Effects of Whole-Body Electromyostimulation versus High-Intensity Resistance Exercise on Body Composition and Strength: A Randomized Controlled Study

الملخص EN

High-intensity (resistance) exercise (HIT) and whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) are both approaches to realize time-efficient favorable changes of body composition and strength.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of WB-EMS compared with the gold standard reference HIT, for improving body composition and muscle strength in middle-aged men.

Forty-eight healthy untrained men, 30–50 years old, were randomly allocated to either HIT (2 sessions/week) or a WB-EMS group (3 sessions/2 weeks) that exercised for 16 weeks.

HIT was applied as “single-set-to-failure protocol,” while WB-EMS was conducted with intermittent stimulation (6 s WB-EMS, 4 s rest; 85 Hz, 350 ms) over 20 minutes.

The main outcome parameters were lean body mass (LBM) as determined via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and maximum dynamic leg-extensor strength (isokinetic leg-press).

LBM changes of both groups (HIT 1.25 ± 1.44% versus WB-EMS 0.93 ± 1.15 %) were significant ( p = .

001 ); however, no significant group differences were detected ( p = .

395 ).

Leg-extensor strength also increased in both groups (HIT 12.7 ± 14.7 %, p = .

002 , versus WB-EMS 7.3 ± 10.3 %, p = .

012 ) with no significant ( p = .

215 ) between-group difference.

Corresponding changes were also determined for body fat and back-extensor strength.

Conclusion.

In summary, WB-EMS can be considered as a time-efficient but pricy option to HIT-resistance exercise for people aiming at the improvement of general strength and body composition.