Buying an EMS

[T-Slow]

@gciriani

With all due respect T-Slow, I looked up the specs of the unit, and I do not think it is a powerful enough unit. Since one could think that I’m partial because of my affiliation with Globus, I think we should look at facts on the unit you recommend, which can be found on several sites advertising it for sale.
[ul]
[li]The maximum current is 43 mA*.[/li][li]The dual channel operation means that you will not be able to independently control muscle differences between left and right**.[/li][li]Waveform width duration falls short of what would be a more effective value***.[/ul][/li]
Note*: the various sites advertise a maximum current of 86 mA for 1000 Ohm. Since this is the maximum the machine can give, and depends on the resistance (or impedance) connected to the machines, a higher load will decrease the maximum current available. Quadriceps have an impedance of at least 2000 Ohm, therefore the current will be at least half as much. Please consider that in an EMS training regimen of several weeks, one will make a steady progression on the current level: typical starting at 30 mA the first couple of days, and then going up to 80 mA in the ensuing weeks.
Note**: current intensity needs to be adjusted depending on exact pad placement, muscle asymmetries, imbalances.
Note***: The various sites selling the unit quote 330 µs for duration of the pulse; some of them as an afterthought mention 450 µ. So I wouldn’t trust this information so dissimilar between different pages. For efficient quadriceps stimulation again you need 450 µs.

Hi there gciriani,

First of all, I want to say I greatly respect your contributions to the forum over the years, as well as greatly respect your knowledge of all things EMS.

With respect to the unit I suggested, it was not done on a whim. I have used it with great success for a number of years.

First, the individual who inquired about EMS units is a college student, a demographic that is not exactly flush with disposable income to spend on $450+ EMS units. The Neurotrac has been covered in numerous threads in the past and has many satisfied owners, as do various Compex and Globus units.

I used the Neurotrac XL this very week on my athlete’s hamstrings for strength maintenance due to a small injury, and I couldn’t get past 40 mA out of 90mA on the contractions. Of course, he has a ton of white fibre, so that likely made a difference! Also, as stated over time an adaptation will likely occur and more current may be required, but since EMS max strength blocks tend to be very short, this may not be much of an issue, as the adaptation time is limited.

When it came to using the Neurotrac XL on the quads for max strength this time, I skipped it because he has a strain in the gracillus, so I can’t comment on how it affected him. Personally, when I used it on my quads for max strength, I found I couldn’t get anywhere near the max output, and I have very little white fibre, so whatever the actual max output for the Neurotrac XL when taking into account the resistance of the quads, in actual practice it hasn’t been a problem for me.

Also, the protocols for max strength suggested by Charlie, Zatsiorsky, et al. are not contained in any commercial machine i am aware of. I don’t know why the 10 second on, 50 second off protocol is avoided by makers of EMS units, but I’m interested in following the protocols of the greatest sprint coach of all time- I don’t care what other researchers or EMS vendors think, I want to follow Charlie’s protocols to the letter. None of the EMS units offered currently on the market meet this need, thus having the Neurotrac’s ability to create custom programs is a massive advantage.

With regard to recovery, it is not necessary to have an expensive EMS unit in my experience. Cheaper units work fine for pulsing, and here again having the ability to create a custom profile is an advantage that the Neurotrac XL has. As a concrete example; despite the fact that Waldemar has custom designed his own EMS units and his office is littered with many different older industrial units, he has repeatedly used a VERY inexpensive Chinese made unit to deliver EMS recovery as well as electro-acupuncture during sessions in his office.

Again, for the average user who is unwilling to spend $450+ on an EMS unit, the Neurotrac XL is a no brainer. Like anything else in life, I realize quality costs money, so I am certain that more expensive Compex and Globus units are better in many ways. However, if one has a choice of a $150 EMS unit or nothing, there is no way that the Neurotrac is worse than nothing.

http://www.charliefrancis.com/community/showthread.php?2067-EMS-UNITS-Charlie-Others