EMS Fitness Training Versus Traditional Workouts

Fitness fads come and go, but every once in a while a new concept comes along that delivers superior results. Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) is a new approach to fitness training that maximizes muscle contraction during exercise to deliver amplified results, in a fraction of the time of traditional workouts

 

Learn about the advantages of EMS workout training, and how it compares to traditional workouts.

How Resistance Training Builds Muscle and Burns Fat

The human body is a highly adaptive organism, constantly responding to extrinsic challenges and stimuli. Adaptations during exercise are based on the principle of progressive overload, where the body’s systems become stronger and more resilient in response to load-bearing actions whose intensity gradually increases over time. 

Key adaptations from resistance training include:

• Increase in muscle fiber cross-sectional area (hypertrophy)
• Development of more efficient neural pathways from brain to muscle
• Recruitment of greater numbers of motor units – a motor unit is comprised of a single motor neuron and the muscle fibers it innervates
• Increased motor unit firing rate
• Enhanced ability to generate force
• Fortification of the bone matrix, resulting in stronger bones
• Enhanced joint stability and range of motion
• Increase in lean mass and reduction of body fat
• Lower resting heart rate
• Increased heart muscle thickness
• Enhanced glucose metabolism – an important advantage for type 2 diabetics
• Adaptations in the extracellular matrix (ECM) that support muscle function

 

Not only does lifting heavy loads increase your muscle size and strength, but it imposes high energy demands, especially for glucose stored as glycogen in muscle tissue. As a result, weight lifting makes cells less resistant to insulin and reduces blood glucose, making it an ideal exercise format for type 2 diabetics. It also activates fat stores to recruit triglycerides for energy production, and elevates your resting metabolic rate for round-the-clock increased fat metabolism.  

Energy expenditure during weight training is directly proportional to total workload, calculated in terms of repetitions, sets and total volume. Sets are groups of exercise repetitions, typically 10-15 per set. Volume refers to the total weight load moved during an exercise session.

To calculate total workload, multiply SETS X REPS X WEIGHT. For example, 3 sets of 12 reps lifting 50 pounds = 3x12x50 = 1800 pounds of volume. The greater the volume lifted during a resistance training session, the greater the muscle gains, energy expenditure and overall fat loss. 

How EMS Training Works to Enhance Results

Electric Muscle Stimulation (EMS) induces muscle contractions via an electrical stimulus, transmitted to the skin’s surface to trigger the contraction of underlying muscles. Historically, EMS has been used to prevent muscle atrophy and promote muscle strength in patients with reduced mobility, such as brain injury patients with central nervous system impairment, or bedridden elderly adults. 

Whole body electrical muscle stimulation (WB-EMS) uses a wearable suit made of stretchy material, embedded with strategically placed panels of electrodes. Electrical stimuli are activated by a controller during an exercise session to amplify the intensity of muscle contractions, allowing for greater exercise efficiency in less time than a traditional workout. 

The intensity of EMS training can be adjusted to match the profile of the individual, providing a personalized workout based on fitness level, body composition (fat to lean ratio), sex, and other individual parameters. EMS takes resistance training to the next level, for more effective training that yields faster results than traditional workouts. 

EMS workout benefits include:

• Reduced time spent training
• Faster results than traditional training
• Accelerated fat metabolism
• Improvements in muscle strength and endurance
• Rapid improvements in body composition

 

A recent 2023 study found that 8 weeks of continuous resistance training combined with daily upper body, lower body, and abdominal EMS training significantly improved muscle mass, strength and performance, while significantly reducing body fat percentage in healthy subjects.

Tips to Optimize Your EMS Training Results

Lifestyle factors have a profound effect on training results. If you want to achieve your fitness goals in the least possible amount of time, you should adopt lifestyle behaviors that support your EMS workout efforts. 

Sleep

Sleep deprivation affects your whole body, especially your central nervous system, which in turn affects your exercise performance. It is recommended to develop regular sleep habits by going to bed at the same time every night and getting a minimum of 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. 

Nutrition

Muscles cannot perform or grow without the support of nutrients, especially amino acids and collagen, along with adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals. A diet high in sugars and highly processed foods can completely undermine your workout efforts and slow your progress. Adopt a nutrient-dense whole foods diet that provides your muscles with the macro and micro nutrients it needs to perform at its best.

Hydration

Your entire body is made up of mostly water, and water represents about 75% of muscle mass. Chronic dehydration can dramatically impair muscle function and keep you from reaching your goals. To get the most from EMS training, drink about one ounce of high-quality water per kilogram of body weight. Pure spring water and hydrogen-infused water are preferred choices over tap water and many bottled waters.

Toxins

You are exposed to environmental toxins daily in food, air and water that can undermine your health. You can minimize your exposure by avoiding chemical-laden foods sprayed with glyphosate, and foods processed with various chemicals found in artificial additives. Spending time outdoors in the fresh air can help offset your exposure to toxins in your work environment. Personal care products like soaps, lotions, deodorant and makeup are often full of toxins that can penetrate your skin and end up in your bloodstream, so look for cleaner, more natural products from reliable sources.

Get Personalized EMS Training in New York

Lack of time is the number one excuse given for not exercising. People who juggle work, school, family and social life often find it hard to fit in regular workouts. EMS training provides the benefits of traditional workouts in a fraction of the time, with fast results that keep you motivated. Contact Amplified EMS for a personal consultation with a certified trainer, and start your EMS fitness journey today!