How Muscle Stimulators Can Increase Muscle Strength And Recovery
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Shock Your Training
If you’ve been hearing all the talk about muscle stimulation among your workout partners (and competitors), it may be time to pay attention. Long used in training rooms and physical therapy offices, these medical devices are designed to send electrical impulses deep into muscles, causing them to contract. In the past few years, muscles stimulators have been embraced by pro athletes to increase muscle strength and speed recovery. But more portable and easier-to-use devices mean triathletes, CossFitters, fitness competitors, and weekend warriors can reap the benefits, too.
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How Stim Works
The unit mimics the signal that your brain sends to cause your muscle to contract when you exercise. That contraction brings blood flow to the targeted area and stimulates the lymphatic system to push out metabolic waste and swelling without causing muscle fatigue, explains Ryan Heaney, president of muscle stimulator brand Marc Pro. “It’s like jumping on an exercise bike, except you can only do that for so long before it becomes work,” he says. Stick in a few electrodes onto whichever muscles you worked the hardest or a chronic trouble zone, then fire up for 30 minutes before bed and you’ll wake up feeling fresher, Heaney says. The Marc Pro uses a unique slow-wave electric stimulation that feels like a slow contract and release to stimulate muscle. The easy-to-use device helped more than 92 percent of users experience better recovery. From $650 (Pro) to $950 (Pro Plus), macropro.com.
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Recover Better
By recovering more fully, you’ll get injured less often and build more strength, say manufacturers. Certain evidence supports this: A randomized control study conducted by Marc Pro found that athletes given the devices to use at home while taking part in a lifting program built almost twice as much strength as those who didn’t use any special aids. It’s not that muscle stimulation makes you stronger, says Heaney. It’s more about improving your recovery. “That’s where the adaptations and improvements happen.”
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Fire It Up
Other brands say stimulation can help increase strength by training muscles to fire more effectively. “Even the highest performing athletes can’t recruit more than 30 to 40 percent of their muscle fibers,” says Eric Glader, senior director of business development for Compex, which began marketing its muscle-stimulating devices two years ago. Plus, says Glader, we all have a dominant side that picks up the slack for your weaker side when working out, exacerbating the imbalance. Using a muscle-stim device post-workout sends uniform neuromuscular signals, triggering up to 100 percent of the fibers to contract. And while these contractions along won’t make you stronger, they may help teach your body how to recruit and use more of its muscle fiber, yielding more explosive strength, improved balance, and fewer overuse injuries. CrossFitters and pro athletes alike use Compex to reduce lactic acid four times faster and boost blood flow by 600 percent, which helps fortify muscle and hasten recovery. From $249 (Edge) to $1,149 (Wireless), shopcompex.com.
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Battle Of Muscle
Still, not everyone is sold on using a muscle stimulator as a high-tech (and fairly high-priced) training tool. “Studies clearly show that it can preserve muscle mass in people who are unable to exercise,” says Brad Schoenfield, Ph.D., an assistant professor at CUNY Lehman College in New York. But he considers the evidence to be equivocal at best. “Some studies show a benefit, others don’t,” Schoenfield says. Others see it as the future of training. “I’ve seen significant improvements in overall strength, power, and speed using electrical muscle stimulation,” says Derek Hansen, C.S.C.S., who is writing a book about muscle stimulation for athletes. But using the technology in a training program can take some trial and error, as everyone has different results and comfort levels.
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Power On
Ready to jump into the market? Keep in mind that while muscle-stim devices are generally safe and shouldn’t case any side effects, stick to those (including Compex and Marc Pro) that have FDA approval. Also keep in mind how and where you expect ot use it. If you’ll keep it in your gym bag, the newest models are a must-have. If not, you can get the same benefits at a steep discount by going for a wired model. Not sure? Consider connecting with brands on social media to ask questions, get the inside scoop, and even find out about events where you can try the devices live before you buy.
If you’ve been hearing all the talk about muscle stimulation among your workout partners (and competitors), it may be time to pay attention. Long used in training rooms and physical therapy offices, these medical devices are designed to send electrical impulses deep into muscles, causing them to contract.
In the past few years, muscles stimulators have been embraced by pro athletes to increase muscle strength and speed recovery. But more portable and easier-to-use devices mean triathletes, CossFitters, fitness competitors, and weekend warriors can reap the benefits, too.
How Stim Works
The unit mimics the signal that your brain sends to cause your muscle to contract when you exercise. That contraction brings blood flow to the targeted area and stimulates the lymphatic system to push out metabolic waste and swelling without causing muscle fatigue, explains Ryan Heaney, president of muscle stimulator brand Marc Pro. “It’s like jumping on an exercise bike, except you can only do that for so long before it becomes work,” he says. Stick in a few electrodes onto whichever muscles you worked the hardest or a chronic trouble zone, then fire up for 30 minutes before bed and you’ll wake up feeling fresher, Heaney says.
The Marc Pro uses a unique slow-wave electric stimulation that feels like a slow contract and release to stimulate muscle. The easy-to-use device helped more than 92 percent of users experience better recovery. From $650 (Pro) to $950 (Pro Plus), macropro.com.
Recover Better
By recovering more fully, you’ll get injured less often and build more strength, say manufacturers. Certain evidence supports this: A randomized control study conducted by Marc Pro found that athletes given the devices to use at home while taking part in a lifting program built almost twice as much strength as those who didn’t use any special aids. It’s not that muscle stimulation makes you stronger, says Heaney. It’s more about improving your recovery. “That’s where the adaptations and improvements happen.”
Fire It Up
Other brands say stimulation can help increase strength by training muscles to fire more effectively. “Even the highest performing athletes can’t recruit more than 30 to 40 percent of their muscle fibers,” says Eric Glader, senior director of business development for Compex, which began marketing its muscle-stimulating devices two years ago.
Plus, says Glader, we all have a dominant side that picks up the slack for your weaker side when working out, exacerbating the imbalance. Using a muscle-stim device post-workout sends uniform neuromuscular signals, triggering up to 100 percent of the fibers to contract. And while these contractions along won’t make you stronger, they may help teach your body how to recruit and use more of its muscle fiber, yielding more explosive strength, improved balance, and fewer overuse injuries.
CrossFitters and pro athletes alike use Compex to reduce lactic acid four times faster and boost blood flow by 600 percent, which helps fortify muscle and hasten recovery. From $249 (Edge) to $1,149 (Wireless), shopcompex.com.
Battle Of Muscle
Still, not everyone is sold on using a muscle stimulator as a high-tech (and fairly high-priced) training tool. “Studies clearly show that it can preserve muscle mass in people who are unable to exercise,” says Brad Schoenfield, Ph.D., an assistant professor at CUNY Lehman College in New York. But he considers the evidence to be equivocal at best. “Some studies show a benefit, others don’t,” Schoenfield says.
Others see it as the future of training. “I’ve seen significant improvements in overall strength, power, and speed using electrical muscle stimulation,” says Derek Hansen, C.S.C.S., who is writing a book about muscle stimulation for athletes. But using the technology in a training program can take some trial and error, as everyone has different results and comfort levels.
Power On
Ready to jump into the market? Keep in mind that while muscle-stim devices are generally safe and shouldn’t case any side effects, stick to those (including Compex and Marc Pro) that have FDA approval. Also keep in mind how and where you expect ot use it. If you’ll keep it in your gym bag, the newest models are a must-have. If not, you can get the same benefits at a steep discount by going for a wired model. Not sure? Consider connecting with brands on social media to ask questions, get the inside scoop, and even find out about events where you can try the devices live before you buy.
