Can side effects occur during EMS training?

Training with electrical muscle stimulation is more intense and thus brings faster results than conventional strength training - but is it also healthy? Or to put it another way: Does EMS training possibly have any unwanted side effects that you should know about before you decide to buy an EMS suit?

In the following text you will learn for which groups of people the EMS system is well suited - and what exceptions are there. We also go into possible side effects of EMS training and explain how you can avoid them in the best possible way. So you can train safely with our tips and achieve your fitness goals!

These individuals benefit particularly from the positive Effects of EMS training

EMS systems use a technology for muscle building that has been known and proven for decades. This is suitable not only for rehab patients and competitive athletes, but basically for all healthy adults who want to do something for their fitness.

EMS training is particularly well suited:

• for busy people who have little time for sports
• for fitness fans who would like to do without stuffy gym bags, overcrowded studios, and loudly moaning equipment neighbors
• for people who want to do something against their back pain
• for people who want to train in a way that is particularly easy on the joints
• for couch potatoes who don't want to do more than necessary
• for people who have tried all other sports - without success

However, just as with other intensive sports, there are exceptional cases in which EMS training is only recommended to a limited extent or not at all. This does not mean that EMS training is harmful - quite the opposite! It's just that there are special health cases that should be taken into account when choosing and designing a fitness plan.

Pregnancy is certainly the most common case: In this case, it is recommended to temporarily abandon EMS training or to switch to another training method.

A consultation with the treating specialist is also advisable when it comes to returning to training after an injury or prolonged illness. People with physical impairments also benefit from medical advice and individually optimized training.

Basically, EMS training is unsuitable for people with the following diseases:

• Epilepsy
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Cancer
• Cardiac arrhythmias and myocardial diseases, especially when wearing a pacemaker.

EMS workout: This is how you can avoid unwanted side effects as best as possible

The same applies to EMS training: An individual training plan that is tailored to your performance level and your training goals optimizes your well-being - both during the workout and afterwards!

The workout should challenge your body in a pleasant way, but not overstrain it - and thus avoid unpleasant side effects as best as possible. That is why myostyle Smart App offers you a personal trainer for optimal planning of workouts and recovery phases.

Muscle soreness may arise as a mild side effect of the workout

The electrical training impulses cause a repeated contraction of your muscles. This intensifies every workout, but can in rare cases also lead to slight side effects - especially if you train with a very high pulse intensity or longer or more frequently than recommended.

If you feel muscle pain during or after EMS training, this may indicate dehydration or mineral deficiency. In this case, a break with a drink and, if necessary, a small snack is recommended!

Normally, these symptoms subside quickly when your body has time to recover. In such a case, also check your training settings: You can adjust the intensity of the impulses individually at any time via the myostyle Smart App.

Exaggerated warnings: Kidney damage is not expected with good exercise planning

Training with the EMS full-body suit is highly intensive: This is also reflected in the lactate levels as well as the increased secretion of creatine kinase (CK), an enzyme that plays an important role in supplying energy to the muscle cells.

Sports science studies show that CK levels are massively elevated, especially after the first EMS workout, but normalize after a conditioning phase of several weeks - that is, the muscles adapt to the training stimulus.

This finding also relativizes the occasional warnings about kidney damage caused by EMS training or the resulting increased CK values: With a good, gradual increase in the training plan and sufficient fluid intake, EMS training is generally well tolerated!

Especially practical with myostyle: The Smart App offers you a large selection of professional training programs with which you can increase your performance step by step. Just choose your favorite program and follow the video!

Electromyostimulation: How your EMS workout works

The basic function of EMS training has already been briefly mentioned several times: Electrical impulses stimulate your muscles and generate - in addition to the respective exercise - intense contractions that increase the training effect.

How this works exactly and what you should pay attention to during the workout, you can read here: "How does training with EMS work".

Highest safety standards: The EMS suit from myostyle

The effectiveness and tolerance of EMS systems for muscle training has been well proven for decades. And also in the development of the myostyle medium frequency EMS system, your health and safety were the top priority.

Our myostyle Smart Suit:

• is developed according to medical DIN standard
• Complies with current radiation protection regulations
• avoids current conduction via the heart muscle (sinus node)
• Enables more intensive muscle training without additional stress on the joints

Our goal was to create a modern EMS whole-body training system that incorporates all our experience over the past few years. The myostyle Smart App plays a crucial role in this:

• the training programs are customizable for any fitness level
• planning workouts and rest periods avoids overloading your body
• the intensity of the training impulses is individually adjustable
• additional safety mechanisms prevent the intensity from being increased too quickly
• the cool-down programs and meditation exercises support you in the regeneration after the workout

Speaking of training impulses: At first glance, the idea of stimulating your muscles with electricity may seem unnatural. But in fact, your muscles are perfectly tuned for it - after all, the brain also controls all movements via tiny electrical impulses that reach the muscle cells via the nerve pathways!