Let’s face it, the only constant in life has been weight gain. There is truth to the saying, “a watched pot never boils”, so too, does a watched waistline never decrease. One minute, you’re standing sideways admiring the hard work you have been putting in at the gym, and the next, you find yourself able to balance snacks and beverages on your bulge in the comfort of your own home.
Fear not! Where there is a will, there is way. And this way, is quite shocking.
Truthfully, it is very shocking. EMS, or Electronic Muscle Stimulation, is one of the latest fitness crazes to capture the attention of the unsuspecting couch potato.
At first glance, the obvious question is why?! If living has taught us anything, it is that certain activities can lead to DEATH. Do you remember watching The Green Mile? Do you know that nowadays there are institutions that request you to voluntarily accept being zapped in the brain, in order to make you smarter? Are you familiar with frostbite? Have you watched The Day After Tomorrow? Well, today, we have cryotherapy, where you opt to be placed inside a telephone box sized freezer for 3 minutes at -90°C. We are all familiar with the wooden box of death known as the Sauna. Step inside, feel like a Shawarma on the grill and burn those calories off.
Three things that used to cause death are now the solution to a healthy life. So apparently, mankind has adopted and accepted the age old adage of, “whatever does not kill you makes you stronger”. I digress, and let us jump back into the fray with what exactly is EMS.
A closely guarded secret of the Soviets during the 1960s, EMS has quickly gained popularity after undergoing numerous enhancements. EMS involves the attachment of electrodes to various muscle groups in your body; your arms, shoulders, back, abs, thighs and glutes (you can opt to have your calves included to if you feel brave). It works by sending a mild shock every few seconds, which you are supposed to push through and either hold a pose or perform a certain exercise.
Having opted to try out this fad in order to write an informed article about it, the following is the summary of my EMS experience:
Contrary to popular belief (and false advertising), EMS is not a quick fix, zero pain solution. You do not sit comfortably on a chair and feel a slight buzz as a machine pumps electronic waves into your epidermis all the way through to your subcutaneous tissue. You need to put in the work. If it does not challenge you, it will not change you.
EMS is billed as a 20-minute workout equivalent of spending 3 hours at the gym. Having spent that same time running on roads, I can attest that the amount of sweat that is worked out of you is equivalent, if not more than, with EMS.
As with any sport, consistency is key. I was monitoring my body composition whilst doing EMS and saw that fats were dropping, and muscle was increasing. However, I cannot attest as to how much of it was just because of EMS and what percentage was a result of clean eating and other exercise.
When you sign up for your free trial session, DO NOT BE A HERO! Your trainer will ask you if you are ok with the current voltage, whilst you are sedentary. Once you accept, you will be required to swallow that shock whilst doing pushups, burpees, lunges, handling weights etc. I opted for the macho answer of “more power” on my first session, which resulted in me being out-of-action for a week. Similar to the pain you feel when you are off gym for a while and then suddenly return.
In conclusion, EMS is not the mythical health unicorn or magic weight loss pill people want it to be. It is an arduous, tough, excruciating work-out that pays off. It will result in you achieving great shape, however if you do not maintain it, your victory will be short and fleeting.
Like the Rubik’s Cube, Ayman Nassar is multi-colored in his interests, from running to organizing races, stand- up comedy and internal audit, plus a little writing on the side. You can find him on YouTube or follow him on Instagram @lordaymz.
