Useful tips for using electrostimulation on a daily basis

Electrostimulators guide

Below you will find some useful tips on using electrostimulation for a muscle workout.

Firstly, it is essential to draw up a weekly training schedule like this:

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
LegsArms and torsoLegsArms and torsoLegsArms and torso 

N.B.: Sundays are usually reserved for resting or working on the area that needs it most.

This is just an example; the key thing is to create a weekly programme.

In a leg training session, if you want to work on your thighs, you can place the electrodes on the quadriceps. It is important to first position the electrodes correctly before connecting the cables.Since a compensated biphasic rectangular current is used, the colour of the connectors (red or black) is indifferent.In any case, the indications given in the manual must be followed. Once the session is finished, you can move on to work the gastrocnemius muscles. You can detach the electrodes from the quadriceps and place them on the gastrocnemius muscles, or if other ones have already been placed there, you can simply disconnect the pins and connect them to the electrodes on the gastrocnemius muscles to begin treatment. You can also choose the agonist/antagonist programme and work sequentially and simultaneously on the quadriceps and biceps femoris.

The most comfortable clothing to wear when using an electro-stimulator are sports clothes, in particular shorts when training the legs and a light t-shirt when training the abs or the back. It is important that they are light, they allow quick access to the cables and allow you to move freely.

It is a good idea to follow the same sequence of placing the electrodes.For example from top to bottom or vice versa.In this way, placing the electrodes becomes an almost automatic and fast operation, which will save a lot of time.

After the first few days, it is important to gradually increase the intensity, depending on one’s sensitivity. The goal must be to increase the intensity level of the current. But do not forget the key word: gradually.

In fact, working with intensities that are too low, involves very few muscle fibres. Nevertheless, it is important to allow the body to get used to it and increase its intensity gradually. Increasing the intensity involves more muscle groups and training can give better results. In this case it is said to increase the spatial recruitment of the fibres.

At the beginning, it may be useful to write down the training intensity in a notebook.

A little secret to increase the intensity without experiencing pain: when the contraction induced by the stimulator begins, a voluntary contraction of the muscle can be performed. This increases proprioceptive activity and reduces the sensation of the electrical impulse passing through the muscle: maximum comfort and better results!

If you use electrostimulation for sports training, it is advisable to do it assisted by the coach and decide together on which muscles to concentrate and how to train them.

For example, to improve running speed it is essential to increase leg strength, but you can choose to train also using a programme for strength and speed. If, on the other hand, the goal is to improve resistance, then strength-resistance work is preferable.

All this keeping in mind that it is possible to start with a general training plan focused on core strength and general resistance, and then move on to a specific programme for your specific sporting discipline, once good tolerance of the current intensity is reached.

 

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