Quick Overview
Four national team judo athletes at Hashemite University, did 20 EMS sessions in 28 days.
Scientists measured isometric and isokinetic peak torque on a Cybex II at 0, 60, 90 and 120°/s. Left-leg extension at 60°/s rose from 119.50 to 151.50 Nm after the block, then eased 45 days later. Weight, fat and girth stayed flat.
That evidence suggests EMS can help sport training for elite judoka and other weight-class users, and the authors also flag swimmers, sprinters and hockey players.
Published 2013 in the peer-reviewed Journal of Physical Education and Sport.
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Judo Athletes Built More Leg Strength With EMS — And Did Not Bulk Up
Four national team judo players walked into a strength lab. They wanted more power in their legs. They did not want extra muscle bulk. In a weight-class sport, extra size can cost you a division.
Researchers in Jordan put that problem to the test. They used electrical stimulation, often called EMS, as a training tool. This article explains what they asked, what they measured, and what changed.
Where this story comes from
The paper was written by Akef M. Taifour, Ali Al Nawaiseh, and Aman S. Khasawneh. They worked at Hashemite University . That is a public university with sport rehabilitation and coaching departments. The study appeared in 2013 in the Journal of Physical Education and Sport. That is a peer-reviewed sports science journal. The report has a public DOI and named authors. We are walking through their published data, not guesswork.
What the study was for
The first aim was simple. Could EMS raise strength in well-trained judo athletes? The second aim mattered just as much for combat sport. Could isometric and isokinetic strength rise without a jump in body size?
That purpose fits judo. It also speaks to other weight-class sports. Think wrestling, boxing, taekwondo, and Olympic weightlifting. The authors also point to earlier EMS work in swimming, sprinting, and ice hockey. So the idea is not locked to one mat.
Who took part
Only four male judoka finished the tests. They were about 20 years old. Mean height was 176 cm. Mean weight was 81 kg. Mean body fat was 14 percent. They already had about five years of competition. This was a small, elite group. It was not a huge public trial.
What the EMS block looked like
Each man completed 20 EMS sessions across 28 days. That is a frequent block, not a one-off zap. Sessions hit the lower body. Agonist and antagonist muscles worked at the same time. That setup is a little like a weight-room superset.
Athletes sat with knees bent to 110 degrees. Straps stopped the legs from swinging. A 2 Hz current warmed the muscles for three minutes. Then a 70 Hz current drove the main set for six minutes. Contractions lasted four seconds. Rest lasted four seconds. That gave 72 strong tetanic contractions per session. A gentle 2 Hz bout finished the session. Intensity rose to a strong, tolerable level. No product brand was the point. The point was a planned training dose.
How they measured progress
Strength was tested on a Cybex II dynamometer. Testers checked both legs. They measured knee extension and knee flexion. Speeds were 0, 60, 90, and 120 degrees per second. Zero speed is isometric peak torque. The faster speeds are isokinetic peak torque.
Tests ran three times. Pre-test came before EMS. Post-test 1 came after the 28-day block. Post-test 2 came 45 days after EMS stopped. That last test showed what faded when the extra stimulus ended.
They also tracked body weight, body fat, and limb girth. Arms, forearms, thighs, and calves were measured. That checked the “no extra bulk” question.
The strength numbers moved in the right direction
Mean scores rose after the EMS block. Then many scores drifted back toward the start.
Right-leg extension at 60 degrees per second went from 130.75 Nm to 156.25 Nm. Forty-five days later it sat at 131.50 Nm. Left-leg extension at the same speed went from 119.50 Nm to 151.50 Nm. It later sat at 123.00 Nm.
Right-leg flexion at 60 degrees per second went from 108.25 Nm to 127.50 Nm. Left-leg flexion at 60 degrees per second went from 95.00 Nm to 120.00 Nm. That left-leg change is a large jump in a trained group.
Faster speeds improved as well. Right-leg extension at 120 degrees per second rose from 88.25 Nm to 101.00 Nm. Left-leg flexion at 120 degrees per second rose from 70.00 Nm to 84.00 Nm.
Isometric scores climbed too. Right-leg extension at 0 degrees per second rose from 218.50 Nm to 237.25 Nm. Left-leg extension rose from 225.50 Nm to 245.00 Nm. Left-leg flexion rose from 227.25 Nm to 245.75 Nm.
The researchers used repeated-measures tests. Most pre-test versus post-test 1 comparisons favoured the EMS block. Most post-test 1 versus post-test 2 comparisons then favoured the earlier peak. In plain terms, strength rose while the program ran. A lot of that extra peak torque eased off after EMS stopped.
Bulk stayed put
Body weight barely moved. It started at 81 kg and was 81.9 kg after EMS. Body fat stayed at 14 percent. Thigh and calf girths did not show a clear jump. Arm and forearm girths also stayed statistically flat.
That is the bright finding for judo and other weight-class athletes. Strength scores improved. The tape measure did not scream “bigger suit.” The authors link that pattern to short four-second contractions. They argue short bursts may raise force without a clear size boom.
Who this may help
This paper’s own data come from national team judo players. That is the core group. The same logic is useful in other combat and power sports. Wrestlers, boxers, and taekwondo athletes also live by the scale. Weightlifters chase force without careless mass gain.
The authors also discuss EMS as a supplement when normal training stalls. They recommend a similar electrode plan for well-trained people in the pre-competition window. Earlier studies they cite looked at swimmers, sprinters, and ice-hockey players. So the method is not only a judo toy. Still, those extra sports were not the group tested here. The hard numbers in this paper belong to four judoka.
Why frequent sessions matter in this story
This program was not a timid drip. It used 20 sessions in four weeks. During that dense block, isometric and isokinetic scores climbed. When the block ended, many gains faded. That pattern puts the spotlight on consistent EMS training, not a single session. In this study, the full dose was the period that looked strongest.
Keep the claim honest
This was a tiny athlete study, not a hospital trial. There was no large control group training in parallel. Post-test 2 acted as a wash-out check. Results apply to healthy, trained men in this lab setting. They do not prove a medical treatment. They do not replace coaching, lifting, or skill work on the mat.
EMS here was a sports-science tool for strength. It was not presented as a cure. Anyone new to electrical stimulation should get advice from a qualified coach or clinician. Use gear as directed. Do not treat a fitness unit like a hospital prescription.
The takeaway
A Jordan university team published a clear training question in a peer-reviewed sports journal. In four national team judo athletes, a 20-session EMS block raised leg peak torque. Isometric force rose. Isokinetic force rose at 60, 90, and 120 degrees per second. Body fat and girth did not jump with it. Much of the extra strength eased after the sessions stopped.
That is useful news for judo. It is also a useful clue for other weight-class and power sports. The bright side in this paper is simple. A focused EMS training block helped these athletes express more force without a bulk penalty.
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Research Summary
| Detail | What the paper reports |
|---|---|
| Full title | Isokinetic and isometric strength after electrical stimulation on Judo players |
| Authors | Akef M. Taifour, Ali Al Nawaiseh, Aman S. Khasawneh |
| Research centre | Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan — Sport Rehabilitation and Coaching and Sport Management |
| Journal and publisher | Journal of Physical Education and Sport (JPES), Art. 64, Vol. 13(3), pp. 400–408 |
| Publication record | Accepted 15 September 2013; published online 30 September 2013 |
| DOI | 10.7752/jpes.2013.03064 |
| Original study link | https://efsupit.ro/images/stories/64.pdf |
| Study design | Quasi-experimental pretest–posttest study of an intact athlete group |
| Who was tested | Four male Jordanian national team judo athletes; mean age 20, height 176 cm, weight 81 kg, body fat 14%, about 5 years’ competition |
| Stated purpose | Test whether EMS / electrical stimulation can raise isometric and isokinetic strength in elite judo players without extra muscle bulk |
| EMS training dose | 20 lower-body sessions over 28 days; agonist and antagonist muscles stimulated together; 2 Hz warm-up, 70 Hz main set (4 s on / 4 s off; 72 tetanic contractions), 2 Hz cool-down |
| How scientists measured change | Cybex II dynamometer tests of both legs, knee extension and flexion, at 0°, 60°, 90° and 120°/s before EMS, after 28 days, and 45 days after EMS stopped |
| Strength evidence after the EMS block | Mean peak torque rose. Examples: left-leg extension at 60°/s from 119.50 to 151.50 Nm; right-leg extension at 60°/s from 130.75 to 156.25 Nm; left-leg flexion at 60°/s from 95.00 to 120.00 Nm |
| Faster-speed and isometric evidence | Right-leg extension at 120°/s rose from 88.25 to 101.00 Nm. Left-leg isometric flexion rose from 227.25 to 245.75 Nm. Most pre-test vs post-test 1 contrasts favoured the EMS block |
| What happened after EMS stopped | Forty-five days later many scores fell toward baseline (e.g. left-leg extension at 60°/s back to 123.00 Nm), so the gain sat with the training block |
| Body-size evidence | Body weight, body-fat % and arm, forearm, thigh and calf girths showed no significant change across the three tests |
| Analysis method | Repeated-measures ANOVA, with pairwise comparisons of pre vs post 1, pre vs post 2, and post 1 vs post 2 |
| Sports and user groups named | Hard data are from elite judo men. The authors say the no-bulk strength pattern also matters for taekwondo, wrestling, boxing, weightlifting and other weight-class sports; they also discuss EMS work in swimming, sprinting and ice hockey |
| Authors’ conclusion | They recommend this EMS setup for well-trained athletes in the pre-competition window when ordinary training has hit a ceiling |
| Paper keywords | Electrical stimulation, isokinetic strength, isometric strength, judo players |
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