’s called whole-body electrical muscle stimulation, or EMS for short.

EMS has its roots in physical therapy with something called a TENS unit. If you ever had any neuromuscular issues, your physical therapist might have used patches placed around the injured joint to provide some electrical impulses to help alleviate it.

This technology has now made the jump into the fitness world. It has been around Europe for over a decade, but the FDA only gave clearance to several manufacturers in 2018. The electrodes are placed inside a suit to cover all the major muscle groups: glutes, quads, hamstrings, abs, chest, lower back, lats (mid-back), traps (upper back), biceps, and triceps. It is battery-powered and controlled through a tablet.

The Science:

We contract muscles through an electrical signal from the nervous system to the neuromuscular junctions in the muscles. EMS mimics and enhances this signal, causing more muscle fibers to contract, explains Conrad Sanchez, a Los Angeles-based EMS trainer and leading expert in the field.

Sanchez adds that muscles follow Henneman’s size principle, where smaller muscle fibers contract first. For example, if you’re trying to lift a pen, your brain will signal your arm to fire up the least amount of muscle fibers to lift it. However, when something is a bit heavier, it will need to recruit more and more muscle fibers.

Muscle fibers typically fall into two categories: slow-twitch and fast-twitch. Slow-twitch muscle fibers are responsible for everyday tasks and endurance activities such as running, cycling, hiking, etc. Fast-twitch muscle fibers are responsible for strength and power. If you’re trying to move your couch or need to sprint to your gate because you’re late for a flight, you will be engaging those fast-twitch muscle fibers.

“As we grow old, we stop using fast-twitch muscle fibers as much,” says Sanchez. “If you don’t use them, we lose them.” This is why resistance training has become an essential focus for mainstream fitness in recent years.

EMS: The Ideal Fitness Tool

Sanchez, who has 16 years of experience as a personal trainer and holds a Master’s degree in Kinesiology, considers EMS the ideal tool to get stronger, especially for people starting their fitness journey and seniors. “With traditional weightlifting, we usually would start at light weights, high repetitions, and it will take around eight to 12 weeks to get into actual strength training.” “With EMS, however, we can target those fast-twitch muscle fibers from the first session,” exclaims Sanchez.

The good part? Sessions are only 20 minutes long.

You might get stronger and faster than following a traditional training plan, and you won’t have to invest so much time going to the gym to lift weights.

Another benefit is that you won’t be using heavy weights either. This is a relief for anybody suffering from joint pain. EMS is considered a low-impact activity, meaning there won’t be any additional strain on your body. “All you need is the suit that I provide,” says Sanchez. It can even be done in the comfort of your home or office.

It Is Not for Everybody

Sanchez, who also educates trainers interested in getting into EMS, explains that certain people are not allowed to use the technology. If you are pregnant, have implanted medical devices such as a pacemaker, have severe cardiovascular, kidney, or neurological disease, or have epilepsy or seizures, you will not be able to partake in a whole-body electrical muscle stimulation training program.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical or fitness advice. Before beginning any new fitness regimen, including Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS), it is recommended to consult with a healthcare professional, particularly if you have any pre-existing medical conditions or concerns. EMS is not suitable for everyone, including individuals who are pregnant, have implanted medical devices, or suffer from cardiovascular, kidney, neurological conditions, or epilepsy. Results may vary, and EMS should not replace traditional exercise routines or medical treatments.

Published by Stephanie M.