A peer-reviewed study from Aristotle University and the University of Colorado tested extra EMS in 16 skilled martial arts athletes.

Eight added 15 NMES sessions over five weeks. Eight kept normal training. Light sensors timed the roundhouse kick. Reaction time fell from 468 to 425 ms, about 9%. Execution time fell from 868 to 817 ms, about 6%. Controls did not improve. Max force stayed similar.

In Sports Biomechanics, the evidence suggests EMS can benefit combat sports training. Other sports and trained groups may also gain from extra stimulus.

Read the full post for the protocol, numbers, and what it means.

Scientists in Rome and Cardiff reviewed 24 randomised trials of  EMS  added to real effort, known as NMES+.

Scientists at National Taiwan Sport University tested whether daily EMS could add extra results to gym work.

Twenty-eight healthy adults lifted weights three times a week for eight weeks. Half also used daily electrical muscle stimulation on arms, abs, and legs.

They measured muscle mass, body fat, grip strength, jump power, and blood markers. Daily EMS gained 0.8 kg of muscle. The other group lost 0.2 kg. Fat fell 1.0% with EMS but rose 2.4% without it. Right-hand grip rose 4.4 kg versus 1.4 kg.

Those gains support sports training that needs strong hands and a leaner body, such as racket sports, climbing, and combat sports. They also matter for gym users and recreational players in many other sports.

The trial was ethics-approved and published in peer-reviewed PeerJ.

Read the full post for every number and what it means.

Scientists tested EMS on 14 healthy young men.

A Konkuk University Hospital team tested 24 adults after ACL reconstruction.

For 12 weeks, half added 20 minutes of EMS at 70 Hz to rehab exercise. They measured thigh circumference, quadriceps EMG, peak torque, total work and Lysholm scores.

The EMS group improved girth, activity and strength (p < 0.05 on several tests). Those results suggest extra quadriceps support in this post-surgery group.

Authors also discuss EMS in wider muscle-recovery research.

The paper is peer-reviewed in Swiss Applied Sciences and ethics-approved.

The full post has every figure, protocol and limit.

Scientists in Germany and Sweden tested EMS with arm cycling in a peer-reviewed Journal of Human Kinetics study. Eleven adults rode an arm ergometer to exhaustion, once with EMS and once without.

They tracked heart rate, oxygen uptake, blood lactate and effort. At the same watts, EMS lifted heart rate 2–9%, oxygen uptake 7–15%, lactate 8–46% and effort 4–14%. Peak power fell 10.1%, yet max markers still hit exhaustion.

Those numbers suggest a denser upper-body session for kayaking, rowing, swimming, cross-country skiing and parasports — and for any pro plan that needs more arm-driven load.

Ethics-approved. PubMed-listed. Read the full post for every lab figure.

University of Jaén scientists tested EMS plus plyometric training in 98 teenage sprinters and hurdlers.

They measured squat jump, counter movement jump, and drop jump across eight weeks, two days a week. Simultaneous 150 Hz EMS lifted squat jump from 26.68 cm to 36.30 cm, 28.02 percent above control. Counter-movement jump reached 37.41 cm. Drop jump reached 55.12 cm. Adherence hit 93 percent. 

The peer-reviewed Journal of Sports Science and Medicine study suggests EMS can help serious track athletes, and jump power also matters in other sports. R

ead the full post for every measured score

A Fudan University team published a 12-week Sensors trial on 30 national male freestyle swimmers.

Underwater sEMG at 2000 Hz and 200-fps video tracked iEMG, RMS and synergies.

EMS lifted glute iEMG 60.08–72.85 and downward biceps iEMG 39.76–48.69.

2007 French scientists ran a 12-week EMS trial on 25 elite rugby players.

 Fifteen added EMS to quads, calves and glutes. Ten did rugby only. They measured knee torque, squat 1RM, jumps, scrum force and sprints.

After 12 weeks EMS players gained 15.0% squat, 10.0% squat jump and 6.6% drop jump. Selected torques rose 18.0%, 19.4% and 10.0%. Controls did not.

The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research published this university and French Rugby Federation study.

Those figures suggest EMS can help rugby strength and power — and other sports that need the same qualities.

Read the full post for the protocol.

Scientists at the Federal University of São Paulo ran a randomized trial on 36 teen volleyball athletes.

A blinded tester measured leg muscle strength in N/kg, jump-and-reach height, two-minute jump count, and jump feel.

The NMES group rose from 6.9 to 9.5 N/kg on the dominant leg and from 7.1 to 10.9 N/kg on the other. Versus control, those gaps reached 1.8 and 3.1 N/kg at week eight. Jump height rose 5.3 cm inside the EMS group.

Springer published the ethics-approved, registered study.