Benefits of Electro Muscle Stimulation Series: Saves Time (Part 1)
In our last entry, we laid out all the major benefits of EMS .
In our first deep dive, we are going to cover the most talked-about benefit: the workout is a short 20 minutes, equating to an hour or hour and a half of weightlifting.
Let’s explore how this is possible.
Initially, when the first whole-body electric muscle stimulation workouts were being evaluated in Germany, they would try to work out for a full 40 minutes to an hour. However, they quickly saw how exhausting it was. Indeed, when all your muscles are firing simultaneously, your nervous system gets tired much quicker – think: holding a plank for 20 minutes.
The team experimenting with these prototypes started shortening the workouts, and 20 minutes started feeling more and more like a sweet spot to land on.
How can 20 minutes of Whole Body Electro Muscle Stimulation equate to an hour or hour and a half of weight training?
There are a few factors.
Simple math:
If we take a basic full-body workout:
8-10 exercises, 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions each.
You would do maybe 2-3 exercises for legs, 2 for chest, 2 for back, 2 for arms, 1-2 for shoulders, and 1-2 for core.
You would effectively spend 15 to 20 minutes for legs, 10-15 minutes for chest, 10-15 minutes for back, 10-15 minutes for arms, 5-10 minutes for shoulders, 5-10 minutes for core, totaling an hour to an hour and 30 minutes to train the entire body.
With EMS, when you are doing squats, your other muscle groups will also be “on”, meaning there will be stimulation coming through the SuperSuit, contracting all your muscles. The settings can be adjusted to focus more on the glutes, quads, and hamstrings during the squat to make sure you are focusing on proper muscle activation, but your core, chest, arms, and back will also be getting a workout.
By the end of the workout, you’ll have effectively spent 20 minutes training the entire body.
Intensity:
Although Electro Muscle Stimulation is considered a low-impact activity, it can still be an intense workout. EMS will stimulate all your muscles simultaneously which will also train your entire nervous system all at once.
Every time you do an intense workout, your body will produce an enzyme called creatine-kinase (CK). This is true for any type of workout. We know that EMS elevates CK levels comparable to a Cross Fit-type workout even if it never feels as intense.
For this reason, it is permitted to train only up to twice per week with the strength training settings.
Results:
Research comparing EMS training to more traditional types of training consistently shows that subjects show similar improvements in strength, endurance, speed, and body composition.
However, EMS does it in a third of the time compared to traditional methods of training.
Is time an obstacle for you to work out? How much time do you consistently dedicate to exercise? What would you do if you could reduce it to half or even a third of that amount?
Conrad
Director of Education and Technology conrad@bodybuzzfit.com
Bodybuzz
Bodybuzz combines Certified Personal Training with Electrical Muscle Stimulation, giving your body a deeper, safer, and more effective workout. 20 minutes twice a week is all it takes!
Our personal trainers will guide you through a custom EMS workout designed specifically for you. Whether you’re looking to build strength, lose weight, get toned, or recover from an injury or illness, we offer a safe, low-impact solution to help get you there.
EMS has now been FDA-cleared for use in the US and we are proud to be one of the first companies to introduce this technology. It is a full-body workout that uses a special muscle stimulating suit that sends low-level impulses to your major muscle groups to trigger muscle contractions. It’s a unique sensation that is painless and invigorating. EMS workouts are designed to achieve optimal conditioning, burn fat, develop strength, build muscle, tighten skin, combat cellulite, jump-start your metabolism and restore your body’s natural balance.