--- title: "Why People Are Adding Electric Shocks to Their Workouts" description: "A Popular Science reporter tried out a novel way of getting fit: zapping your muscles to add more resistance to your workout." date: "2019-02-01" modified: "2019-02-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/electro-muscle-stimulation-training-workout" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "fitness" - "the digest" - "workout" --- # Why People Are Adding Electric Shocks to Their Workouts ![A Popular Science reporter tried out a novel way of getting fit: zapping your muscles to add more resistance to your workout.]() *\Image: Shock Therapy\* ## Electro Muscle Stimulation *Popular Science* reporter Rachel Feltman [recently tested a futuristic way of getting fit](): zapping your muscles with electricity during an otherwise conventional workout. Feltman's takeaway: "The pumps, my dudes, were indeed gnarly." Electro Muscle Stimulation (EMS) has been around [for a while](), but only recently turned into a group exercise thanks to a U.S.-based fitness company with the edgy name Shock Therapy. The idea is to create resistance by triggering muscle movement using electrical signals. These "shocks" are sent through a bulky suit that you wear during your workout. The experience sounds pretty intense. "The machine stimulates your muscles to make them prickle and twitch, sometimes to the point of discomfort," Feltman wrote, adding that the feeling is equivalent to being "strapped to super-tight resistance bands." ## It Works. Sort of. So does it actually work? The theory says that you burn more calories and build more muscle just because your muscles are subjected to more work, while trying to counteract the spasms. Scientific studies have often found it to be an effective way to train, but have pointed out limitations as well. A [meta-study]() found it was effective, but not more so than a traditional workout. A [2016 study]() found it to be "time-efficient but pricey" compared to other high-intensity regimens. And it hasn't really caught on yet, either, despite athletes experimenting with the technology for years. There could be a number of reasons for why that is. Top of that list: why bother paying $55 or more when you can just add more resistance bands or up the weights you're lifting? ## Gettin' Swole If anything, EMS could be great at just getting a really good pump. "I don’t know why you’d want that and I don’t care; maybe you’re competing or modeling or just want to look swole AF in your wedding dress (same)," Feltman wrote. "But when I looked in the mirror for the hour or two following an EMS session, I was like, 'OK, but whose arms are those?' And it was great." **READ MORE:** [I zapped my muscles to get swole and it sort of worked]() \[*Popular Science*\] ***More on fitness: [Future Space Tourists Might Have To Train Before Their Trips]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()