Electric Muscle Stim Article by Charlie Francis

Expert Discussion Recovery and Regeneration
21

Thank you for the article reference. Perhaps you can confirm that my understanding is correct, hopefully I am not way off here.

Even if fast and slow twitch fibres are recruited equally when using EMS, it’s still useful because voluntary contraction of muscle preferentially recruits slow twitch fibre, while EMS recruits equally and thus probably more fast twitch fibre than can be done voluntarily. (If you can contract more fibre with EMS overall, then you are very likely contracting more white fibre overall) Thus in the end, even if you are not preferentially contracting white fibre, you are still contracting more white fibre simply because you are able to contract more fibre overall.

Is that correct or am I not understanding?

22

T-Slow, I think you are basically correct. But remember that happens only in the fibers that fire (i.e. that are triggered by the EMS). So you have go high enough with current intensity.

In addition you cause more muscle fatigue in those fibers, than you would with voluntary efforts. Finally, EMS done for a sufficient number of weeks would convert some fibers I and IIx fibers into IIa fibers (also shown by research published by Maffiuletti).

23

Thank You…