That is indeed the question: is seeing muscles move a sign that you are exercising, or simply a reflex action of the muscle in response to an electrical impulse? For the past 20 years, we have seen athletes using devices such as Sport-Elec, Compex and Slendertone to stimulate their muscles. But what is the reality behind these visual effects when compared to the physical movements performed during actual sporting activity? Are there any studies proving this, any clinical trials, or are we still in a state of uncertainty and doubt?
There are indeed clinical trials proving the effectiveness of electrostimulation, but can we really call it sport? The trials show results regarding muscle strengthening, active recovery after exercise, and pain relief through TENS currents that counteract the brain’s pain signals, but there is no evidence that one is actually doing sport with an electrostimulator.
For some time now, the trend of Myabodyteck and the movement associated with the electrical impulses from the generators has been changing the game; we now talk about sporting activity by combining movement with electrostimulation, but is that really the case? Is it truly sport?
Undergoing an EMS (electrical muscle stimulation) session is nothing more than a session of electrostimulation. There is no doubt that if you try it, you will feel as though you have done physical exercise because you will have accompanied the electrical contractions with voluntary contractions of your muscles, and this will have amplified the reciprocal movement of the two phenomena—voluntary and involuntary. Your muscles will certainly have worked, and they will have developed or been activated by the effect of contractions that you would likely never have performed without the associated electrostimulation technique.
But is it sport? I would say no, because sport is something else. Sport combines physical exertion with physical activity within a sporting discipline that unites body and mind, enabling physical expression linked to goals of performance, well-being and pushing one’s limits, whether in athletics, gymnastics or horse riding, where the partnership with the horse comes into play. So electrostimulation combined with movement is not sport; it is an effective means of preparation and muscle development for taking part in sport or simply for maintaining physical fitness, muscle tone and vitality, but it is not sport.
Moreover, the new ranges of Sportelec electrostimulators, which combine accessories or electrostimulation clothing with movement, do not refer to sport but to sports preparation