As an office mare one does not have it easy: The back hurts from constant sitting and the excess pounds just do not want to disappear. After all, who has time after a long working day (and desire, I admit it ...) for hours in the gym next to muscle-packed sports stallions bravely to lift weights? Just.

Bikini body for Lazy?

By EMS training ("electromyostimulation?) The classic fitness workout should soon be history. The principle sounds like a sporty muff like me first like a dream: Electrodes in a functional vest are used to specifically stimulate muscle areas. These should thereby grow and fat deposits are reduced. And best of all: Even a workout of 20 minutes per week should be sufficient for these effects.

Minimal effort, maximum success?

I contact Clemens, owner of the EMS-Studio Körperformen in Hamburg. And agree with him a slightly more extensive trial training: overall three months I get energized every week, because after this period, according to him, the slight back pain, which I often have in the evening lately, should have subsided to a large extent.

On the other hand, a specific goal on the scale is harder to establish: training actually builds muscle mass and muscles are heavier than fat. If something in my character is doing in the three months, then I should remember it in the mirror image accordingly. And: Without the right diet, nothing works here. I had expected, but annoys me anyway. Miracles do not stop there.

Please once without underwear. Wait, what ?!

Does a maximum of two people train with a trainer at the same time? a wrong attitude can be corrected so directly

© Ann-Christin Gebhart

Then Clemens makes a small fitness and health check with me. What kind of sport did I do before EMS? Do I suffer from cardiovascular diseases, what do I expect from training? Only when it can be ruled out that the training could be dangerous for me, I get sportswear from him, which could not be more disadvantageous: A tight black stretch top with matching cycling shorts, both winds to my sorrows with enjoyment around every bacon roll. "Without underwear, please," says Clemens, and I wonder how he manages to make such a sentence with a completely neutral expression on his face.

The explanation is simple: It is wetted from the inside so that the current can be conducted better through the electrodes of the vest. The wetness also penetrates through the clothes and would hit the underwear. Out of all things and into the training clothes. Then next to the vest additional straps are placed around the upper arms, thighs and around the buttocks and everything is connected to the training device.

From the relaxed start ...

The first training I found to be very pleasant: We started with low current intensity, which at first made itself felt only by slight tingling. Every four seconds, the current pulse came, and I was supposed to tense all the muscles then followed by four seconds break and the whole again from the beginning. The electrodes to the individual muscle groups can be individually regulated by the trainer and adapted to his own level. What I particularly liked: A trainer pays a maximum of two trainees, so that, for example, a wrong posture can be corrected quickly.

The 20 minutes during which I did light strength exercises with my own body weight, ran down quickly and in the end I felt relaxed and relaxed. What is actually cool, but the first doubt aroused in me: Did I get here only the office style typical gentle cycle? No, Clemens explained, the hard part is yet to come. You would have to first see how I get along with the training and at which level I am. Sounds reasonable.

... to the horror that came afterwards

20 minutes does not sound like a lot of practice time, but after that I was exhausted every time

© Ann-Christin Gebhart

The second training was much more demanding, but most clearly I kept the third in mind: Planking, Jumping Jacks, Squats? the sweat was pouring down. It did not get any better that someone was training next to me for the first time. And the young lady had probably done the whole thing a bit more often than I did (I hope). Because she pulled her knees up even more motivated, when I was mentally pleading for an oxygen tent or alternatively directly for a priest for the last confession. I'm not even a believer. The next four days I could barely walk with sore muscles, but waddled a bit penguin-like from one foot to the other.

After all: It went ahead! Over time, I realized that the exercises gradually became easier for me, while at the same time the current was steadily adjusted upwards.Also, I would never again make the mistake of underestimating a 20-minute workout: In the end I was exhausted and happy every time because I felt like I had done something. For sure, I owe it to the really motivating nature of the local coaches, who are still pushing their sheep a little bit more than their limits.

Incidentally, I had soreness again and again, especially in the buttocks and in the legs, but never as strong as after the third practice. "Everyone has such an extreme muscle soreness, he came to you quite late," Clemens explained. Great, now I was also a nerd among people who volunteered to be trafficked with electricity.

And what has the whole thing done?

From a purely health perspective, I am satisfied with my test. My back made no more bitches after about six weeks, the mild pain in the evening after a classic day in the office had disappeared. I lost almost nothing in the three months, but I gained some muscle mass for that? even if the period is simply too short to notice big differences. I can see that my muscles have grown, but I also see it in black and white on the training device: The current intensity with which I last trained was around 15 percent higher for all electrodes than for the start of the test.

EMS training: My conclusion

Actually, EMS is the perfect training for office mares and stallions of all kinds: The effort is minimal, complaints such as back pain, which can occur due to prolonged sitting are reduced or even disappear altogether. But you have to give the training some time? especially if you want to lose a few pounds. Impatient people who want to see success in this regard should probably choose a different method. And: With depending on the studio 20 to 35 euros per training session EMS is not a cheap pleasure. But you also get an individual personal training? so it's worth trying!

BUILD MUSCLE + LOSE FAT WHILE DOING NOTHING? EMS SCIENCE EXPLAINED! (May 2024).