Electric Muscle Stimulators (EMS) stimulate the muscles with an electric current. More precisely, this technique reproduces the process of muscle contraction and relaxation. Instead of the natural phenomenon, it is therefore an electrical impulse that intervenes to contract the muscle.

In terms of material, electro-stimulator devices come in many forms.

There are EMS that target your belly, others target your butt, and also some are designed for buttocks or thighs. These varied forms work differently and each one has a specific objective.

By means of these contractions, the Electric Muscle Stimulators promise to make the muscle work and therefore … to shape it.

The advantage is also that the EMS makes it possible to reach muscles that are difficult to access by conventional fitness exercises (the rectus abdominos and the transverse abs, for example).

Does that imply you need just to lay on the couch and get the body of a goddess?

No way!

So to answer the question: Do Electric Muscle Stimulators Work? the answer is YES, but to build muscle, you need to associate using EMS with training or at least use them while working out.

Certified plastic surgeon Dr. Manish Shah, MD says abdominal stimulators can help tone midsection muscles by helping to contract muscles and activating blood flow with vibrations.

However, he points out that there is a misconception that abdominal stimulators burn fat or are a primary tool for weight loss, and they are not.

“A diet that has no significant nutritional and fitness goals other than using an abdominal stimulator will not help you achieve chiseled abs,” he explains.

Therefore, if you count only on EMS to burn fat and get a good shape, you won’t go far. The best way to follow a training plan and do some exercises. If it is associated with Electric Muscle Stimulators, it will build muscles and give impressive results.

For Electric Muscle Stimulators to work properly, Lucile Woodward, a certified coach and fitness blogger, asserted that the electrodes should be placed on the target area and do the same fitness exercises for the same area as well.

She continues that for the EMS to be effective, it is therefore not enough to put the electrodes, but to put them in motion, ideally twice a week.

For example, to strengthen your buttocks in-depth, you place the electrodes on the buttocks, then proceed to a classic session of squats, pelvic raises or leg raises.

The Electric Muscle Stimulators then make it possible to give a higher intensity to the muscle strengthening the exercise.

Indeed, do All our effortless bodybuilding dreams fall apart?

Lucile answered this question saying, “Electric Muscle Stimulators alone can still stimulate the muscles, but it is less effective. The muscle fibers are used less.”

Another important thing to know: when you use electrostimulation without doing sport at the same time, the sensation is much more painful (remember, it is still electric shocks)!

Finally, EMS is only helpful if associated with the workout. If used alone, they don’t give significant results.

Electrical stimulation seems to work to improve blood circulation through the activation of muscles. In fact, it works just as well as many other recovery methods. The major problem is that there is a great deal of variability between people as to the exact level of electrical stimulation required.

It is possible to make it too intense, creating either pain or additional muscle fatigue. While electrical stimulation can work very well in studies, it doesn’t work well enough to offset its potential drawbacks.

C. Shanté Cofield, D.P.T., founder of The Movement Maestro says that ” EMS can be a great way to help with recovery, particularly in runners, because the muscle pumping activity can help with circulation and decrease swelling in the lower limbs without requiring additional impact or exercise.”

Remember that there are different degrees of injuries. Some serious injuries require the intervention of a specialist to be fixed. Therefore, we don’t advise anyone to take a risk in case of serious injury.

As far as pain is concerned, Brenna Canterbury, a Flagstaff-based physical therapist, says that muscle stimulators work better to reduce pain.

However, They aren’t, in fact, fixing injuries but they calm things down. EMS works off of something called Gate Control Theory. Basically, when you’re in pain, your muscles scream about it by sending impulses to your brain via your spinal cord.  Therefore, Electric Muscle Stimulators work by interrupting the muscle-brain pain conversation.

Brenna Canterbury also forwarded that EMS “also likely stimulates the production and release of endorphins,” which further help dull the pain.

Indeed, to answer the question: do Electric Muscle Stimulators Work? we conclude that it works and EMS gave enchanting results when used properly and associated with workout. However, the effect seems less significant if used alone.

Also, we conclude that it works to reduce pain and for recovery as the shocks, they send to the brain interrupt the pain-brain conversation. Nonetheless, it doesn’t work to reduce belly fat or lose weight.

You can read a similar article about Electric muscle stimulation before and after.