Hello to everyone!Im new here as a member so bear with me, please.
Im a decathlete living, training and competing in europe. I have a pb of 7922 (2007).
I have a question about EMS machines - which are the best to buy for increased strength work. according to Charlies articles, I have been looking for a machine with a Ramp time shorter than 1s, but have not been successful.Would appreciate any help! Plus, and training protocols associated with the EMS machines would also be appreciated. Thank you very much,
Josef
I think Compex makes some of the best EMS units. There was a competitor company who made a similar (and cheaper) product but their name escapes me at the moment.
The compex units are great. The pads are just a little expensive. You want a unit with the explosive strength setting.
Thank you…what about incorperating it into a training program.I imagine during the max strength phase,but what about during sprint specifics. My physio saw Tyson Gay using EMS prior to a sprint workout when we were at the training track in Osaka.
I know the main thing is to “crank it up”, but about a protocol to follow, procedure, tips, insane ideas…
The Compex units are very nice. Very convenient to use with lots of pre-set programs. However, the strength programs do not conform to the Kots recommendations of 10 seconds of contraction and 50 seconds of relaxation. Also, the frequencies are preset for 33 Hz for endurance (slow twitch setting) and 66 Hz for strength work (fast twitch) with Compex units. So, what you get in convenience, you lack in flexibility with settings.
Other companies have similar EMS machines such as Cefar (which was actually bought recently by Compex Technologies). I have both a Cefar and Compex unit and I like them both (although they are both pre-set units) because of the convenience issue. However, I also have other units that allow me to customize the frequency, ramp times, contraction times and relaxation times. It’s nice to have some customizing abilities. Cefar had a unit that allowed programmability (Cefar MyoPro 4) but they discontinued it.
Another company (I have no experience with their products) is Globus. They have programmable models. You will have to spend $500 to $1000 US to get a high quality programmable model. Even the top Compex preset units are still in this price range.
I like the units for their ability to build strength, but also to do circulatory work and help with bringing down muscle tone.
Hope that helps.
Thank you guys/girls.
I looked into some of the machines and they all look pretty interesting…maybe too interesting…I was hoping to find maybe something “old-school”…nothing too complicated and even a little cheaper price range. basically, I need it to fill the needs of the Kots protocal(which Im having trouble finding on the net).Pain during stimulation isnt too much of a problem, I’ll bite down on my toothbrush and my ego par the amount of time it takes.
Do you guys know anything about the Tone-A-matic machines…- Russian Stim TDR 64-…www.toneamatic.com
thanks again for all the help…just looking for that extra edge
At first glance, these two appear to be ok. I might opt for the latter.
Here is the one I use:
http://www.vitalityweb.com/backstore/ems4000.htm
do you have the R vesion?what about the ramp speed, is it too low-3s for your machine I believe?
thanks for the help
No, I just have the regular version. There is someone on here that swears by Russian stim for some unsubstantiated reason though.
Ramp time is 3sec but that at least makes it more bearable. It is difficult to find a machine that meets all the magic specifications 100%. For example, if you’re supposed to do 50sec work 10sec rest and your unit only does 40sec, so what? Do 40sec work and and 8 sec rest. I think what I’m trying to say is that I don’t think we’ve found “the ultimate unit” that is a hands-down winner.
ok, thanks…I’ll do a little more research and then finally get one…
oh, sorry, one more thing…i believe it states that 15-25 sessions bring the most effects…but how many times a year/season can I do it and at what time intervals from each other…month/three?thanks
Russian programs are old technology; it was done when digital technology was not around. Globus and Compex have the best programs nowadays. Ramps of 3s are too long: they will fatigue your muscle and take away from your training. Best ramps are between 1s and 2s, which compromises between comfort and result.
I see you found our EMS section(s)…nice post and welcome aboard.
Rupert
Let me give you the skinny on Russian stim.
Rusian current is an old type of current invented by a Russian scientist (Kotz or Kots), that gets recycled a lot by physiotherapist, because they learned it in school. It’s not used in modern Sport training anymore because it’s more painful for the same amount of contraction, and it only stimulates at one frequency.
From a current point of view it’s a 2500 Hz current, modulated in 50 packets of waves per second, so in practice the muscle is trained as if it was a 50 Hz stimulation. But it equally stimulates your efferent nerves (nociceptive or pain nerves), so it stings more. Kotz used it with notable atheletes like Valery Borzov who won the 100m (and 200m?) in the Olympic Games in the 70’s. It was notable because Kots demonstrated with these results that you could improve the training of athletes with electro muscle stimulation. This spawned a lot of research in the west. Many couldn’t obtain the same results that Kotz claimed to obtain, and lost interest. Further research for sport finally established square wave as the standard for sport. Nowadays no serious athlete uses Russian currents to train anymore, they all use the modern bi-phasic symmetric square wave.
Keep in mind that in the 60’s when Kots started his research and started applying it to athletes, he didn’t have the advanced electronic devices available nowadays, and all he had was a generator of high frequency sinusoidal waves, which he interrupted 50 times a second, because this is the frequency you get from your outlet in Europe. Now it’s easy to see that a sinusoid doesn’t have the same sudden increase of a square wave, and doesn’t have the variable chronaxie (pulse duration) that we have for different muscles.