What to know about muscle stimulation training programs and their application
There can be a significant difference between one stimulation and another. The effect on the muscle depends on the pulse settings. One pulse increases muscle blood flow, another increases muscle strength. Different settings are needed to improve postural strength and yet others to relieve muscle cramps. Healthy muscle and denervated muscle must be treated differently. With old, outdated devices you had to set the proper values with switches and knobs. Fortunately modern devices are not like that. In the menu you choose the disease (e.g., muscle atrophy, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome) or the treatment goal (pain relief, edema reduction, regaining muscle strength, cramp prevention) and the device's program “knows” the correct settings. You don’t have to adjust anything, yet you can perform the most appropriate treatment. Let’s look at the most important programs for athletes.
Before you start electrical muscle stimulation you must understand that it works completely differently from conventional training!
With conventional training, the development of muscle fibers is controlled by adjusting the load. With this method it is only possible to stimulate type II fast fibers to a limited extent. These fibers are activated only under high load — this is under neural control, so you cannot isolate and train specific fiber types.
In muscle stimulation the treatment effect is determined largely by the pulse frequency (pulse duration and current intensity also play a role).
With muscle stimulation it is therefore possible, for example, to hypertrophy muscles (by stimulating type II.b fibers), however this does not improve the condition of type I and IIa fibers.
A stimulation training must be planned so that it includes the right proportion of low frequencies that "train" type I fibers (endurance strength and aerobic endurance programs), medium frequencies that are "specific" for type IIa fibers (sustained strength program), and maximal strength and hypertrophy programs that "tune" type IIb fibers.
If you overdo hypertrophy, muscle mass increases but endurance, stamina and circulation do not change, so the larger muscle will not result in improved performance.
On the other hand, if you only perform endurance programs, the general condition of the muscle improves, but maximal strength will not increase and muscle mass will not grow.
Determining the correct "mix" is the "science of stimulation." It depends on individual muscle characteristics and, even more, on the goals to be achieved.
For example, if you are an endurance athlete, frequent use of hypertrophy programs will worsen endurance (because they increase type IIb fibers, which are strong but not enduring). However some type IIa and IIb stimulation is necessary even for long-distance runners, as these fibers can be used to "push" during the final few hundred meters of a race. If you don’t train type II fibers, you won’t improve top speed. You can maintain a steady pace, but you won’t be able to produce short sprints.
Indeed, this isn’t simple! But it’s worth experimenting to find a solution tailored to yourself.
Muscle stimulation training programs
If you buy a sport muscle stimulator, you will encounter similar program names in every device.
- Warm-up (in devices in English: Warm-up): A short program that raises muscle temperature to prepare it for training. It produces gentle twitch-like contractions that stimulate blood flow and muscle metabolism and increase temperature. Muscle and tendon stiffness decrease. The program thus establishes the physiologically ideal muscle and tendon state for training.
In injury treatment it is very useful because it improves circulation. Better circulation brings oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood and removes metabolites and toxins produced by the injury. - Pre-competition warm-up (PreCompetition Warm-up): Longer and deeper acting than the Warm-up program. It should be applied on the muscles most relevant to the sport a few minutes before competition. If you train daily, use this instead of the regular Warm-up.
In injury treatment it is very useful because it improves circulation. Better circulation brings oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood and removes metabolites and toxins produced by the injury. - Capillarisation (Capillarisation): This program is primarily recommended for endurance sports but is recommended for everyone during the first weeks of physical preparation. Use it in season only for endurance sports!
It stimulates blood flow to the muscle, improves oxygen supply, and reduces fatigue during hard physical work.
It supports the activity of the primary and secondary capillary systems to improve tissue oxygenation and to reduce fatigue during heavy physical work. - Resistance: Recommended for endurance sports; improves the muscle's long-term high-level force capabilities, and by preparing against metabolite formation reduces fatigue.
After injury this is the program to begin muscle strength recovery treatments with. - Endurance (Endurance): Recommended for sports such as canoeing/kayaking, middle-distance running (800–1500 m), combat sports — where the muscle must operate for several minutes at near-maximal effort in an anaerobic (oxygen-poor) state. It improves the muscle's ability to sustain high force output over time; helps defend against toxin formation (acidosis), reducing fatigue. The program's long powerful contractions are followed by short active rest phases.
- Aerobic resistance (Aerob resistance): Improves the capacity to sustain an effort over long durations. A long-duration stimulation program adapted to improve the aerobic capacity of slow fibers.
You can use it after injury, but I recommend it only after you have completed a 10–14 day Resistance (endurance strength) course. - Hypertrophy (Hypertrophy): Used to increase muscle mass. High-frequency pulses produce intense muscle work which is primarily important for muscle fiber size increase. Advantage: you can focus on one important muscle or muscle group, i.e., selectively train the weakest points.
After muscle injury use this program only after complete healing. - Maximal strength (Max. strength): Recommended when high force investment is required, e.g., in combat sports. Improves maximal force output capacity and increases muscle mass. It can also reduce the risk of trauma during maximal weight training.
After muscle injury use this program only after complete healing. - Reactivity (Reactivity): Optimal for ball games and combat sports. Improves contraction speed. The stimulations are short, extremely intense and extremely fast. Reactivity is influenced in two ways: by speeding up fast-fiber contractions and by increasing activity of myotactic receptors.
After muscle injury use this program only after complete healing. - Explosive strength (Explosive strength): Used for sports performed with maximal force (e.g., sprints, jumping and throwing sports, volleyball, etc.). Increases the mass of muscle fibers that can be deployed in the shortest possible time, using the highest force levels.
After muscle injury use this program only after complete healing.
Muscle stimulation programs for cool-down and muscle regeneration
Studies show that regenerative stimulation started within 90 minutes after physical activity reduces muscle lactic acid levels by about 25–40%. Perhaps only compression ice massage is more effective. The advantage of muscle stimulation, however, is that the device is small and easy to use, so you can deploy it anywhere and anytime, unlike expensive compression and ice-massage units.
- Active regeneration: Recommended for all sports, especially when multiple daily trainings are performed. It stimulates muscle recovery, enhances blood flow and reduces fatigue. It more effectively accelerates the clearance of metabolites and lactic acid from muscles than conventional cool-down, enabling consecutive training sessions to be kept at a high intensity. Particularly recommended during repeated-load situations, for example during half-time breaks or rest periods between wrestling matches.
- Post-competition regeneration: Longer and thus stronger acting than the Active regeneration program. Recommended after every training or competition in any sport. Promotes the clearance of metabolites and helps overcome muscle fatigue.
- Relief of muscle stiffness: This program can be used anytime a muscle stiffened by training needs to be relaxed. It provides muscle relaxation and stimulates circulation (which helps remove waste products).
How to select the treatment programs?
Whatever your goal, perform the Warm-up program on the most important muscle group before every training or competition.
If your goal is to increase endurance, then
- Use the Capillarisation, Resistance and Aerobic resistance programs in your training.
- AVOID Hypertrophy, Maximal strength and Explosive strength programs, because high-frequency pulses stimulate IIa and IIb (fast) fibers — this improves strength but worsens endurance.
If your goal is to increase strength and muscle mass, and to improve speed and reflexes, then
- Use the Hypertrophy, Maximal strength and Explosive strength programs in your training.
- AVOID Capillarisation, Resistance and Aerobic resistance programs, because these low-frequency pulses mainly develop type I and, to a lesser degree, type IIa fibers — this improves endurance but does not meaningfully change muscle mass, maximal strength, or explosiveness.
Without exception, perform a muscle regeneration treatment after every training session on the muscle groups most stressed during that session!
You can ask me for help choosing the device that best meets your goals and integrating it into your training plan by e-mail, in a comment on the article, or even by phone.
Read my next article about muscle stimulation: The role and importance of warm-up
Which devices include these treatment programs?
The Globus manufacturer's devices developed for athletes (Cycling Pro, Runner Pro, Soccer Pro, Premium 400, Triathlon Pro, The Champion) include all of these. Click here.
The devices are multifunctional, providing several types of electrotherapy treatments, such as TENS | EMS | MENS | MCR | FES | iontophoresis currents.
All devices share the same “base”. These more than a hundred basic programs ensure that you can use them in treating, improving, healing or preventing thousands of problems.
- Disease treatment: pain relief, improvement of muscle condition, anti-inflammatory treatment, circulation improvement, edema reduction, incontinence treatment, deep delivery of active substances, post-surgery/post-disease rehabilitation
- Programs to support sports preparation and muscle regeneration, and to treat and prevent injuries
- Shaping and fitness programs. Support for dieting, assistance in postpartum body recovery.
- Beauty care by improving muscle condition and skin elasticity. Professional microcurrent skin treatment programs.
The “sporty name” refers to the device's special additional knowledge: it provides programs for preparing for competitions in that sport, and for treating and preventing the typical injuries.
- Cycling Pro: for any branch of cycling
- Moto Pro: motorcycling, motorcycle racing
- Runner Pro: for running enthusiasts
- Soccer Pro: football players
- Triathlon Pro: triathletes, including swimming, cycling and running
- The Champion: for multiple sports (Running, Swimming, Cycling, Football, Skiing, Cross-country skiing, Volleyball, Golf, Combat sports, Triathlon, Sailing, Tennis)
