In today’s blog we are going to dive into the fascinating world of electrostimulation (EMS) training. This revolutionary method is rapidly gaining popularity in the fitness world due to its promising benefits. But what exactly is it and how does it work? Let’s find out!
What does training with electrostimulation consist of?
Training with electrostimulation involves the use of a EMS device that sends electrical impulses to the muscles to cause powerful muscle contractions, mimicking the signals that come from the motor neurons in the brain. These electrical impulses allow the muscles to work and activate the innermost muscle fibers, resulting in an intense muscle contraction. Thanks to training with electrostimulation, we work the muscles at a level of intensity that could be difficult to achieve only with conventional exercises.
The Wiemspro training with electrostimulation system amplifies the effects of your exercise routine with just 2 20-minute sessions per week.
How many electrostimulation training sessions are recommended per week?
Going to the gym up to four times a week, training more than an hour a day, and not getting the results you are looking for: whether it is losing weight, gaining muscle mass, or toning up. Does it sound familiar to you?
“With correct training with electrostimulation you can convert your moderate daily training into high intensity training”.
We get frustrated when, after dedicating so much time to our daily training, we do not manage to obtain the results we want, nor the objectives we have set for ourselves.
The key is not how much time I dedicate to my training, but rather “how I make my training more efficient.” Training with electrostimulation enhances your training by increasing energy expenditure, oxygen consumption and other physiological factors so that you obtain maximum performance in each session. Therefore, with correct electrostimulation training you can convert your moderate daily training into high intensity training. Two days of electrostimulation training of between 20-45 minutes a week will be enough to appreciate the incredible results.
How training with electrostimulation affects metabolism
To begin with, we have to take into account what is metabolism? Metabolism encompasses a series of physical and chemical processes that occur in cells, and is responsible for converting the nutrients from the food we eat into energy and fuel for our daily lives. The foods we consume are measured in calories, and when we consume more calories than necessary, or do not burn all the energy we ingest, they accumulate in the form of fat.
Training with electrostimulation metabolic
When we do not correctly stimulate our body with daily habits, we tend to accumulate fat and lose energy and health gradually, so much so that sometimes we do not notice it until it is too late. A good metabolic training will activate your metabolism, but how do we activate our metabolism? The key is in the intensity we give to our training.
High intensity exercises
Before performing high intensity exercises, two factors must be taken into account:
- Exercise technique: Be aware of the technique that encompasses the movements to avoid the risk of injury.
- Adequate intensity: Accustom and educate our body to work at high intensities, that is, do not stop exercise before time. We must become aware of exercise and reach an adequate intensity to achieve our goals.
Low or moderate intensity training produces less and slower adaptation than training with electrostimulation, which combines moderate and high intensities.
Electrostimulation can convert a low or moderate intensity workout into an intense workout even by performing extremely simple exercises, easy to perform and without risk of injury. Electrostimulation training offers an innovative way to enhance exercise results, stimulating muscles in a controlled way to maximize performance and recovery.
Is electrostimulation training safe?
Training with electrostimulation can be safe if done correctly and with the supervision of a trained professional. However, it is vital to take several factors into account:
- Medical considerations: People with certain medical conditions, such as heart disease, epilepsy, cancer, blood clotting disorders, or who have electronic implants (such as pacemakers) should avoid electrostimulation training. Pregnant women should also refrain from using this training technology.
- Appropriate use of equipment: An electrostimulation device must be used correctly to ensure safety. This includes following the manufacturer’s instructions on where to place the electrodes, how long to use the device, and how long to rest between sessions.
- Professional supervision: Supervision from a trained trainer or physical therapist can help ensure that electrostimulation is used correctly and that risks of injury are minimized. It can also help maximize the benefits of electrostimulation training.
- Possible side effects: Although most people can use electrostimulation safely, some may experience side effects such as skin irritation or burning. There is also the risk of overtraining, which can lead to fatigue, muscle soreness and, in severe cases, injury.
In summary, electrostimulation training can be safe for many people if done correctly and responsibly.
Are there contraindications for electrostimulation training?
Yes, there are contraindications to the use of electrostimulation in training and it is important to take them into account to ensure safety. The main contraindications are:
- Heart and vascular diseases: People with heart conditions, including those with pacemakers and other implantable devices, should avoid the use of electrostimulation in training, as it may interfere with these devices and increase the risk of cardiac disorders.
- Pregnancy: The use of electrostimulation is not recommended during pregnancy, especially in the abdomen and lower back.
- Epilepsy: People with epilepsy should avoid electrostimulation, as it can trigger seizures.
- Blood clotting disorders: People with blood clotting disorders, such as hemophilia, should avoid electrostimulation due to the risk of bleeding.
- Skin infections or open wounds: Areas with skin infections or wounds should not be in contact with the electrodes of the electrostimulation device.
- Neurological conditions: People with certain neurological conditions should avoid electrostimulation unless prescribed by a doctor.
Remember, if you have a medical condition it is important that you consult a doctor before starting any new form of training, including electrostimulation training.
How is training with electrostimulation performed?
The electrostimulation (NMES) recruits high threshold motor units and improve glycolysis. Thanks to this we achieve greater effectiveness with muscle electrostimulation, since we activate the muscles more intensely and increase energy expenditure during exercise.
Furthermore, with the selection of the indicated electrostimulation programs, we can enhance the obtaining of energy by oxidation of nutrients, or by other means more related to strength or power. It is important to understand that this occurs even when performing a simple exercise at low speed. The program and the EMS suit are responsible for activating different muscle fibers, and enhancing some pathways for obtaining energy or others.
The combination of electrostimulation and low intensity voluntary exercise increases the consumption of aerobic energy and anaerobic energy, making conventional training more efficient training with electrostimulation; and allows you to improve your physical condition and sporting level.
Case study: How to enhance a training with electrostimulation
We are going to summarize a study whose objective was to investigate metabolic responses and muscle fatigue during the use of whole body electrostimulation.
Thirteen healthy young men participated in this study. The subjects did not regularly perform resistance or strength training, nor did they participate in competitive sporting events. In other words, they were people who were not used to training.
That said, measurements were made in three different situations:
- Voluntary exercise: 15 minutes of calisthenics (exercises in which the weight of one’s own body is mobilized, without material)
- Whole body electrostimulation (WB-EMS) without voluntary exercise: Using a 20 Hz program with 4 seconds of work and 4 seconds of rest. A 2 Hz program was used for warm-up and cool-down. The intensity of the electrostimulation was set to produce a clear, but not bothersome, muscle contraction.
- Combination of both methods (voluntary exercise + WB-EMS): Using the same wave parameters as in the previous group.
Training with electrostimulation
Every day, exactly the same voluntary training was performed, at the same exercise intensity. One day was done without electrostimulation (V), another day electrostimulation was done without voluntary exercise, and another day training was done with electrostimulation (VE).
Between each type of training they rested at least 48 hours. Next, on each of these 3 days it was measured:
- Blood lactate concentration: An indicator of exercise intensity.
- Muscle strength at the beginning and end of each workout: This helps us know the degree of fatigue (tiredness) generated by the training. The greater the difference between muscle strength at the beginning and end of the session, the greater the fatigue generated. Maximum voluntary muscle contraction (MVC) was the method chosen to determine this variable.
- Spirometry during exercise: Analysis of inhaled and exhaled gases during exercise. This allows us to know exactly how much oxygen we consume, how much carbon dioxide we exhale and calculate the rate of nutrient oxidation during exercise.
Wave parameters used
The wave parameters used with electrostimulation were a biphasic, quadrangular and compensated wave, with a frequency of 20 Hz and a pulse width of 100 µs.
The duty cycle was 4 seconds of electrical impulse and 4 seconds of rest.
Also, a frequency of 2 Hz was applied during warm-up and breaks. The intensity was applied at a motor threshold without reaching the pain threshold (clear muscle contraction, but allowing the exercises to be performed normally).
During the EV group intervention, the contraction and relaxation times of electrostimulation (4s/4s) were synchronized with voluntary exercise. Therefore, people performed the exercise while feeling the muscle contractions of the electrostimulation and rested between contractions.
* Explanatory note: On the first day of the study, participants were familiarized with the exercises and electrostimulation. They learned the training exercises and all the described parameters were measured to have the initial reference. After that, they were familiarized with electrostimulation and the electrical intensities that they would use in the study were chosen. This process ensures that the differences between each day’s measurements are not due to the person’s nervousness or their level of exercise control.
Results and conclusion
When analyzing the results of this study, we see that in training with electrostimulation there is an increase in the parameters:
Graph 1- Significant increases in energy and oxygen consumption during training with electrostimulation and calisthenics exercise.
Graphic 2- Significant increase in blood lactate during combined training. This shows that the activity of the fast-twitch fibres and glycolysis was increased.
- Energy expenditure and the consumption of oxygen in relation to body mass in the group that used ems training. Therefore, they consumed more calories by including electrostimulation, even though the training was exactly the same.
- The respiratory exchange ratio (RER) of gases during groups E and VE were higher than group V. This means that their nutrient oxidation rate was greater during the training with electrostimulation.
- The blood lactate concentration of the electrostimulation group was significantly higher in conventional training. This indicates that the intensity of the exercise at a metabolic level was clearly greater when including electrostimulation.
EMS training results
These results suggest that electrostimulation training improves the metabolic response to a level equivalent to high-intensity exercise when exercising whose physiological load corresponds to a low-medium intensity.
This type of training methodology would be useful for people who cannot carry out high intensity exercise that requires a high metabolic threshold, such as patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 or older adults.
These results are also useful for people who already train at high intensities.
At present, we are carrying out very interesting tests at our Wiems Lab laboratory in collaboration with the University of Granada.
If you have read this article, you may also be interested in:
- Avoids the loss of muscle mass during slimming diets with electrostimulation.
- Treatments for multiple sclerosis.
Very shortly, we will show you all these results in detail and explain them in an easy way. Keep an eye out!
