Intensify Your Training, Increase Your Gains W/ Combined EMG + Regular Training For 30% Greater Muscle Size Gains
Voluntary & NMES contractions for Monster Quads? |
Want to get stronger, bigger, faster and leaner? Don't neglect periodization techniques!
Beware of NMES only training! In as much as a combination of voluntary contractions and NMES may make sense, you should not fall for the fallacious promises of "couch workout" advocates. Previous studies suggest that the strength increases of EMS are - just like any form of training - stimulus specific, the "incomplete muscle activation after training with electromyostimulation" will thus make your muscle stronger on the couch (during your NMES workouts), but are not necessarily going to translate into the real world (Hortobágyi. 1998).
The four adhesive surface electrodes (5 × 5 cm) were placed on the distal medial and proximal lateral portions of the subject's anterior thigh, when they performed their three sets of knee extensions (15 reps each) in a single-leg fashion with 3-minute rest between sets.Moreover, previous trials in younger subjects confirmed that superimposing NEMS + voluntary contractions is at least on par with classic high intensity resistance training and can promote neural adaptations that lead to increased cross-education effects (strength gains in non-trained leg) in a 2009 study by Bezerra et al. (2009).
Beneficial effects of combining (N)EMS and voluntary contractions (not always superimposed, though) were also reported by Venable et al. (1991) and Dervisevic et al. (2002) for resistance training, Pichon et al. (1995) for swimming, Maffiuletti et al. () for basektball volleyball, Brocherie et al. (2005) for ice-hockey and Herrero et al (2006), Babault et al. (2007) and Paillard et al. (2008) for physical education (vertical jump, strength, etc. tested) | Comment on Facebook!
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