EMS Max Strength Journal
BRIEF BIO
I’m 21 years old and a senior in college studying exercise science. My username may be familiar to many people on this forum as I’ve held journals on this website over the past 5-6 years. I just started seriously training for and competing in Olympic style weightlifting in November 2011 (~6 months ago). I realize that this is a very late start for this sport in which it would have been ideal to start at age 12, but this excuse will not stop me from being the best I can be in this sport.
PURPOSE
I realize that this is a forum for sprinters mostly as I’ve been a former sprinter (very slow though), but the main purpose for this journal is to utilize the Electronic Muscle Stimulator (EMS) as an implement to my strength training. I know that this device was highly advocated by Charlie Francis after reading many of his materials (CFTS, Key Concepts, forum reviews, EMS training theory thread, etc) and also realize that this device would benefit my training more and could be used more often as a lifter. Now that I know the potential benefits for EMS, I find it hard to believe that very few athletes use this device. I’m no expert on EMS and I’m still learning new things everyday about it. I want to use this journal to track my progress and use it as a resource to people here interested in incorporating EMS Max Strength to their training.
CURRENT TRAINING AND HOW I INTEND TO USE EMS MAX STRENGTH
I just finished my Base/GPP Block of doing some higher volume reps (10’s) and now going into a more specific training block (5’s). You can look at my sample training program here: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=136294381&page=1. I’ve been making some good gains in the program already, but I think EMS will be an extra aid in my “lust” for strength gains. I plan on adding two EMS sessions per week which would be at the end of the day on Mondays and Thursdays over this entire block as well as the next two blocks. Every three weeks I will unload on whatever training block I am currently in and just do one EMS session that week. This journal should have 19 EMS sessions total if everything goes as planned. I will be using EMS on the quads, glutes, hamstrings, abs, low back, and trapsezius muscle groups.
Here are my current training numbers
Height – 5’9”/175cm
Weight – 181lbs/82kg
Snatch – 220lbs/100kg
Clean and Jerk – 275lbs/125kg
Back Squat – 362lbs/~165kg x 10, 397lbs/~180kg x 2, 370lbs/168kg x 5
Front Squat – 377lbs/171kg x 1
Clean Grip DL – 363lbs/165kg x 2
Snatch Grip DL – 342lbs/155kg x 3
Bench – 232lbs x 10, 250lbs x 5, 275lbs x 2
Military Press – 127lbs x 10, 165lbs x 3
Push Press – 197lbs x 5, 227lbs x 2
BTN Push Press – 202lbs x 10
OTHER INFO
I’m using the Neurotrac Sport XL unit that I bought for $160 USD from the UK. If the unit doesn’t satisfy my needs, I’m getting a Globus unit. I will do 10 x 6sec ON/54sec OFF for each training session and just auto-regulate when I need to. I’ve only used Max Strength EMS for one block last summer on my hamstring muscles only (I’m extremely quad dominant) and the results were great. I wound up setting a PR in my 30m sprint at a bobsled combine without doing any speed work in 4 months.
Aside from Charlie Francis’ materials, I’m using Giovanni Ciriani’s “EMS Digest” manual as a resource for pad placement, etc. I’d highly encourage anyone to read this manual who is looking into incorporating EMS into their training program.