Graduate Institute of Sports Science, National Taiwan Sport University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Center for General Education, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
PeerJ. 2023 Oct 16;11:e16303. doi: 10.7717/peerj.16303. eCollection 2023.
In recent years, electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) devices have been developed as a complementary training technique that is novel, attractive, and time-saving for physical fitness and rehabilitation. While it is known that EMS training can improve muscle mass and strength, most studies have focused on the elderly or specific patient populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of frequency-specific EMS combined with resistance exercise training for 8 weeks on muscle mass, strength, power, body composition, and parameters related to exercise fatigue. Additionally, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of EMS as an exercise aid to improve body composition. We recruited 14 male and 14 female subjects who were randomly assigned to two groups with gender parity (seven male and seven female/group): (1) no EMS group (age: 21.6 ± 1.7; height: 168.8 ± 11.8 cm; weight: 64.2 ± 14.4 kg) and (2) daily EMS group (age: 21.8 ± 2.0; height: 167.8 ± 9.9 cm; weight: 68.5 ± 15.5 kg). The two groups of subjects were very similar with no significant difference. Blood biochemical routine analysis was performed every 4 weeks from pre-intervention to post-intervention, and body composition, muscle strength, and explosive power were evaluated 8 weeks before and after the intervention. We also performed an exercise challenge analysis of fatigue biochemical indicators after 8 weeks of intervention. Our results showed that resistance exercise training combined with daily EMS significantly improved muscle mass ( = 0.002) and strength (left, = 0.007; right, = 0.002) and significantly reduced body fat ( < 0.001) than the no EMS group. However, there was no significant advantage for biochemical parameters of fatigue and lower body power. In summary, our study demonstrates that 8 weeks of continuous resistance training combined with daily upper body, lower body, and abdominal EMS training can significantly improve muscle mass and upper body muscle strength performance, as well as significantly reduce body fat percentage in healthy subjects.
近年来，电肌肉刺激 (EMS) 设备已作为一种新颖、有吸引力且节省时间的健身和康复辅助训练技术得到发展。虽然已经知道 EMS 训练可以增加肌肉质量和力量，但大多数研究都集中在老年人或特定患者群体上。本研究旨在探讨 8 周的频率特异性 EMS 联合抗阻训练对肌肉质量、力量、功率、身体成分以及与运动疲劳相关的参数的影响。此外，我们旨在评估 EMS 作为一种辅助运动改善身体成分的可行性和安全性。我们招募了 14 名男性和 14 名女性受试者，他们被随机分配到两组，每组性别均等（每组 7 名男性和 7 名女性）：（1）无 EMS 组（年龄：21.6 ± 1.7；身高：168.8 ± 11.8 cm；体重：64.2 ± 14.4 kg）和（2）每日 EMS 组（年龄：21.8 ± 2.0；身高：167.8 ± 9.9 cm；体重：68.5 ± 15.5 kg）。这两组受试者非常相似，没有显著差异。从干预前到干预后，每 4 周进行一次血液生化常规分析，在干预前 8 周和干预后 8 周评估身体成分、肌肉力量和爆发力。我们还在干预 8 周后进行了疲劳生化指标的运动挑战分析。我们的结果表明，与无 EMS 组相比，抗阻运动训练联合每日 EMS 显著增加了肌肉质量（ = 0.002）和力量（左侧， = 0.007；右侧， = 0.002），显著降低了体脂（ < 0.001）。然而，对于疲劳和下肢力量的生化参数并没有显著优势。综上所述，本研究表明，连续 8 周的抗阻训练联合每日上半身、下半身和腹部 EMS 训练可显著提高健康受试者的肌肉质量和上半身肌肉力量表现，显著降低体脂百分比。
