Most Common Mistakes When Training With EMS
Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS), also known as E-stim or Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES), is a physical electrotherapy treatment that engages muscle contractions using gentle electrical impulses. Typically, it is our body that works the muscles by sending electrical signals from our brain through the central nervous system. An EMS device mimics this action of signals coming from the cells in our nervous system, enabling deep and intense muscular contractions without actually having to stimulate the nervous system.
The body doesn’t recognize the difference between a voluntary and an electrically stimulated contraction. It only recognizes a stimulus and reacts to it accordingly. When used in training, EMS can help increase our muscles’ efforts by recruiting dormant or weak muscle fibers, in turn making the workouts more efficient and effective.
But before you start training with EMS, it is important to identify some common mistakes that can keep you from building muscles and getting in shape. If an EMS device is not used correctly, these mistakes can cost you months of hard work.
Setting the wrong current intensity
The ideal frequency and intensity of current can be difficult to determine without proper knowledge or assistance. When the current intensity is not high enough to elicit muscle contraction, it can keep you from reaping the full benefits of EMS. Meanwhile, people who have a high pain threshold may overdo the current intensity. This can cause severe muscle damage. And when a muscle is damaged, it can release small muscle particles into the bloodstream and damage the kidneys too.
Doing the wrong exercises
Doing random exercises without a proper workout structure will bring little to no results. When your exercises are ineffective, it also nullifies the performance of EMS. Sometimes, people can put too much emphasis on only certain muscles. It is important to include compound exercises in your routine that will work several muscles at the same time to create higher muscle tension. Around two to five days of rest should also be ensured before training the same muscle group again.
Inadequate knowledge about EMS
Though EMS training sessions are brief, they are quite intense. When the maximum electrical exposure is not properly assessed, it can cause severe injuries. It can also cause skin irritations and possible burns when used excessively. Moreover, people with skin allergies should swap their adhesive pads for hypoallergic ones to avoid rashes or redness of the skin.
While EMS is convenient and seems simple to use, it involves many hidden risks that can be challenging to monitor without proper guidance. Hence, it is highly recommended to work with an expert who can keep tabs on how strong the electrical currents are and how much of a dose is acceptable based on your unique needs and circumstances.
At FCBS Dubai, our certified professionals are specifically trained to oversee EMS training sessions. To know more about our EMS services, call us on +971 4 3255481 or email us at info@fcbsglobal.com.