EMS-training: what is it and how is it conducted? EMS-trainings business

You will learn what EMS-training is, how it is conducted and what is the difference between it and classic training session. You will learn about the background of EMS and the usage of EMS-technologies in professional sport and business.

The content of the article

1. What is EMS-training
1.1 How does EMS-technology work
1.2 The background of EMS
1.3 How is EMS-training conducted
2. Where is it used now?
2.1 Professional sport
2.2 Fitness centers and gyms
2.3 Beauty industry
2.4 Specialized EMS-studios
3. EMS in Russia and future prospects

To figure out what EMS-training is, let’s see how human body works. For example, when a person lifts a dumbbell, motor cortex sends the proper signal (impulse). This impulse goes down the spinal cord, and acts on correspondent action units (muscles). Because of this irritation, muscles contract – and a hand lifts a dumbbell.

When a person trains wearing a special EMS-suit, his/her body sends both natural impulses from brain to muscles there and back and artificial – from muscles to brain, thus forming new neural connections and developing the existing ones. For therapeutic purposes, it helps to teach muscles to work again, and for sporting purposes – improves the reaction, because impulse-transferring speed from brain to muscles increases.

The main goal of EMS-trainings is the same as in gym – to activate the muscles with a certain force as many times as necessary. The distinct difference is that for effective muscles contraction there is no need to use big weights, therefore, there is no risk to be traumatized. Muscles receive the load due to electrical impulses, which make it difficult to lift even 5-kg dumbbell, so exercises are done with body weight or with minimal weights. In addition, the intensity of the impulses sent, which is adjusted individually for every person, allows loading muscles optimally in 25 minutes only.

As for every sport, there are contradictions. Pregnant women, people with pacemaker, epilepsy, blood circulation disorder and some other diseases should not use EMS.

Initially such training sessions were part of pre-flight and adaptation after coming back to Earth programs. Being in weightlessness state affects astronauts’ health badly. Muscle atrophy was the most critical issue. Electromyostimulation (EMS) was invented as a result of scientific researches aimed to solve this problem.

Later cosmic development found its application in professional sport – for rehabilitation after injuries and for new results in sportsmen performance, and then, it has become affordable for wider range of people, first of all, for wealthy ones: businessmen, politicians, models and everyone who is seeking for maximum effect in minimum time without the risk of injury.

The technology has become more affordable: today it is the most fast-growing segment of fitness industry, and a price of one workout is comparable with an ordinary training session with a personal coach in fitness center.

As a rule, EMS-training lasts 25-30 min and consists of warm-up, main part and lymphatic drainage or anti-cellulite massage at the end.

During the main part client does exercises. Because of electric impulses that make muscles to tense, even the easiest exercises are hard to do, and light dumbbells turn to be serious weights. The coach regulates the depth and intensity of the impulses for each group of muscles, focusing on the goals set, certain exercises, client’s stamina level and physical sensations.

After the main part of the training session, the client can choose lymphatic drainage or anti-cellulite massage, which are also done by electric impulses.

Professional sportsmen, who exercise many times a week, use EMS-trainings in the most effective way – combining them with strength trainings and rotating the training programs themselves. It allows developing not only strength performance but stamina and reaction time as well. With such approach, body works more effectively both with weights and in EMS-suit, because, due to the variety, the level of addiction to different types of loads is minimal.

Also, EMS-trainings are used as a recovery and additional workouts, for example, after hard competitions or difficult games: there is no risk to get injured and one can train precisely the definite muscles, not including the tired ones in work.

Thanks to its multifunctionality, EMS equipment is used not only in fitness centers, but also in various gyms: for martial arts, dance sports, zumba, gymnastics, basketball, figure skating and many other. For martial arts, for instance, it is a good way to increase the striking speed, as well as the strength and speed of muscle contraction. In gymnastics, dancing, basketball, etc., such training serves to work out the whole body in complex and to increase the overall endurance.

Usually specialized fitness centers are equipped only with some certain things: boxing rings, punching bags and punching balls for practicing, stretching bars etc. That is why to train the other groups of muscles one have to go to the gym, spending time and energy, practicing with a coach. If there is EMS-equipment, one can hold the workouts right on the spot, integrating them into the basic training program that saves the time significantly. Meanwhile, there is no need to buy the additional fitness equipment for the studio.

Usually EMS-trainings in fitness centers are held in cardio section and using exercise machines, where one can train with body weight. Such training sessions are aimed to work out the main muscles and suitable for the majority of customers.

Unlike sports facilities, beauty parlors and aesthetic medicine centers often use EMS as an extra service – lymphatic drainage and anti-cellulite massage. Within ordinary training sessions, these procedures take 5-7 minutes at the end, and serve for relaxing, stimulation of natural detox processes, improving lymph flow, blood circulation and, as a result, speeding up the metabolism. In beauty industry massage lasts 25-30 minutes to have maximum effect – not for muscles, but for skin, blood vessels and internal body processes.

In classic training session, these procedures are limited in time, which is easily explained. It is not recommended to use electrical impulses more than 35 min, because long-term stimulation is a stress for the body. As a result, different defending mechanisms are activated: efficiency goes down, such feelings as fear and discomfort occur. That is why you should focus on one thing: either on muscle training, or on massage.

If beauty parlor customers go training with the exact goal (to lose the weight), you should remember that besides physical activity it is important to keep proper diet and to have a good rest, otherwise expectations can be vain.

For the last 3 years, the number of EMS-studios have been rapidly growing, both in downtown and in uptown. The growth is explained not only by the demand of people who are limited in time, but still want to keep in shape. In many ways, it is due to easy entrance in fitness industry that has always been attracting entrepreneurs.

Compared to the gym, to open EMS-studio you need much less energy and money, starting from choosing the facility, overhaul and buying the equipment, ending with monthly costs on maintaining business and engaging clients.

There are types of clients who would like to keep in shape, but for them attending fitness center is not comfortable for many reasons. Thus, a 30-min training session without the necessity to bring gym clothes is a perfect variant, not only for the busy businesspersons, but also for new mothers. In EMS-studio, the arrangement of children’s corner is a popular practice, engaging large female audience.

There is a category of people, who cannot conduct weight training at the gym, because of injuries, chronic diseases or age. Often bodyweight training and stimulation of precise muscles is the only option.

One more important thing – trainings are conducted in private, one by one with a coach, or in small groups. People who are ashamed of their body and because of that cannot start going to the gym, feel comfortable at EMS-trainings.

Despite it is the fastest growing segment of fitness industry in Germany and Great Britain (leaders of fitness-market in Europe), In many countries it is just beginning. There is EMS-equipment at sport clubs, holiday hotels and training grounds. However, you can find EMS-studios or see such a service in beauty parlors only in big cities, not even in all of them.

Despite these facts, the number of people who have seen and appreciated the benefits of EMS-trainings is growing exponentially. Both query statistics in internet and the number of new studios and developing of networks reflect it. This is also due to growing demand on individual services and the number of researches, repeatedly proving the efficiency of the technology. So the day is coming soon when EMS-studio will be in every district of every town and will be affordable for everyone regardless the goals and the income level.