In recent time electrical muscle stimulation, or EMS for short, has gained a lot of popularity with lots of little workout studios emerging to offer you EMS training. But what is EMS training? Is it safe to use and how would you benefit from it?
Contents
What is EMS Training and How Does it Work?
EMS training is a muscle contracting exercise performed through small electrodes that are being placed on your skin or clothes. The electrodes sent small electrical impulses which tell the central nervous system to activate your muscles, contracting them. What’s good about these impulses, is that they are reaching deeper into your muscles layers, and their effect causes the muscles to work harder then they would in a normal training session, with less work done. EMS training has been popular across the United States, and many athletes have been using it for years. In one session, which normally takes about 20 minutes, you can do as much workout as you would in an hour.
But does it work? Studies have shown that EMS training can slightly increase muscle mass faster, but this has very much been debated. Another study has suggested that EMS training might burn fat faster, but no concrete proof has emerged since there hasn’t been any significant difference between the rate of fat loss in EMS and conventional training.
So with all that said, what can you expect out of one EMS training session?
When you go to an EMS training session, the first thing you are given is a cotton top and leggings to change. Then the trainer sticks the electrodes through your top, and you can select the intensity of the electric current to different areas of your body. If you want to grow your booty, you can increase the levels in that area and decrease for another. After that, you begin your training regime. You will instantly feel a buzz, and you will perform the exercises harder. EMS training sessions usually last for 20 minutes, and they are intense. After the workout, you will feel great and energetic. An hour worth of exercising cut down to 20 minutes! Be careful with the intensity of the electrodes, because chasing that burn can leave your muscles sore for days. EMS training will be a very promising proposition for those who don’t have that much time in the day for working out.
Is EMS Training Considered Safe?
There are no studies that confirm if taking one to two low-intensity sessions per week is doing anything bad to you. The problem with EMS training is that you can tear your muscle if the impulses are too high. Recovering from muscle tear could take a long time, with some more fortunate than others. The key to EMS training is not to perform the training in pain. Pain does not always mean gain, quite the opposite in this case “No pain, no leg to walk for some time.”
Of course, in order for muscle tear to occur, you need to put your muscles through some very, very intense electrical impulses.
Summary
If you lack the time in the day for your workout, 20 minutes, twice per week is enough EMS training to cover your whole week of training. Of course, you will have two sessions per week, but that also means that your recovery time after each session will be longer.
