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There are a number of possible protocol variations depending on athlete level, status (injured or fully active in all other training modalities).
Some of the possibilities and reasons will be on the EMS downloads coming out shortly. Stay tuned.
How does this unit look to you fellas?
It seems to meet all of the specifications, but I’m not sure about the “Pulse Width” which is 160ms.
If anybody could tell me if this unit would be appropriate for explosive 100m dash training and why/why not that would be greatly appreciated.
I don’t think this is a serious manufacturer. [ol]
[]First they should get their specs correctly: I doubt very much that pulse width is 160 ms (that means milliseconds, which is 160,000 microseconds). If instead they are just uneducated and they meant microseconds, you could question their knowledge in the field of electrostimulation.[]Besides, 160 microseconds is a width totally insufficient to stimulate muscles for sport training; for the legs you have to use something covering the range 350 to 450 micro-sec[]I couldn’t find the device in the list of FDA certified devices. If they are not listed with the FDA, they are illegally selling them, and they are not serious.[]The unit is bulky. I would go with a professional portable unit.[*]In the FDA link I entered above, only Globus and Compex are the units conceived for athlete training.[/ol]
I may have missed this, but where are Charlie’s EMS guidelines? I know there are some in Speed Trap or Training for Speed, but are there more recent comphensive guidelines that I missed on this board or for purchase. Did I see a post about a podcast on EMS?
There is a section in Charlie’s new Elite Edition download (fantastic btw!), I havn’t got that far yet but will read it thoroughly soon as I am going to purchase an EMS unit.
It seems though that a talented sprinter can get a very forceful contraction from a standard EMS system due to the high proportion of white fibre… also standard units are made to travel through fat, so again scope for a forceful contraction in ripped individuals.
You can get a very forceful contraction even if you are an endurance athlete, with a high proportion of red, slow-twitch fibers (type 1). Look up this posting, in a forum devoted to endurance/triathlon athletes using Globus and Compex EMS.
standard units are made to travel through fat
What do you mean? Fat cells and muscle mass each resist/oppose the passage of current in different ways (resistance or impedance). Current from any unit will travel in both. However, what sets a unit apart from another are the parameters that cause training contractions, the know-how distilled in the electrostimulation parameters that the device is capable to achieve, and in the electrostimulation programs that come with it. Most units I’ve seen discussed by users in this forum are TENS units made for therapy, which have inadequate pulse width for sport training.
The new installment in EMS Theory has been posted
Charlie, Is this the Powerstim unit you described in CFTS?
http://www.toneamatic.com/competitors.htm
It’s listed as the competitor in this page.
Interesting- that is NOT the powerstim we used and designed. It was never in such a box that I ever saw. Prob some sort of knock-off I’d guess- changing the name enough by capitalizing the last part. Powerstim hasn’t been made to my knowledge for years now, though the parent company- several owners later- is doing well with the Slendertone ab unit you see in infomercials. Apparently it was a big seller in France and then came over here.
All these units hand out my literature along with them but I have no connection.
My understanding is that Slendertone is now under the guise of Compex Technologies, which now also acquired Cefar. Looks like Compex wants to corner most of the market on consumer stim units.
the 4000 and 4000R look EXACTLY like those, for $300 and $350 respectively. I know because I got my 4000R last week.
http://www.vitalityweb.com/backstore/ems4000.htm
and whatever the specs are, that sucker can push me farther than I can stand it, so no worries on it being inadequate, at least for a lightweight like me.
John
Isn’t the ramp time too long at 3 seconds?
Slendertone is made by BMR Bio-Medical Research an Irish company. Compex first and Cefar later were acquired by an unrelated US medical device corporation not interested in the sport market; therefore Compex is concentrating on the European market. Globushas established a presence in the US and working with distributors and coaches interested in real sport applications, working with professional and elite endurance athletes in cycling and triathlon.
These products, both 4000 models and $350 models, unfortunately use a phase width that is not adequate for (the chronaxie of) the muscle groups you guys are interested in. Pain doesn’t need to be associated with strong stimulation. If you use the correct parameters, and pad placement you can obtain a very strong contraction with only tingling in your muscles. As a matter of fact a research article I just read documents increases of fast fibers content,and in which the participant was specifically instructed to adjust current below the pain threshold level.
Keep reading the EMS Theory future installments and you’ll learn about it. Please post comments only in the parallel thread “EMS Theory Comments” to facilitate both reading and comments.
I find that if I have everything set up right, then pain is because of the strong contraction! It feels like a cramping of the muscle. If you get too much of the electrical tingling feeling, then try moving the pads and make sure you have good electrical contact with the skin.
I guess this is another one of those good pain / bad pain things!
exactly! My “pain” is not unlike a muscle cramp.
It’s an intense contraction, and I’m not going to be stupid and say it feels good! It )($#)(& hurts, I endure it because I am gunning for results, and I know it’s not bad for me. I can also easily sense when the muscle is fatiguing, the contraction softens around 8 seconds in. For a device that doesn’t work for what I’m using it for, YOU COULD HAVE FOOLED ME! The contraction is stupid strong, seems to be working fine, I don’t care what the books say…
John
Exactly because you are gunning for results you are better off to reproduce what recent studies have measured. The following is quoted from this research: Neuromuscular Adaptations to Electrostimulation Resistance Training, Maffiuletti et al. - 2006 American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
the individual was asked to progressively increase the stimulation intensity (range, 0–120 mA) during 5–8 contractions, until a maximal tolerated level (pain threshold).
After 8 weeks there was a force gain of 20%. The study showed that this gain was obtained by stimulating the quadriceps at frequency (50 Hz) used for resistance type 2a fibers, converted the properties of both type 1 fibers and type 2x fibers into type 2a.
Another problem with inexpensive machines is that they do not measure the current intensity. I quote from the same study
The maximal intensity increased proportionally from 48–50 mA (from first to third training sessions) to 75–80 mA (from 16th to 18th sessions).
Therefore whoever does it without reading the mA level is left out on a limb not being able to adjust intensity properly, and having no clue what the proper level is. Again you equate pain with gain, but it’s not true. Doing it properly will give you the gain.
The problem is that even with a measurement of current intensity, the intensity of the contraction is also related to the exact placement of the pads. Therefore, I could set the machine to the same current level but if they are in a slightly different position, I will get a different level of contraction between sessions. I’m wondering if there are any studies that look for a correlation between perceived strength of contraction and number of muscle fibers affected or something of the sort?
with all due respect, you are making this too complicated. Nobody needs to know the exact mA output of the machine, you turn the SOB up until you can’t take any more. Done. Do that every session. Some studs will be able to take 70mA, the wussies among us will cap out at 40mA. The absolute current DOES NOT MATTER. You don’t need a gauge for this, if the patient can take more they turn it up, if it’s too much they turn it down. Nobody turns it “to 70mA and that’s it”.
I have run into you bookworm types for 30 years. While you are technically “correct”, your information is virtually useless to us.
I did not have $2k for a EMS device, I had $350, so I got the best one I could with the limited amount of information I could find. And I’m happy with it, the machine is more than I can handle.
It is likely true there are “better or more advanced” units out there, but those were NOT an option for me. So all your bookworm rants are worthless to those of us that are trying to keep things simple and on a tight budget.
Perhaps you would be better rewarded doing your doctorate thesis on this subject.
I apologize for the temper, but damn enough is enough.
John
I’m going to have to agree with John on this one. I have several EMS units, ranging in price from $300 to $3000. When I turn them up, the amount of pain and discomfort I feel (I have a fair amount of fast-twitch fiber in my legs) is no different when you are in the same ballpark in terms of ramp time, frequency and waveform. The variation in price has more to do with aesthetic design of the unit, battery quality, features, flexibility of use, size, whether it is a name brand, etc. - not type of current. I like Compex because of compactness, ease of use, features and it looks cool - but when I do a muscle building session, it generally feels no different in my muscles than my less expensive unit (which is cumbersome to set up and looks like it was made from a Radio Shack kit).
I spent some time discussing the matter with an electrical engineer who had previously not worked with any EMS equipment, but had been an inventor and innovator in many areas electrical engineering for the past 40 years (so his assessment was unbiased). His assessment was that he felt that frequency and waveform was not the critical determinant. Much of it depended on how the body took up the current - as everyone’s body will be different. So, individual variation was going to be an issue and magnitude of current would be determined more by pain/comfort thresholds - much as Charlie has identified.
On some level, I’ve found that EMS treatments are like snowflakes. No two sessions are quite the same (in terms of feel and tolerance levels). I may have to turn it up or down from one session to the next. I assume this depends on issues such as pad placement, circulation levels (warmth) and levels of fatigue going into the session. Sticking to rigid guidelines and not going by “feel” may be problematic (just like when you are coaching an athlete).
Nothing wrong with advancing the discussion with more science. OTOH my budget was even more limited so I bought a $72 unit that gives me all the contraction my quad can handle right now. Would it be good for athletes? Maybe. It may be a long way from optimal but it does the job I need it to do.
My takeaway from the theory thus far is to increase the frequency from 55 Hz to 75 Hz to avoid getting any slower.