Build Muscle Strength and Endurance with EMS Training

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09/23/2024

Your skeletal muscles are made up of bundles of microscopic fibers (cells) that have both elastic and contractile properties. Groups of muscle fiber bundles form a motor unit, innervated by a single motor neuron. During physical activity, motor units are recruited in coordinated patterns to produce specific movements. But not all muscle fibers are created equal – some are recruited for endurance activities like walking and running, while others are called upon when short bursts of force are needed.

Learn about muscle fiber types, the energy pathways that power them, and how electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) training can help to quickly improve both muscle strength and muscle endurance.

Energy Pathways and Muscle Fiber Types

During muscle contraction, all muscle fibers in a single motor unit contract simultaneously, creating a strong force that causes joint movement. Depending on their muscle fiber makeup, some motor units are more suited to short and powerful bursts of force, while others are designed for a steady stream of repetitive contractions lasting from a few minutes to several hours. All muscle fibers in a single motor unit are of the same fiber type.

The muscles are encased and connected by a thin tough network of connective tissue called fascia that provides tensegrity (tensile integrity) to help guide and control muscle action. Fascia is smooth and slippery, enabling muscles, nerves and blood vessels to glide smoothly among other structures without friction.

Your muscles and fascia work together to transmit and mediate internal and external forces during physical activity, and to hold you in a stable upright position when standing. Without myofascial tensegrity, you would not be able to execute sport-specific movements or maintain functional stability.

Muscle Endurance

Endurance activities like walking and running rely on a steady supply of ATP – the energy molecule – to sustain repetitive muscle contraction over an extended period of time. Your muscle cells are able to store small amounts of ATP to meet immediate energy demands, but stored ATP is quickly depleted within seconds of beginning exercise.

Slow-twitch type 1 muscle fibers are uniquely designed to meet long-term energy demands. They manufacture ATP in the mitochondria – tiny organelles embedded in muscle cells that use oxygen, glucose and fat to generate energy. In trained individuals, type 1 muscle fibers can contract repeatedly for hours on end, provided they have sufficient oxygen and nutrients to make ATP. Muscle endurance can be improved by exercise training that demands repetitive motion.

Popular endurance training activities include:

Walking
Running
Cycling
Swimming

Endurance training enhances the number and size of muscle mitochondria, improves cellular respiration and oxygen supply, and promotes the delivery of nutrients to be used for fuel. Training for endurance lowers your resting heart rate and respiratory rate as the body becomes more efficient at delivering blood and oxygen to the cells.

Muscle Strength and Power

Strength and power activities like lifting, jumping and sprinting require quick energy for maximal muscle contraction. Your type 2 fast-twitch motor units are designed to produce high force volumes for only a short duration of time – around 10 seconds or so.

Type 2 muscle fibers have very few mitochondria. They manufacture ATP from stored phosphocreatine and glycogen, the storage form of glucose. Unlike oxidative slow twitch fibers that can contract repeatedly for hours, type 2 fibers fatigue quickly and require rest between maximal contractions to regenerate ATP.

Fast twitch muscle fibers have two subcategories:

Type 2A fibers are intermediate hybrid fibers that can generate ATP via both aerobic (oxidative) and anaerobic (glycolytic) pathways. They are capable of generating more force than type 1 fibers, and they have more mitochondria and therefore more endurance than type 2X fibers.
Type 2X fibers are designed for quick and powerful bursts of activity. They have fewer mitochondria and they are paler – think chicken breast versus thigh. Type 2X fibers are recruited for high-intensity, short-duration activities like sprinting and Olympic weightlifting.

Most people are born with equal numbers of fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers, and you need both to execute a broad range of daily activities. However, some elite endurance athletes are born with greater numbers of slow-twitch motor units, while elite weight lifters and sprinters often have more fast-twitch fibers.

Fitness activities like walking and running promote healthy slow-twitch fibers, while resistance training tones and strengthens your fast-twitch fibers. Many sports recruit both fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers. For example, basketball players need endurance to stay active throughout the game as they run up and down the court, but they also need strength and power to jump and throw.

EMS Training for Optimal Muscle Performance

Electrical muscle stimulation is a training approach that optimizes muscle contraction by delivering electrical impulses to muscles during an exercise session. The electrical stimulus increases the intensity of contractions that occur naturally during exercise. EMS has been shown to enhance both muscle strength and endurance, along with cardiovascular health, in a fraction of the time of traditional resistance training.

Modern lifestyles demand a lot of time and attention as humans interact with technology, but physical activity often falls by the wayside. Most people are aware of the need to exercise, but time and convenience are the most cited obstacles to committing to an exercise program. EMS offers a fast and convenient solution, with short, custom-tailored workout sessions performed two to three times per week.

Your EMS training journey begins with a one-on-one consultation with a certified personal trainer. After reviewing your health history and assessing your current fitness level, your trainer will help you set attainable goals and design a personalized exercise routine based on your goals. Your trainer will be there to provide guidance, support and motivation as you transform your body, one workout at a time.

EMS Strength Training for Older Adults

As you age beyond your reproductive prime, you begin to lose muscle mass and motor units, especially if you lead a sedentary lifestyle. Not only does loss of muscle fibers decrease your muscle strength and endurance, but it reduces your mobility, stability, and balance. However, such physical decline is not inevitable.
Research shows that resistance training is a highly effective way for aging adults to maintain mobility and stability, improve balance, and ward off frailty. EMS strength training provides a practical solution for older adults who want to improve muscle strength and enhance mobility and stability. EMS is often used in medical settings to rehabilitate older patients suffering from a broad range of debilitating conditions.

Benefits of EMS training for older adults include:

Try EMS for Muscle Strength and Endurance in New York

The constant demands of modern living leave little time for exercise, yet you cannot remain healthy without it. Sedentary lifestyles inevitably lead to weight gain, metabolic disorders, reduced mobility and premature aging. EMS training is the perfect solution for anyone who wants to get fast results with minimal time commitment. Amplified EMS provides customized workouts, professional guidance, and all the support and motivation you need to achieve your fitness goals.

If you’re ready to show the world the best version of yourself, contact Amplified EMS today and book a personal consultation with one of our certified trainers. Not only will you look and feel amazing, but you’ll have plenty of time and energy to spare, to keep up with work, family and friends.