The use of EMS in professional and amateur sports: Interview with Dr. Heinz Kleinöder

Training with electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) is a method that has been proven for years. However, there are still a lot of myths and rumors circulating: Can you "do everything with EMS" - and should you do it at all? What are the advantages of EMS - and it's limitations? Does EMS only work for professional athletes or is it also suitable as a sport for regular people? We interviewed Dr. Heinz Kleinöder about these and related questions: He works at the German Sport University Cologne, in the Department of Training Science Intervention Research - where EMS is a popular topic.

myostyle: Nowadays, many amateur athletes want to get the most out of their training. What are the possibilities and advantages of training with EMS systems?

Basically, I advise amateur athletes to only "get everything out of yourself". with great moderation. High-intensity training sessions can quickly lead to muscle overload and injury without the appropriate coaching and support, just as in professional sports. This means that the health benefits of amateur sports become less important and may even turn into a reversed effect.

If you want to train with a higher, customizable intensity, you can use an EMS system to control the intensity in a very specific and gradual way. Just use the controls on the device, allowing you to stimulate specific or all muscle groups as intensely as you prefer. This allows to enhance several exercise combinations, such as training with your own body weight or with dumbbells, etc.

Those who still want to experience the muscles at their maximum limits should be aware that the individual pain tolerance level limits this. This kind of maximum level of stress has of course nothing to do with a regular training regime and does not promote health or well-being. In fact, the basic rules of EMS workouts include always training with a tolerable level of stimulation.

myostyle: For which sports is EMS especially useful?

EMS is useful for many sports, because it allows you to train specific muscles as well as the whole body. For example, specific muscle training of a frequently problematic muscle group or body part is possible - e.g. for the lower back or the abdominal muscles. In addition, EMS can also be used to stimulate the whole body during a classic exercise such as the squat. In competitive sports, EMS is now used by athletes in a wide range of sports, including soccer, tennis, track and field, Nordic skiing, sledding, etc...

myostyle: People often read that EMS training can positively influence certain sports performance standards. Is that correct? So, for example, can a cyclist become faster through EMS training? And if so, how does it work, how can EMS support regular cycling training?

The great advantage of EMS training is that fast or slow muscle fibers can be targeted more specifically by selecting the impulse frequency (higher or lower). In this regard, Sprinters, i.e. cyclists as well as runners, can benefit from activating especially the fast muscle fibers.

For this reason, continuous stimulation by electrical training impulses, e.g. during roller training, can regulate the intensity of endurance training significantly higher. In addition, EMS training can also specifically improve the posture of the upper body of cyclists.

myostyle: Another frequently discussed example: EMS and bodybuilding. Can electrical impulses support training on the weight bench effectively?

EMS supports strength training in bodybuilding by improving the activation of muscle fibers. This also occurs via prolonged TUT (time under tension), which is significant for muscle growth. And as I said, the special thing about it is that EMS can achieve a stronger tension and a longer time under tension without stressing your body's passive musculoskeletal system (tendons, ligaments, bones, etc.).

myostyle: What advantage does EMS offer compared to other training methods?

The main advantages of EMS are the enhancement of body performance and the possibility to combine it with other training methods. EMS can be performed in a static manner, such as in stabilization training, or in combination with another movement, such as a squat, or dynamically with an additional weight, etc.

Another important advantage: EMS is easy on the passive musculoskeletal system, which is stressed by high levels of physical strain, e.g. in classic weight training. Especially for older people, this is an attractive option: they can train their muscles in a targeted manner and without additional strain, allowing them to stay active.

myostyle: How useful is it to train exclusively with EMS?

The only applications where EMS is used exclusively are TENS - a method for treating pain that is often used in the area of rehabilitation and physiotherapy. If, on the other hand, the aim is to build up muscles, e.g. after injuries or long-term illness, then EMS training is generally implemented as part of more comprehensive rehabilitation programs.

In terms of its use in active sports, EMS training is always a combination of muscle tension generated directly in the body (isometrically holding or dynamically moving) and the additional activation provided by the stimulating current. As a result, it’s possible to improve the strength or to intensify endurance training.

If the "exclusively" refers to the question of whether one can train effectively only with EMS, i.e. without other sports equipment, this of course depends on the respective training goal: Aspiring athletes usually use EMS as one of various training components. As for fitness training in general, EMS is sufficient and more effective than other training methods.

myostyle: Where does EMS basically reach its limits in the area of sport?

In order to improve specific sport performance, the body doesn't need to be activated and stressed as intensively as possible. Rather, the overall performance concept must be balanced, i.e., physical training, regeneration, and nutrition. However, in popular sports, the focus is usually concentrated on the most intensive training possible.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends moderate, regular and continuous exercise with occasional increases in intensity, plus a healthy diet. This recommendation shows the limits of any training method, it takes more than just training alone. However, if you consider the other factors - regeneration and nutrition - EMS offers a very versatile training method that is easy to manage and can make a significant impact on a healthy lifestyle.

myostyle: Is EMS suitable, for example, for people who don't do sports as an introduction to training ( to make the motivation level a bit lower)?

EMS also offers a good introduction to an active lifestyle for people who are less interested in sports. Especially in terms of motivation: It only takes short training sessions! Many exercises can be learned in safe settings and the stimulus can be gradually increased in intensity by means of the applied stimulation level. This also prepares well for the follow-up training for advanced and professionals.

myostyle: Fitness in the office: Is EMS the perfect solution?

EMS is a time-saving training method, because the whole body can be trained simultaneously. Through this the entire body can be trained quickly and an improved body performance can be achieved. Thus, the little muscles required by office work can be efficiently increased to a higher activation level and the body will feel revitalized afterwards.