Electricity is often referred to as the “fairy godmother” because of its many benefits in our daily lives. Electricity lights us up, allows us to cook, work, communicate, and even heal ourselves and keep us in shape, to name a few. It is thanks to electricity that we owe electromyostimulation or EMS, a technology that allows us to maintain and get back in shape. Let’s take a look at the origins of this method that has become a must-have in fitness studios.
The properties of electricity were already a source of curiosity in the years 2500 before our era. The Egyptians considered electric fish to be the protectors of other fish. In ancient Greece, patients suffering from headaches, arthritis or gout were prescribed to touch electric eels to cure themselves.
But it was not until the 18th century that the relationship between electricity and musculature was established. It is the famous test of stimuli carried out on a frog by Luigi Galvani where the muscle reacts following an electric stimulation.
A century later, Duchenne and Faraday developed the first electrical power generator, which allowed them to stimulate the muscle without burning the skin. This accelerated the development of new procedures to treat muscle-related problems through electricity.
In the 1960s, electrostimulation made its entrance into the world of sports. In preparation for the 1972 Olympic Games, the USSR used electrostimulation to increase the muscle mass of its athletes. The other countries’ opinion of the process was frosty, as EMS was considered to be technological doping.
It was not until the 1990s that EMS was better perceived and popularized in medical and sports circles. Abdominal belts were offered over the counter, allowing millions of people to work their abs with less effort. One of the biggest promises of EMS is that it can work your muscles 4 times more effectively than a simple exercise.
If the abdominal belt is free to use, it is because it is applied to a local area and does not require specific training. On the other hand, the combination of electrostimulation acts on 8 muscle areas. This requires the intervention of doctors to evaluate whether your body has any contra-indications to follow a session as well as coaches to adopt the right gestures. The combination of full body EMS developed by Miha Bodytech and used in the Iron Bodyfit studios stimulates the following muscles:
Once you step into one of our Iron Bodyfit locations, professionals will guide you through each step of the workout. An EMS session lasts about 20 minutes, but it does allow you to stimulate the different muscles of the body for the equivalent of a 4 hour workout. The magic of technology can help you reach your goals faster. Come and try it to be convinced!
