Quick Overview
Scientists in Brazil tested EMS in 30 recreational male distance runners aged 30–45.
Fifteen men added six weeks of NMES on the quadriceps—three 15-minute sessions a week—plus usual running. Fifteen only ran. A dynamometer tracked isometric, concentric and eccentric peak torque. Treadmill gas tests tracked VAT1, VO2max and oxygen cost of transport.
The EMS group gained 21.04% isometric, 21.97% concentric and 18.74% eccentric torque, plus 9.56% VAT1 and better economy at that threshold (p=0.001).
This registered Elsevier trial from UFSCar and partner universities suggests EMS can support sports training for these runners, and sits with strength findings in rugby, soccer, tennis and other sports.
Read the full post for the protocol, numbers and limits.
We always provide direct links to the original research at the end of every article so you can review the evidence yourself.
EMS training lifted runners’ leg power in six weeks, new trial shows
A new study put EMS to the test in real runners.
The question was simple.
Can extra electrical muscle stimulation make legs stronger for distance running?
Researchers in Brazil ran a careful trial.
They work at well-known universities.
Those include the University of São Paulo City, the University of Brasília, and the Federal University of São Carlos.
The paper appeared in the Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies.
Elsevier published it.
That is a major international science publisher.
The trial was registered.
Ethics boards approved it.
Assessors did not know who got which plan.
Thirty recreational male distance runners took part.
They were aged 30 to 45.
Each man already ran 15 to 40 kilometres a week.
None had used NMES for muscle training.
None had a recent lower-limb injury.
Fifteen men kept their usual running training.
Fifteen men did the same running plus NMES.
Sessions ran three times a week for six weeks.
Each EMS session lasted 15 minutes.
That meant 18 quadriceps contractions.
The current was a 1 kHz burst-modulated signal.
It used a 50 Hz burst rate and a 10% duty cycle.
Staff set intensity to at least 30% of a max isometric effort.
Pads sat on the rectus femoris and vastus medialis.
The team measured hard facts.
They used an isokinetic dynamometer for quadriceps torque.
They used treadmill gas analysis for fitness markers.
After six weeks the EMS group pulled ahead.
Isometric peak torque rose 21.04%.
Concentric peak torque rose 21.97%.
Eccentric peak torque rose 18.74%.
Those gaps beat the running-only group.
The p-value was 0.001 for each torque test.
VAT1, an early aerobic threshold, rose 9.56% with EMS.
Oxygen cost of transport at that threshold also improved.
That points to better running economy at an easier pace.
VO2max and the higher threshold did not change in this short block.
The bright reading is clear for this group.
Added EMS on the quadriceps went with stronger legs.
Stronger legs can help braking and support in each stride.
Better early-threshold economy can make steady running feel cheaper.
This trial was in recreational male distance runners.
The same tool already shows up in other sports research.
Earlier work used NMES in rugby, soccer, tennis, swimming, and ice hockey.
It also appears in basketball, volleyball, handball, and weightlifting studies.
Those papers often report strength, jump, or power gains.
This runner trial adds endurance athletes to that picture.
Other healthy adults who train may take interest.
The evidence here is still for this sample and this six-week dose.
It is sports training research, not a medical treatment claim.
It does not replace a coach, a physio, or a doctor.
The protocol was regular, not endless.
Three supervised sessions a week, for six weeks, sat on top of running.
That dose was enough to move torque and one economy marker.
More weeks, or other sports, need new trials.
The authors say so themselves.
For now the story is hopeful and specific.
In this registered Brazilian trial, EMS plus running beat running alone for quadriceps torque.
It also lifted VAT1 and the oxygen cost at that point.
That is useful news for recreational distance runners who want stronger legs.
It also sits beside a wider sports-science file on electrical muscle stimulation.
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Research Summary
| Detail | What this study reports |
|---|---|
| Full title | Effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on torque and performance in recreational distance runners: A randomized controlled trial |
| Original study links | Paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2021.07.035 · ScienceDirect: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1360859221001923 · Trial register: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03653286 |
| Authors | Gustavo R. Thomé, Renata A. Costa, Marcelo L. Marquezi, Juliana M.L. Aparecido, João Luiz Q. Durigan, César F. Amorim, Richard E. Liebano |
| Research centres | Universidade Cidade de São Paulo; Universidade de Brasília; Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), Brazil |
| Journal and publisher | Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies, Volume 28, October 2021, pages 369–375, published by Elsevier |
| Study design | Single-blind randomized controlled trial, reported to CONSORT standards, with blinded outcome assessment |
| Ethics and registration | Ethics approval CAAE 80812717.8.0000.0064; public registration NCT03653286 |
| Who took part | 30 recreational male distance runners, aged 30–45, running 15–40 km per week for at least one year; no recent lower-limb injury; no prior NMES muscle training |
| Groups compared | NMES plus running training (n = 15) versus running training alone (n = 15) |
| Running programme | 15–40 km per week, two to three sessions, 5–15 km per session, heart rate kept near 70% of maximum; no sprint block |
| EMS / NMES protocol | Neurodyn Aussie Sport; 1 kHz carrier; 2 ms bursts; 50 Hz burst frequency; 10% duty cycle; 12 s on / 36 s off; 15 minutes; 18 quadriceps contractions; 3 sessions a week for 6 weeks; intensity at least 30% of MVIC |
| Electrode sites | Two 8 × 13 cm pads on the motor points of rectus femoris and vastus medialis |
| How scientists measured change | Cybex Norm 6000 isokinetic dynamometer for isometric, concentric and eccentric peak torque; treadmill ergospirometry for VAT1, VAT2, VO2max and oxygen cost of transport |
| Torque evidence | Versus running only, the NMES group gained 21.04% isometric, 21.97% concentric and 18.74% eccentric quadriceps peak torque (p = 0.001 for each) |
| Performance evidence | VAT1 rose 9.56% (p = 0.001); oxygen cost of transport at VAT1 also improved (p = 0.001), a marker of running economy |
| What did not change here | No significant group difference for VO2max (p = 0.124) or VAT2 (p = 0.819) after six weeks |
| Completers | 27 of 30 finished; one NMES dropout and two control dropouts (one tibial fracture, one lost to contact) |
| What the authors conclude | NMES improved isometric, concentric and eccentric quadriceps torque and some sports-performance markers in recreational distance runners; longer trials versus other training methods are still needed |
| Wider sports context in the paper | The authors note prior NMES strength and performance work in rugby, soccer, tennis, swimming, ice hockey, basketball, volleyball, handball and weightlifting, and present this trial as new evidence for recreational long-distance running |
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