Mayo Clinic Study: EMS-Training compared to Conventional Training

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The Mayo Clinic's study on Whole-Body Electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) highlights its time-efficient and effective benefits for cardiovascular health. Published in the International Journal of Cardiology, the research led by Dr. Jaskanwal D. Sara and Dr. Amir Lerman shows WB-EMS improves cardiovascular biomarkers, enhances joint protection, and activates more muscle fibers compared to conventional training. With just 20 minutes per week, WB-EMS offers a gentler yet powerful alternative, ideal for those seeking efficient, low-impact exercise.

The Mayo Clinic is considered one of the world's most renowned medical centres and is particularly known for its clinical excellence, research and innovative spirit in medicine.

The study "Physical Training Augmented with Whole Body Electronic Muscle Stimulation (WB-EMS) Favourably Impacts Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Healthy Adults" was conducted by a Mayo Clinic research team led by Dr Jaskanwal D. Sara and Dr. Amir Lerman and was published in November in the International Journal of Cardiology. This journal is one of the most renowned publications in the field of cardiology and regularly publishes new research findings on cardiovascular diseases and preventive cardiology. The results were also presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association.

According to the Mayo Clinic study, supervised whole-body electrical muscle stimulation (WB-EMS) training has some notable advantages over conventional training methods, particularly in terms of efficiency and effectiveness for cardiovascular health indicators.

The main advantages of WB-EMS compared to conventional training are:

1. Time efficiency:
   WB-EMS training sessions last only 20 minutes per week, which is a time saving compared to traditional training methods that can take several hours to achieve similar muscle activation and intensity. This makes WB-EMS particularly attractive for people with a limited time budget.
2. Better cardiovascular results:
   The study shows that WB-EMS produces a significant improvement in cardiovascular biomarkers, such as a greater reduction in waist-to-hip ratio and total cholesterol levels compared to conventional exercise. Anaerobic capacity and respiratory efficiency also improved significantly with WB-EMS, which means better oxygen utilisation and energy supply for muscles.
   
   
3. Joint protection:
   As WB-EMS triggers muscle contractions via electrical impulses without high mechanical stress, it is suitable for people who are unable to perform conventional training due to joint problems or other physical limitations. It can be an alternative for people who want to build muscle and promote cardiovascular health but need to avoid intense physical exertion.
   
   
4. Activation of a higher number of muscle fibres:
   WB-EMS simultaneously activates over 90% of large muscle groups and a greater number of muscle fibres compared to conventional training, resulting in higher muscle recruitment. This leads to more intense muscle contractions and potentially better strength gains in less time.

In summary, supervised WB-EMS offers a time-efficient, gentler and more intensive training alternative that is particularly suitable for people who need efficiency and less joint stress or who want to optimise their training.

References:

Jaskanwal Deep Singh Sara, Nazanin Rajai, Ali Ahmad, Logan Breuer, Thomas Olson, Wolfgang Kemmler, Takashi Nagai, Nathan Schilaty, Amir Lerman,
"Physical training augmented with whole body electronic muscle stimulation favorably impacts cardiovascular biomarkers in healthy adults – A pilot randomized controlled trial,"International Journal of Cardiology, Volume 419, 2025, 132706, ISSN 0167-5273,

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