Quick Overview
Scientists at the University of Granada tested whether Whole body EMS could help recreational runners run better on less mileage.
Twelve men joined a six-week trial. Six cut running to once a week and added one supervised whole-body electromyostimulation session. Six kept two or three weekly runs.
Testers measured VO2max, ventilatory thresholds, running economy, and jump height. In the Whole body EMS group, VO2max rose from 53.9 to 56.7 ml/kg/min. VT2 speed climbed from 14.0 to 15.2 km/h. Oxygen cost fell from 210.1 to 202.4 ml/kg/km.
Jump height also increased. Controls barely changed.
The work was published in Frontiers in Physiology.
Those figures suggest EMS can support better running when training volume drops.
Read the full post for every result and method.
We always provide direct links to the original research at the end of every article so you can review the evidence yourself.
Less Mileage, Better Numbers: EMS Improved Running Economy and Jump Power
Whole body EMS can help runners keep getting fitter even when they cut back on mileage, according to new study.
Scientists at the University of Granada in Spain set out to test that idea.
They published their findings in Frontiers in Physiology in 2018.
That journal is a respected scientific publisher with a strong record.
Spain has a long tradition of quality work in sports physiology.
Twelve healthy male recreational runners joined the trial.
None had used Whole body EMS before.
Six men were put in the Whole body EMS group.
They dropped running to one session a week.
They added one supervised Whole body EMS session each week for six weeks.
The other six kept their usual two or three runs a week.
Both groups did the same light running session once a week.
Researchers measured key performance numbers before and after.
They looked at VO2max, ventilatory thresholds, running economy, and jump power.
The Whole body EMS group improved on almost every measure.
Relative VO2max rose from 53.9 to 56.7 ml/kg/min.
That is a clear 5.2 percent gain.
Speed at the second ventilatory threshold climbed from 14.0 to 15.2 km/h.
Running economy got better at two different speeds.
Oxygen cost dropped from 210.1 to 202.4 ml/kg/km at the easier pace.
It fell from 248.5 to 233.1 ml/kg/km at the harder pace.
Countermovement jump height increased from 0.32 to 0.33 m.
Abalakov jump height rose from 0.36 to 0.38 m.
Body mass also edged down a little.
The control group showed almost no change.
Some numbers even drifted slightly the wrong way.
No one in the Whole body EMS group reported injury or extra muscle pain.
They completed nearly every session.
The training used functional moves that look like running and strength work.
Electrical settings were increased gradually across the six weeks.
Sessions stayed short, under 20 minutes.
The study was small and only included men.
It cannot tell us what happens in elite athletes or women.
It also cannot say what extra running plus Whole body EMS would do.
Still, the numbers are consistent and statistically significant.
They show that a well-planned Whole body EMS programme can support running performance.
It can do so even when weekly running volume is cut.
That is useful when time is short, travel gets in the way, or a runner needs to ease off.
The researchers are based at a proper university department of medical physiology.
They followed ethical approval and standard testing methods.
The paper is freely available so anyone can check the tables and methods.
Whole body EMS is simply another training tool here.
It is not a medical treatment.
It is a way to add extra muscle work while you move.
Used this way, more structured EMS sessions look better than doing less training overall.
The bright side is simple.
You can protect, and even raise, key running numbers with less time on the road.
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Research Summary
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Study title | Whole-Body Electromyostimulation Improves Performance-Related Parameters in Runners |
| Lead researchers | Francisco J. Amaro-Gahete, Alejandro De-la-O, Guillermo Sanchez-Delgado, Lidia Robles-Gonzalez, Lucas Jurado-Fasoli, Jonatan R. Ruiz and Angel Gutierrez |
| Research centre | Department of Medical Physiology, School of Medicine, and the PROFITH group, University of Granada, Spain |
| Journal and publisher | Published in Frontiers in Physiology, Volume 9, Article 1576, by Frontiers Media |
| Date and identifiers | 13 November 2018; DOI 10.3389/fphys.2018.01576; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03425981 |
| Study design | Parallel randomised controlled trial comparing whole body EMS plus reduced running with usual running only |
| Who took part | Twelve healthy male recreational runners; six in each group; mean age about 27 years |
| Whole body EMS programme | One supervised session a week for six weeks, under 20 minutes, using functional strength and interval work |
| Running change | The whole body EMS group cut running to one session a week; the control group kept two or three runs a week |
| What scientists measured | VO2max, ventilatory thresholds, running economy at two speeds, vertical jump, body mass and BMI |
| Fitness result | Relative VO2max rose from 53.9 to 56.7 ml/kg/min in the whole body EMS group, about a 5.2% gain |
| Threshold and speed result | VT2 speed rose from 14.0 to 15.2 km/h; peak speed rose from 16.7 to 17.5 km/h |
| Economy result | Running economy improved, with oxygen cost falling from 210.1 to 202.4 ml/kg/km at VT1 speed |
| Power and body result | Countermovement jump rose from 0.32 to 0.33 m; Abalakov jump rose from 0.36 to 0.38 m; body mass fell from 70.1 to 68.6 kg |
| Original study | Full open-access paper: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.01576/full |
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