The use of EMS technology, combined with specific exercises, can stimulate a greater number of muscle fibers through electrical impulses that, unlike traditional methods, can be applied to our routine of comprehensive training, functional training.
The basics of this method is that EMS allows us to induce the most important muscle groups to passive work regardless of the external loads we apply.
The main benefits that have been shown are the following:
• Capacity of greater muscular workload without the need to apply great loads to the joints with big weights, which allows us to avoid the risk of injury.
• Avoid impacts with patients with joint pathologies.
• Improves biofeedback through muscle contractions in muscles that had atrophied and lost their motor control.
• Better motor recruitment capacity than we would voluntarily produce.
• Up to 500% improvement in blood flow in certain areas (greater vascularization and supply of nutrients and oxygen), which produces a greater range of resistance to fatigue.
Like any other technology applied to human performance, it must be controlled and monitored by technical specialists in physical exercise and health, as well as more specifically in electrostimulation and software management and its variables such as:
- Frequency
- Intensity
- Exercise time
- Resting and working time
- Ramping.
Before analyzing in depth, the advantages that the use of EMS specifically brings us, it is important to mention that this technology has been used in other therapies such as physiotherapy with the same type of current: biphasic, rectangular, symmetric and compensated wave. The benefits are similar to those previously tested with the other techniques; however, this new discipline combines all of them during a single workout. We can summarize those benefits in the following points:
• Ergonomics and freedom of movement that allows us to develop any type of exercise and functional training.
• Precision in the application of the impulse and safety against falls for the electrodes.
• Increase in caloric expenditure due to the simultaneous application of so many contractions in different muscle groups.
• Ability to regulate intensity or activation in different zones. In such a way that we can disconnect a zone if we are not interested in working on it or monitoring the parameters for which we want to activate. With which we will be able to maximize the levels of hypertrophy in the areas that are most beneficial in our case.
Currently, numerous studies are being carried out in order to continue scientifically demonstrating how much specific load the EMS vest manages to implement during exercise, as well as the muscle wasting that it could generate.
Of course, it is possible to affirm that this training method will give a lot to talk about in the coming years as many athletes and physical trainers are demonstrating their easy adaptation to high performance with enormous results.
