Electro-Muscular Stimulation Offers Safe Exercise for Everyone of All Ages

It is time to scrap the commonly-held idea that fitness is the exclusive benefit of the young. It is, of course, not difficult to see how such a misconception may arise, given the extreme lengths to which many of those attending fitness centres are prepared to go, in order to maintain their slender silhouettes or impressive six-packs. For those of more advanced years, however, the potential for injury when engaging in such exertions is significantly higher, and the ongoing belief that this represents the sole effective route to physical fitness has served to present an impassable barrier for many of those who could benefit. In fact, advances in technology have now opened the door to a new and safe form of exercise suitable for everyone of all ages.

Known as electro-muscular stimulation, but more often by the acronym EMS, it is a powerful fitness training tool that requires little or no effort on the part of the trainee. As such, it overcomes the fears of older people and of those whose fitness levels have been severely compromised by their lifestyle choices, that the physical effort required might be beyond their personal abilities or could even pose a threat to their health. In practice, EMS offers the perfect solution for anyone whose level of fitness might preclude them from participating in a conventional programme of resistance training, and is proving to be the ideal solution for those aged between 40 and 60, while even attracting many who are older.

So, how is it possible to lose weight, tone your body, or build and strengthen your muscles without straining to lift weights or overcome the resistance provided by some form of exercise apparatus? Can a safe exercise programme designed for everyone and for people of all ages really work without considerable effort on the part of the trainee? The simple answer to the latter question is yes and, for the former, the explanation lies in the use of an electrical current to involuntarily produce the same muscular contractions that are produced voluntarily in response to conventional resistance training.

Whether voluntary or involuntary, all muscular contractions occur in response to an electrical current. When lifting a weight, that current is transmitted by nervous activity, whilst an EMS machine delivers its charge via electrodes placed on the skin above a given muscle. However, whilst lifting a weight requires a single contraction, using a pulsed current, the EMS machine can produce multiple contractions every second. This means that this is not only a safe exercise option that is suitable for everyone of all ages, but it is also able to produce visible results in far less time, given that the multiple contractions produced by electro-muscular stimulation are around 150 times more effective than those generated by means of a conventional workout.

It is easy to see that the limited physical effort required offers older trainees the promise of safety, but what makes EMS suitable for all? Personalised programmes based on age, established fitness levels and desired outcomes compiled and applied by a qualified and experienced Body20 trainer ensure that this is not only a safe exercise option for all ages, but that it is also appropriate for everyone.