I have previously written about why it is necessary to strengthen the back muscles. Read my articles on back pain, herniated disc, and lumbago. This section explains specifically how you can strengthen your back without risking increased pain or even surgery. I already explained why this is effective in earlier articles, so here I will focus on outlining the treatment steps.

Your spinal support muscles run along your spine from your neck to your lower back on both sides. These are the muscles you need to strengthen. To avoid spending hours on this, use a 4-channel muscle stimulator. This will limit treatment to 30–40 minutes per day. If you have a 2-channel device, you will need at least twice as much time!

Preparations

• You will need 4 cables and 8 electrodes to treat your entire back. Gather these!
• I recommend square electrodes sized 50×50 mm for this treatment (a few millimeters difference is acceptable).
• One end of each cable splits into two and ends in pin-like metal connectors. These connect to the adhesive TENS electrodes.
• Connect the cable ends to the electrodes.
• The other end of the cables has a connector for attaching to the device. Connect them to the device.
• Cables may be different colors. It does not matter which color cable you plug into which port on the device. The colors are only for easily identifying the two ends of each cable, as the current flows between ends of the same color.

Electrode Placement

• For the back muscle strengthening treatment, remove the adhesive electrodes from the plastic backing and stick them onto your skin.
• It’s best to wash your skin beforehand with warm, soapy water and dry thoroughly.
• The greasier, dirtier, or sweatier your skin, the shorter the time you can use the same electrode.
• Place electrodes not on the vertebrae but 3–4 cm to the side of them.
• Take the cable for Output 1 and attach its two electrodes one above the other as shown. Place one on the neck and the other between the shoulder blades.
• Then stick the electrodes for Outputs 2, 3, and 4 in sequence as shown.
• Never connect electrode pairs crosswise!

Back Muscle Strengthening Workout Plan

If you have a Cycling Pro, Runner Pro, Triathlon Pro, Soccer Pro, Moto Pro, or The Champion device, follow this plan.

You can find the programs in the Program List / Sport group.

The Genesy 300 Pro device does not have a separate "Stiffness Relief" program; instead, use the Sport / Warm-up program.

If you have a MyoBravo device, you must select program numbers instead of names. See the user manual for details.

• Stiffness Relief = Program 23,
• Endurance Strength Week 1 = Program 02,
• Endurance Strength from Week 2 = Program 03,
• Max. Force Output Weeks 1–3 = Program 08,
• Max. Force Output from Week 3 = Program 09.

Setting the Intensity

• When you start the program, you won't feel anything yet. No treatment is happening at this stage.
• To activate the treatment, you need to increase the current intensity.
• Everyone feels the current differently and reacts differently. You will even feel it differently on different days.
• That’s why the device does not set an intensity automatically. You must find the right level yourself.
• If you increase the intensity step by step, you will feel gentle twitches in your muscles.
• These contractions do not yet strengthen the muscle, so you need to raise the intensity further.
• The stronger the contractions, the stronger the effect, but above a certain (personal) threshold, the treatment becomes painful. If that happens, reduce the intensity by a few mA!
• You should feel firm contractions during the session, but they should not be painful!
• Stimulate at the upper end of your comfort zone.
• If the intensity is too low, there are no contractions and no effect.

Completion

• When the treatment time is up, the program will end.
• Turn off the device.
• Remove the electrodes from your skin carefully and one by one, not by pulling the cables, and immediately place them back on the plastic backing.
• Many users have reported that storing electrodes in a regular refrigerator extends their adhesive life. I leave that up to you!

My Recommendation

You can strengthen your muscles through your body’s natural processes. This does not happen in one day. Don’t expect anything extraordinary from a single session—perhaps just some muscle soreness.

Progression is important: in the first week, the muscles must get used to the stimulation; from the second week, treatments become more frequent and intensive, and after laying the foundation, you move into the real strengthening phase.

You can expect the first results by the end of the third week, when you will feel that your back muscles support you better and you feel better overall. But you are not "finished" yet.

After two months, gradually incorporate back exercises into your daily routine.

After the third month, exercises should become the primary focus, with stimulation as a supplement.

However, if you do neither exercises nor stimulation, your muscle strength will drop back to the pre-treatment level within 2–3 weeks. You can maintain it only with regular exercise.