[quote]RJ24 wrote:
I’ve actually used EMS with great success in the past. Regular applications to my hamstrings resulted in a great deal of muscle growth and allowed my to go from doing no natural GHRs, to doing 11 in one set. I improved my sprinting speed significantly in the same time, as well. And I only had a $50 model too.
If you’re willing to buy an $800 dollar Compex model and use it regularly then you’ll reap great rewards. However, using these things hurts much worse than training, and the pain alone is often enough to deter one from using EMS.
Don’t make fun of this training modality, as it certainly has its uses.[/quote]
Do you want to know why I don’t take this statement or most others seriously? Because if something worked that great…you would still be using it.
No one finds the Holy Grail of bodybuilding or sports training and then states how they used it in the past. I also take statements of “I had great results!!” with a grain of salt. I’ve experienced “great results” as well and I don’t use these. Everything you mentioned in relation to that machine is what many would see by simply training alone. You increased your sprinting speed because of this machine and NOT because you were sprinting regularly?
[quote]Professor X wrote:
RJ24 wrote:
I’ve actually used EMS with great success in the past. Regular applications to my hamstrings resulted in a great deal of muscle growth and allowed my to go from doing no natural GHRs, to doing 11 in one set. I improved my sprinting speed significantly in the same time, as well. And I only had a $50 model too.
If you’re willing to buy an $800 dollar Compex model and use it regularly then you’ll reap great rewards. However, using these things hurts much worse than training, and the pain alone is often enough to deter one from using EMS.
Don’t make fun of this training modality, as it certainly has its uses.
Do you want to know why I don’t take this statement or most others seriously? Because if something worked that great…you would still be using it.
No one finds the Holy Grail of bodybuilding or sports training and then states how they used it in the past. I also take statements of “I had great results!!” with a grain of salt. I’ve experienced “great results” as well and I don’t use these. Everything you mentioned in relation to that machine is what many would see by simply training alone. You increased your sprinting speed because of this machine and NOT because you were sprinting regularly?[/quote]
X, there are multiple reasons I’m not using it right now.
It hurts like a bitch, the hamstrings more so than anywhere else.
It takes forever to set up.
I have hairy legs, and in order to get the most effectiveness out of the cheap unit I have it’s necessary that I shave, which I have no desire to do right now.
I use it during power oriented blocks of training. I’m currently in a strength oriented training block and using it now would cause too much overall muscle damage.
So, it’s not that I just used it in the past (I used it only a month ago at last check). It’s that I just don’t happen to be using it right now. As soon as I come out of a strength block I’m going to go right back to it, but not now.
isnt this the same shit as those ab belts that shock your stomach to supposedly give u rock washboard abs?
my dad got suckered into buying one. it now sits in the basement with the ab cruncher.
X, there are multiple reasons I’m not using it right now.
It hurts like a bitch, the hamstrings more so than anywhere else.
It takes forever to set up.
I have hairy legs, and in order to get the most effectiveness out of the cheap unit I have it’s necessary that I shave, which I have no desire to do right now.
I use it during power oriented blocks of training. I’m currently in a strength oriented training block and using it now would cause too much overall muscle damage.
So, it’s not that I just used it in the past (I used it only a month ago at last check). It’s that I just don’t happen to be using it right now. As soon as I come out of a strength block I’m going to go right back to it, but not now.
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I’ll second this list and add that improvements will only occur through the first ~dozen treatments on a muscle group. After that it’s necessary to take substantial time off from the unit before it can be used effectively again. The units don’t seem to do much for growth but for max strength and power, along with activating passive muscles, the units do seem to have some limited effect.
Is it worth it? They’re such a pain in the ass both literally and figuratively that I’ll call it a wash.
You cant get something for nothing. This is another gimmick that helps people unwilling to put in the effort for the real thing to feel good about themselves. The contraction this device provides is nothing like using your muscles to actually lift something. It feels like uncontrolled spasms, and I doubt they are good for building muscle. If you’re a fat bastard and want to feel good without effort, take some prozac.
I’m sure they have their place for rehabilitation however.
When you see something like this just think: if it really worked and is as simple and effective as it says it is, then wouldnt everybody be using it? And wouldnt there be a lot more jacked people walking around?
While it pains me to say this… it looks like the research I could find with a quick pubmed ninja supports the use of EMS.
On a physiological point, from what I’ve been taught, electrical stim affects predominantly the fast twitch fibres so keep that in mind regarding rest/recovery times if you choose to use this modality.
If you have injuries that limit your training then I would say that this could be a good idea, however given the expense and possible side effects (skin irritation, burns, pain) then I would be wondering why more quality time couldn’t be spent in the gym.
[quote]jdarkraget wrote:
I’ve read stories of basketball players using this to increase their vertical. Apparantly it worked but their bone structure wasnt strong enough to support the higher jumping. They ended up with permantly ruined knees.
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That seems pretty hokey to me. I seriously doubt this machine will improve vertical leaping ability to the extreme that it ruined their joints. It’s more likely that repetitive running and jumping or poor squatting (or some other trauma) was the reason, rather than an additional 1"-2" of vertical added over several weeks of stim therapy.
Im sure the studies show that the only benefit for this regarding hypertrophy is that is slows down the atrophy. So if you did nothing at all, or just used this machine you would lose results slower with the machine.
I also see its use in reactivating muscles that simply wont fire for one reason or another.
Or could be used in coma paitnets to help keep the muscles active.
[quote]sikunt wrote:
When you see something like this just think: if it really worked and is as simple and effective as it says it is, then wouldnt everybody be using it? And wouldnt there be a lot more jacked people walking around?[/quote]
Have you ever actually used one? If you are really getting a maximal contraction, they’re as painful as 20-rep squats.
You don’t need to look at studies to see if it works or doesn’t work, just look at the practical world… many successful coaches have implemented EMS with success, most noteably Charlie Francis.
EMS isn’t a replacement for strength training. But I believe it has its uses. As was pointed out, its effectiveness is short-lived, but I do believe that I saw benefit from using it during my season.
It’s not a magic wand, but a fairly useful supplemental training device.
[quote]Andrew Dixon wrote:
Im sure the studies show that the only benefit for this regarding hypertrophy is that is slows down the atrophy. So if you did nothing at all, or just used this machine you would lose results slower with the machine.
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