We’ve heard many comments over the months from our clients wondering “just how did EMS come to be?” and we’d be lying if we weren’t curious too, so we put our team to the test. To research the origins of EMS and discover just how long humans have been utilising its power to make for a better, more efficient workout, along with a host of other benefits.

In the beginning

As is the case with all of history, there are various documented uses and mentions of EMS, some direct, some indirect, that date as far back as 500 BC. It was here, that humans in Egyptian communities were said to use the electric impulses emitted by various fish species. They used these impulses to treat and target pain, leveraging the electrical properties from species like the electric eel. A more substantial and verified case of its use in history was Luigi Galvani, back in 1761, who provided scientific evidence that electrical current can activate muscle.

The study evolved throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, where the tolerance and specific measures of electrical input were logged, finding out just how to target the muscle without deeper reach or damage – giving us a finer degree of control which would continue to develop. Fast forward to the 1960s, and Soviet sport scientists were utilising EMS in the training of elite athletes (such as competitors with aspirations of the Olympics, and other regional high level tournaments). Their demonstrations of the technology lead them to claim up to 40% force gains in their athletes that had undertaken frequent EMS procedures as part of their routines.

Throughout history, electricity has been utilised in so many powerful ways, and of course, EMS is a strand of this that has led us to a more efficient workout – but it wasn’t always destined to be that way. In the discovery of EMS, physicians were also researching the use of electricity to try effectively treat motor paralysis. By theory of applying activation, they believed that paralysed individuals would be able to restore feeling and use to the damaged nerves; whether it was caused through trauma or otherwise.

How are you using EMS today?

Today, we’re using EMS in every session to provide an incredible workout routine for our clients that means less time spent in the gym, and more time enjoying life. With just a 20-minute session, we’re able to provide greater results than a typical 1-hour routine without EMS. Curious? Why not book in and try for yourself today? You can find out more information on our sessions here.