There are many benefits of training with electro-stimulation. Numbering them creates a very interesting list of various benefits; some of which will be more interesting than others. However, the result of the list is very important, as the benefits are not just significant on their own; it is the sum of all the benefits which we produce each time we apply the muscular stimulation which brings about the astonishing results. Each time you use electro-stimulation you will obtain each and every one of the following benefits:
1.- Firstly, we have to emphasise the time saving benefit which comes with being able to use muscular electro-stimulation in any place, at any time, 24 hours a day. The time saving, for me, forms an essential part of this type of training; there are many other benefits, all of them important, but for each athlete saving time means they can dedicate their time to improving tactic, technique or strategy, for example, which is why this benefit is paramount.
2.- Increase in the strength and muscular mass localised in the muscular group on which we’re working. Both things are possible because we can work with elevated frequencies, subjecting the muscle to over-stimulation; elevating the intensity means more and more fibres are recruited in the muscle required in the training.
3.- There is minimal or no risk of bone, ligament or tendon injury. The muscle is a tissue capable of being subjected to extraordinary overloads of prolonged time. Since it is very difficult to injure the muscle, its capacity to adapt is greater than that of the muscle bones or tendons. This means that with specific training which is dedicated to the muscles which work the limbs, the ligaments and the tendons will not be subjected to overwork from impact, changes of direction, and so on. We will achieve exactly what we are looking for; an improvement in resistant strength, without our articular structure suffering and, therefore, we will greatly reduce the risk of sports injury in our training. This reduction in risk occurs not only during the electro-stimulation training but also in field training, as the increase in strength and muscle mass of this tissue, which is indepensable shock-absorbing element in our body, also protects us during other training.
4.-Delay in muscular fatique. This type of training allows us to work with almost no sensation of physical tiring. At the same time, as we raise the load level we succeed in developing the muscles; and as each session passes we realise that we can raise the intensity more and more without experiencing irritation or a tiring sensation, which causes an adaptation in strength, but with no problem with recovery after such.
5.-A reduction in the cardiovascular load during training. Often atheletes want to improve their aerobic resistance without producing a rise in the cardiac wall. Daily strength training is capable of causing the development of the cardiac wall which, in atheletes, who’s main objective is to reach an aerobic improvement, limits their capacity. Runners and cyclists have found that an increase in weight training in the gym tends to cause hypertrophy of the cardiac wall. If this occurs even just slightly, the cardiac flow lessens which is in no way desirable for atheletes such as those that partake in resistance sports. With electro-stimulation we partake in muscular work of high load levels and adaptations which will cause a high development of strength, all without submitting the body to cardiovascular stress.
6.- Improvement in capillarisation and vascularisation. It is well demonstrated that with low frequency muscular stimulation we obtain an intense elevation in local blood circulation. It has been proven that this generates an adaptation in such as way as to cause the local capillarisation also to rise, which induces the most intense and prolonged response of both the red and white muscular fibres.
7.- We will finish as we started, by mentioning again the saving in time which permits us to dedicate ourselves to the essense of each sport; improving skills and movements in the technical work, working on preparing ourselves more for the individual challenges which occur during individual competition with tactical work, and intellectually understanding the importance of the perfect combination between tactics and technique in strategic work; we can dedicate more time to understanding the ins and outs of our sport. All of this will benefit us by causing better results. So, in case it isn’t already perfectly clear, we’re going to stress it once again: saving time is priceless in training.
Aside from these six aspects which we’ve defined, an almost infinite number of advantages derive from these six aspects; there are so many that it is practically impossible to begin to number them. Such advantages would include: the improvement in other physical conditions such as elasticity; having within our reach methods which decrease pain, quicken recovery and ease adaptation to training after an injury; and the ability to demand a larger quantity of physical muscular work without risk of injury, physical or psychic fatigue. We could continue enumerating a quantity of benefits and advantages which derive from the six points which we detailed previously. We think that this is more than enough to motivate both amateur and professional athletes, who have yet to experience the training to which we refer, to take the decision to do so and begin to improve their results.