EMS Theory - Continued

[gciriani]

Almost three years ago I started the EMS Theory thread to help educate people interested in electrical muscle stimulation. Charlie Francis was a great advocate of EMS, and I'd like to share recent articles that help consolidate knowledge in this field.

The XVIII Congress of the International Society of Electrophysiology and Kinesiology (ISEK 2010), took place in June 2010 in Denmark. This gathering had a special session: Electrical stimulation for testing and training in exercise and sports. Several papers* were presented during this session, whose authors are among the foremost researchers in the field. The editorial covering the whole session, can be freely downloaded:
Maffiuletti NA, Minetto MA, Farina D, Bottinelli R. Electrical stimulation for neuromuscular testing and training: state-of-the art and unresolved issues. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 2011;111(10):2391-2397.
Since there are many skeptics, the editorial does imply that muscle hypertrophy can be achieved with EMS.

In the rest of the articles, one passage reminded me in a statement of a debate I had in this forum with Charlie Francis himself.

Strength training by EMS does promote neural and muscular adaptations that are complementary to the well-known effects of voluntary resistance training

I knew from previous readings that EMS produced the peak of its results between 6 and 8 weeks from beginning of EMS training. Charlie put his spin on what I quoted in a post, and wrote that significant results could be seen much earlier. I'm sorry I didn't believe him then, because now these papers show he was spot on. One of the articles states:

neural adaptation happens much earlier (4 weeks) than muscle fiber adaptation (6-8 weeks).

Note*:

1. Hortobágyi T, Maffiuletti NA. Neural adaptations to electrical stimulation strength training. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 2011;111(10):2439-2449.
2. Gobbo M, Gaffurini P, Bissolotti L, Esposito F, Orizio C. Transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation: influence of electrode positioning and stimulus amplitude settings on muscle response. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 2011;111(10):2451-2459.
3. Botter A, Oprandi G, Lanfranco F, et al. Atlas of the muscle motor points for the lower limb: implications for electrical stimulation procedures and electrode positioning. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 2011;111(10):2461-2471.
4. Bickel CS, Gregory CM, Dean JC. Motor unit recruitment during neuromuscular electrical stimulation: a critical appraisal. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 2011;111(10):2399-2407.
5. Gondin J, Cozzone PJ, Bendahan D. Is high-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation a suitable tool for muscle performance improvement in both healthy humans and athletes? European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2011.

[a-j]

I remember reading that thread over n over again, I first started using forms of EMS back in 2001 when I first got hold of the cfts

Charlie liked the use of EMS during max strength phases to maximise the adaptation

As someone heavily involved in EMS development and dare I say marketing? What would you recommend as protocols for sprint athletes? 3 years on from your initial thread and wiser

Note: I have a globus

[gciriani]

a-j,
I don't think I'm qualified to recommend anything else other than what Charlie used to: for instance the use of a 10/50/10 protocol. Perhaps Number two may have further suggestions.

[NumberTwo]

I am actually working with Giovanni to develop speed/sprint based protocols based on both Charlie's recommendations and my own experiences with EMS and high performance athletes. I could go into more detail, but I would like to keep the information under wraps until they are incorporated into an actual muscle stim unit that can be presented to coaches and athletes. I have been doing testing with a variety of athletes with very good success.

Stay tuned...

[Kerr]

Oh waiting was never my strong point. I was just reading on EMS info the past few days. We need your knowledge NumberTwo!

[a-j]

Well that was kinda what I was leaning toward, why haven't the protocols set and used successfully by Charlie decades ago embedded into units for use now?

My globus can be programmed but choosing the variables is a very labours chore

[NumberTwo]

Yes - I agree. We hope to have all of the most useful protocols pre-set into the new unit. This includes setting the optimal work-to-rest ratios, the appropriate frequencies, optimal ramp-up/down times, and most comfortable pulse-width settings.

I believe most EMS units are created for the "general public" with catch-all settings that conform to the most people. We hope to create a niche market EMS unit that targets performance based clients who have specific goals - both performance and rehab based.

I would also include a comprehensive manual which most EMS units do not include. This includes how to most appropriately integrate EMS with your current training program (i.e. when, how much, etc.). And, people need to understand that for strength building, the unit must be turned up as high as possible to elicit the best results. This is not popular with the average consumer as it is very uncomfortable.

Giovanni and I are trying to combine our different skills sets and experiences to come up with an effective ems unit.

Well that was kinda what I was leaning toward, why haven't the protocols set and used successfully by Charlie decades ago embedded into units for use now?

My globus can be programmed but choosing the variables is a very labours chore

[Kerr]

How long will it take before some info on this "product" comes to light?

[a-j]

This makes me smile :-)

[NumberTwo]

I will sure to provide notice on our progress. Our intention is not simply to sell a product, but to provide appropriate education around the product in terms of integration with an appropriate training program for speed.

This is something that Charlie wanted to do. Not simply provide an EMS unit, but educate people on how to use it effectively. I believe Giovanni and I are passionate about extending Charlie's intentions.