You’ve probably seen it before. The infomercials on TV that features a man or woman lounging happily on the couch while some fancy electrodes stimulate their stomach into an instant 6-pack. These electrode machines, also known as Electrical Muscle Stimulation or EMS are becoming more and more common at online shopping website and in fitness magazines.

But isn’t this too good to be true? How on earth could you actually “shock” yourself fit? In this episode, you’re going to find out whether you really can lose fat with electrical stimulation.

Is There Research on EMS?

A recent study entitled “Effects of high-frequency current therapy on abdominal obesity in young women: a randomized controlled trial” is a perfect example that looks into this very question.

In the study, a group of subjects received 30 minutes of high-frequency current therapy via a series of electrodes placed on their stomachs. The subjects did these sessions 3 times per week for 6 weeks, for a total of 18 EMS sessions. The researchers measured waist circumference, body mass index, subcutaneous fat mass (that’s fat found under the skin), and body fat percentage.

The results were surprising, especially considering these women didn’t modify their exercise or diet.

The electrical stimulation caused significant effects on decreasing waist circumference, abdominal obesity, subcutaneous fat mass, and body fat percentage, leading the study to note in the final results that: “The use of the high-frequency current therapy may be beneficial for reducing the levels of abdominal obesity in young women.”

Other studies have shown EMS to be helpful for everything from pain management to helping increase muscle blood flow for warming up prior to performance-related activities. I discuss both these concepts and research in detail in my article How To Use Electrical Muscle Stimulation to Enhance Performance, Build Power and VO2 Max and the podcast episode How the LA Lakers, The Boston Red Sox & Over 104 Other Professional Teams Are Maximizing Recovery.

So now that you know these devices aren’t a complete sham, how can you use them? Here are 3 quick and dirty tips about EMS:

Tip #1: Work Out With EMS

I own several EMS units and one of the workouts that I do with the more powerful unit called a “Compex” is to attach the electrodes to my quads and hamstrings, then do 5-10 sets of body weight or barbell squats while I simultaneously run the electrical current through my legs.

This allows me to recruit more muscle fibers than I’d normally be able to during a squat, which makes the workout far more difficult. I can then attach the electrodes to my chest, my shoulders (or both), and do push-ups, overhead presses or bench presses for an upper body effect.

Most EMS units allow you to choose the intensity of the electrical current, so you can increase the pulse as you get stronger in the same way that you can increase the amount of weight you use for lifting as you get stronger.

---

Tip #2: Do Isometrics With EMS

Isometrics combined with EMS is a very effective way to increase the amount of lactic acid in a muscle, which can cause improvements in the ability to tolerate lactic acid during hard workouts or competitions such as 5Ks, cycling races, or weight lifting events. To use EMS in this way, you begin by getting into an isometric position.

See also: Get More Lean Muscle With Isometric Training

An isometric exercise, which combines the Greek words “isos” (“equal” or “same”) and “metron” (“distance” or “measure”), involves a muscle contraction without any visible movement in the angle of the joint.  This is in contrast to traditional moving isotonic contractions, in which your muscle length and joint angle change throughout the exercise.

If you’ve ever performed a wall squat (when you sit in an imaginary chair with your back against the wall for as long as you possibly can), then you’re familiar with teeth-grittingly high levels of lactic acid and muscle burn that isometric training can produce. Other examples of isometric moves are lunge holds, push-up holds, planks, or pull-up holds.

To combine isometrics with EMS, you simply stimulate the muscles that you’re working during your isometric sets, which significantly increases the number of muscle fibers you recruit and the amount of lactic acid that builds up inside the muscle.

Tip #3: Use EMS When You’re Sedentary or Injured

Let’s face it: there’s absolutely no point in sitting on the couch with a bunch of electrodes attached to you unless there’s a really good reason for you being on that couch. A good reason is an injury that has left you unable to move around much, or perhaps a really, really good movie or televised sports game. In most situations, it’s better to simply move around, go to the gym, or head outside to exercise.

But if you have indeed been relegated to a sedentary position, you can use EMS to keep your muscles activated (and as the latest study has shown, to burn fat too). In addition to working muscles while you’re recovering from an injury or watching a movie, you can also use EMS during car rides and on airplanes (yes, I’ve done it and the TSA is fine with it, although you may get funny looks from your seatmate). You can even work your calf muscles while you’re sitting at your desk at work if you’re unable to use a standing workstation.

Finally, you should be aware of the following:

• A TENS unit is often mistaken for an EMS unit, but they are not the same. TENS is short for “transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation” and it’s a measure of nerve stimulation, not muscles. While good for pain management, TENS is much different than EMS
• If your goal is fat loss or performance gains, you should know that the necessary frequency of electrical stimulation to achieve results can be a bit uncomfortable. When you use EMS, you are literally shocking yourself. And if you don’t know what you’re doing you can either place the electrodes improperly and stimulate muscle in a dangerous way (such as pulling joints in opposite directions), you can also get skin burns, or you can simply get no result at all. Be sure to thoroughly read the manual and usage instructions for any EMS device you use.

Do you have more questions about whether you can use electrical stimulation for fat loss? Have you used an EMS device? Tell us about your experiences in Comments below or head over to this link and join the conversation there!

EMS image courtesy of this link.