"In summary, the increase of muscle mass with simultaneous reduction of body fat mass is a central feature of EMS"  Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kemmler, University Nürnberg-Erlangen

 

 

Losing weight with EMS Training - does it work?

 

Because EMS Training not only trains individual muscle groups, but several muscle groups at the same time, the muscles are more heavily used than with conventional training methods. On the other hand, joints, tendons and ligaments are hardly strained at all, since no weights are used in electro-muscle stimulation. This is a great advantage, especially in the case of overweight: because of the high weight, the joints are often under particular strain, which can cause pain. These can be alleviated with joint-gentle training in the NEXXT GYM studios. Due to the high strain on the muscles during training, the metabolism gets going and fat burning is stimulated. Even after EMS training, fat burning can continue at full speed due to the afterburning effect.

 

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How many calories are burned during EMS training?

 

Depending on weight, age, gender and training intensity, the calorie consumption during EMS training varies. However, scientific studies show that EMS training can burn significantly more calories in a short period of time than conventional strength or endurance training: 20 minutes of EMS training is enough to burn up to 550 kcal - the equivalent of an entire main meal.

 

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Weight gain through EMS Training - how is that possible?

 

For many people it is depressing when after a few training sessions the weight increases instead of decreasing. This is because training with whole-body EMS addresses almost all major muscle groups simultaneously. Losing weight in the long term only works by building up muscles. However, since muscle mass is heavier than body fat, the number on the scales may remain the same or even increase for the time being, although a positive figure formation is visible. But much more important than weight is the reduction of body fat, especially on the stomach. This is because people in whom the fat accumulates mainly on the stomach have a higher risk of diabetes or cardiovascular disease. With increasing muscle mass, the body's basal metabolic rate is higher, which in the long run and in combination with a balanced diet, allows for a healthy weight loss.

 

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Does EMS training also help with severe overweight?

 

It is often pointed out that EMS training is not applicable in cases of severe overweight, as the stimulation cannot penetrate the fatty tissue to the muscles. However, this is a misconception and scientifically disproved: EMS training can be particularly successful in cases of high obesity. Recent studies prove that EMS training for obesity not only improves the figure, but also the blood and inflammation values. Although the higher subcutaneous fat weakens the impulse and the muscles are stimulated less intensively, the underlying muscles are often severely weakened, so that even low intensities are sufficient to stimulate the muscles to the maximum.

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Question to Prof. Dr. Kemmler:
Is it possible to lose weight through EMS training?

 

"Yes, definitely - only moderately, but all the more sustainably. Unfortunately, the scales at home provide little evidence of this, since the reduction of body fat is almost compensated by the increase in muscle mass. This effect is similar to an intensive strength training, while for an isolated endurance training or an energy-restrictive diet a reduction of muscle and fat mass in the ratio 1-4 or 1-3 is reported. In this context, I consider it very important that a muscle-preserving component is taken into account in weight management via energy restriction or endurance sports. Here EMS is certainly a time-effective option, which should ideally be combined with compensatory protein administration. If one addresses the extent of body fat reduction via regular EMS application, robust measurement methods show a EMS-induced decrease in body fat mass in the range of 1-1.5 kg after 10-12 weeks. Of relevance is that this effect is particularly prominent for abdominal body fat. Magnetic resonance imaging shows an above-average reduction of cardiometabolically highly relevant intraabdominal body fat. In summary, the increase of muscle mass with simultaneous reduction of body fat mass is a central feature of EMS. If one considers the paths through which EMS has an effect on energy turnover, the relevant mechanisms are not so much the acute load on EMS due to the low necessary training volume of EMS, but rather the increase in basic turnover due to the increase (and possibly metabolic activation) of muscle mass as well as a relatively high "afterburning effect" due to the necessary regeneration and adaptation effects of EMS training."