In a 1993 film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story there’s a scene where the main character sits at a typewriter wearing electrodes strapped across his chest and biceps.
The martial arts superstar is zapping his muscles so he bulks up without doing any exercise.
“Three minutes is like doing 200 push-ups,” he claims.
This technology, called electrical muscle stimulation or EMS, was explored by the Russians back in the 1960s to help athletes train, and it’s since been embraced by the likes of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt.
These days, EMS is promoted to people who want to get buff. You can even wear a whole-body EMS suit at the gym.
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EMS proponents say that the technology, which sends electric impulses through skin and into muscle below to make them contract, “bypasses” the brain, triggering muscles to work and grow in a “smarter and more efficient way”.
Some ads say you can get your weekly whole-body workout in just 20 minutes — without lifting a single weight.
It sounds too good to be true, so what is the scientific evidence for these claims?
What’s the theory behind EMS?
Our muscles are made up of different “motor units”, each consisting of a nerve and the muscle fibres it activates.
One type of motor unit is smaller, contracts slowly and takes a while to get tired, while the other is larger, contracts rapidly and fatigues quickly.
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The larger units use more energy but can generate more force. These are the ones that we use to build strength over time.
EMS is often used as a supplement to training. (Getty Images: Milan Markovic )
When we voluntarily activate our muscles — by lifting weights, for example — our brain activates the smaller slower motor units first before activating the larger faster ones, says Swarup Mukherjee, a sports and exercise physiologist at Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.
“What EMS does is it reverses this natural recruitment order.”
And it is thought that by stimulating the larger motor units first, EMS can speed up the process of building muscle mass — and strength.
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From medicine to elite sport
Manufacturers of some EMS gadgets have landed in trouble for overstating their claims on late night infomercials.
While some gadget claims might not stack up, there is a scientific basis for using electricity to stimulate muscles. In fact, the idea has been around for centuries, and has developed into an important way to exercise muscles when someone has an illness or injury.
“For patients that are unable to physically exercise for whatever reason, electrical stimulation can replace exercise,” says Gordon Lynch, who studies the use of EMS with the Centre for Muscle Research at the University of Melbourne.
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“The evidence is really strong that we can get adaptations in muscle and recruit muscles in a way that that can be beneficial.”
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But, Professor Lynch says, it is less clear whether EMS works as a general fitness tool.
“There’s no real consensus about how to optimise this form of training for otherwise healthy people.”
Still, there are no shortage of online testimonials from people who swear EMS workouts are the way to go.
But what does the evidence say?
Some research, such as this small 2016 randomised controlled trial of middle-aged men, supports using EMS to build strength and lose fat.
And the technology’s “time-efficiency” and “joint-friendliness” is seen by some researchers as attractive to those “unable or unmotivated” to do intense exercise.
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A 2023 review by Dr Mukherjee of 10 other studies also found EMS increased the size of the muscles they stimulated in healthy adults.
And since muscle is one of the most energy-hungry tissues in the body, building them should also help burn fat, Dr Mukherjee says.
Retired sprinter Usain Bolt is among the high-profile athletes who have used EMS. (Getty Images: Ashley Feder/Stringer)
But, he cautions, building bigger muscles does not necessarily translate to the sort of strength that will make gym exercises or everyday activities easier.
In fact, none of the studies in his review found EMS improved such “functional” strength.
“There isn’t enough body of data to convince us that it is an equivalent of voluntary resistance training,” Dr Mukherjee says.
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Other researchers who reviewed the evidence on whole-body EMS concluded active people won’t get any advantage from the technology, although older sedentary populations may benefit.
One limitation of EMS is that it contracts static muscles, but to do specific activities our brain orchestrates a combination of muscles in a special way, Dr Mukherjee explains.
During bicep curls, for example, our biceps contract, while our triceps must lengthen and relax.
This is why there is a preference among proponents to combine EMS with traditional muscle exercises, Dr Mukherjee says.
Getting the right ‘dose’
Everyone’s muscles respond differently to EMS, Professor Lynch says, adding that this makes giving the right dose of stimulation a challenge.
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“If it’s not enough, then you’re not going to get any benefit at all. And if you over stimulate, then you can cause muscle damage.”
Sport scientist Nicola Maffiuletti of the Schulthess Clinic, an orthopaedic hospital in Switzerland, agrees.
Traditional muscle building involves progressively — and carefully — adding heavier weights to a training regimen over time as your muscles adapt and get stronger.
But Dr Maffiuletti says it’s harder to know how much current to use to get the right stimulation with EMS.
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“When you inject current you don’t know how to properly dose on an individual basis.”
Possible risks of EMS
Dr Maffiuletti is particularly concerned about the dose of current delivered by whole-body EMS suits.
These are a wetsuit-type outfit with electrodes that stimulate a number of muscles across the body at the same time.
He says it’s like “giving a pill” when we don’t know how much drug the pill contains, or what it’ll do to the person taking it.
“It’s not a cautious way to exercise.”
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While painful muscles are to be expectedafter a muscle workout of any kind, Dr Mukherjee warns people should not experience pain at the time of receiving EMS — discomfort yes, but not pain.
In 2016 Dr Maffiuletti co-authored a piece in the British Medical Journal calling for better regulation of whole-body EMS suits after seeing people’smuscles break down in a condition called rhabdomyolysis, which can lead to kidney damage.
While there are fewer reports of rhabdomyolysis from EMS these days, he remains concerned about how well people are screened before using whole-body suits at the gym.
Experts advise caution when using EMS. (Getty Images: Nevena1987 )
Even experts who support the use of whole-body EMS in general fitness warn of potential harms and the need for better oversight.
The US Food and Drug Administration has warned some consumer products have reportedly shocked, burned, bruised and irritated the skin of users, and interfered with critically important medical devices such as pacemakers.
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If you are planning to fork out for EMS at the gym, Professor Lynch advises looking for a personalised approach with supervision by a professional like a physiotherapist who is trained in using the technology.
But he recommends making the most of more traditional forms of exercise and strength training first.
Finally, he adds, if weight loss is the goal you also really need to watch what you put in your mouth.
Delve into claims surrounding EMS in more detail on What’s that Rash? and subscribe to the podcast for more answers to more health questions.
When it comes to building strong, defined arms, traditional fitness advice will usually point you toward endless sets of bicep curls and tricep extensions. But according to Dr Stacy Sims, a leading women’s exercise physiologist specialising in perimenopause and menopause, isolation movements like these aren’t necessarily the most effective. Instead, she advocates for one functional compound movement: the farmer’s carry.
Speaking on podcast A Life of Greatness, when host Sarah Grynberg asks how to get arm muscles like Dr Sims, the 51-year-old explained: ‘In order to get shoulders like this, heavy farmer’s carries. I’ve been travelling so much this year, and I haven’t been in the gym being consistent with all the push presses and Olympic lifts that I love to do, but what I have been consistent in doing is heavy farmer’s carries.
‘It’s good for grip strength, learning how to walk properly, core strength, shoulders – so if there’s one move everyone should do, it’s heavy farmer’s carries.’
The magic of the move lies in its ability to engage your biceps, triceps, shoulders, forearms and hands all at once. And because your arms are working continuously to stabilise heavy loads against gravity, the exercise activates the deep muscle fibres that don’t fire up as efficiently in single-joint arm movements, like bicep curls. Here’s how to do it with proper form, plus how heavy to lift and a workout to try, straight from Dr Sims.
How to do a farmer’s carry
Standing with feet hip-width apart and weights at the outside of the ankles, hinge your hips back and bend the knees, keeping your back flat.
Tighten up your lower back and abdominals before reaching down to grab the weights.
After gripping the weights, begin to stand tall by driving your heels into the ground, maintaining a tight form. Once you reach full standing position, tighten your armpits and make sure your shoulders are pulled back to activate the muscles in the rotator cuff area.
Finally, begin to take small steps forward, maintaining a strong grip and form. If you’re returning in opposite direction, set the weights down, turn around, and then grab the weights again before walking in the opposite direction.
Set/reps for results: Aim for three sets. Try timing your farmer’s carry for 25 to 30 seconds or go for 10 steps forward and back.
Form tips: Start out with a light weight to ensure you don’t end up leaning too far forward or towards one side. Make sure to keep your back straight for safety. When it comes to moving, small strides will do. They’ll keep you balanced as you increase your weights.
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How heavy to lift
As for what “heavy” means to Dr Sims, she says: ‘How many people have heard that you should be able to farmer carry 75% of your body weight for a minute? That is made up from bro science. It’s a good metric but there’s no science behind it. So, a heavy farmer’s carry is you have two very heavy dumbbells by your side and you’re walking back and forth.’
Here’s a weight guide to follow:
Beginners: 2x 4-6kg
Intermediate: 2x 8-12kg
Advanced: 2x 12-20kg
Farmer’s carry workout
Dr Sims shares a descending ladder workout to try.
500m ski
500m heavy farmer’s carry
400m ski
400m heavy farmer’s carry
300m ski
300m heavy farmer’s carry
200m ski
200m heavy farmer’s carry
100m ski
100m heavy farmer’s carry
‘If you really have anything left in the tank after this workout, you go back up in 100m,’ she adds.
One of our most frequently asked questions here at Women’s Health? How to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. So, we asked superstar trainer Oyinda Okunowo exactly how to do it. In this 4-week plan – created exclusively for Women’s Health COLLECTIVE members – you’ll get the workouts and nutrition guidance needed to help you on your way to better body composition. Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to Oyinda’s plan and start training today.
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As Women’s Health UK’s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism.
After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!
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Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red. Today, she oversees all fitness content across Women’s Health online and in print, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, which showcases the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise.
She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how. Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.
The sun is a welcome addition to our exercise routines come summer – but the novelty of a sunny run or hike can quickly wear off as the temperature climbs. With heatwaves and record-breaking temperatures already this year, it’s important to know the best time to exercise in the heat for the weeks ahead.
Obviously, if you don’t like the heat and would rather be inside, then you can exercise in an air-conditioned gym or studio at any time of day. A good swimming workout is another way to stay cool. However, if you enjoy running, hiking, cycling, or a garden strength training workout, it makes sense to choose the coolest times of day. In the peak of the summer, this is before 10 am and after 5 pm, but the earlier (or later) you can go, the better.
The body reacts differently in the heat, making exercise above 20°C degrees feel harder, even if you’re doing the same workout you did in the cooler months. As the temperature climbs, blood vessels dilate to push blood towards the surface of the skin to cool it down, which means there is less in the muscles. This means your heart has to work harder and beat faster.
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You also naturally sweat more, which is the body’s way of cooling down. However, important micronutrients called electrolytes are lost in sweat, and if they aren’t replenished (through hydrating foods or electrolyte supplements), it can lead to lower blood volume, triggering symptoms like fatigue, rapid heart rate, and dizziness that extend beyond your workout.
As well as checking the day’s top temperature, you should check the heat index. This indicates how humid it can be, which can be more of a problem than the warmth and can leave you sticky and sweaty before you’ve even pulled on your running shoes.
With that in mind, Brian Maiorano, coach liaison for sports-tech company CORE, has some tips for exercising in the heat. “When the weather begins to really heat up, these are the best ways to train during a heatwave, and to really stay safe,” he says.
Don’t be afraid to sweat: You can gradually adapt to the heat within 4 to 5 days by raising your core temperature in a controlled way. Top athletes call this ‘heat training’, and it’s very effective if you’re careful to not overcook yourself.
Stay hydrated: As well as drinking water, you can douse your head and torso in it to stay cool.
Lower your intensity during the heat: Monitor your heart rate and stick to zone 2 if you’re exercising in the heat. This is 60 to 70% of your maximum heart rate (220 minus your age), and stop at any signs of dizziness, nausea, or headache.
Choose when to do your most vigorous training: During intense sessions, you don’t want the additional stress of heat, so Brian recommends doing it in climate-controlled conditions (like switching your run to a treadmill workout) or choosing the best time to exercise in the heat.
Don’t spend the whole day in an air-conditioned room: “Too much time enjoying the cool air can make you miserable when you are exposed to heat,” says Brian.
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Kylie Minogue has stayed active her whole life, but, refreshingly, she doesn’t follow a punishingly strict routine to stay fit.
‘I wish I was one of those women who do their exercises first thing in the morning, or run straight to the fitness studio as soon as they get up,’ she told Star Magazine. ‘But unfortunately, I’m just not that disciplined!’
Instead, the ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ singer partly relies on her hectic schedue to keep her moving. ‘I don’t really work out, but I’m constantly on the go,’ she told Express.
‘My guilty confession is that there isn’t [a routine]!…I think I stay in shape with an active (read, exhausting!) lifestyle,’ she continued on Reddit. ‘My fitness is really sporadic. I have to thank my mum for good genes.’
Kylie Minogue’s go-to exercises
Despite her self-professed low-key approach, the global multi-platinum recording artist incorporates several workout methods into her day, preferring mainly low-impact and moderate-intensity exercise.
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‘I do Pilates,’ she continued to Star. But she’s careful to keep things balanced. ‘I don’t overdo it,’ she clarified.
‘I like to at the very least do 15 minutes on the Yoga Studio app. I know how to do it without the app but the tone of the woman’s voice and that it’s timed, it goes by so quickly,’ she told WSJ. ‘Then I feel like that’s done and I feel good.’
Often, her exercise of choice also depends on what equipment is available.
‘If there’s a treadmill nearby, I like to do that. We say in my family, “Minogues don’t run.” None of us run. But we like to walk, so that works for me,’ she added. ‘If I’m somewhere where there’s Pilates, I love that.’
Workouts that provide holistic physical and mental benefits are often a favourite.
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‘I’ve also tried Gyrotonics; that was really fun,’ she continued, referring to the gymnastics-and-swimming-inspired movement system developed by Julia Horvath in the 80s. Designed to decompress the body, build strength and flexibility, and improve posture, it’s increasingly being adopted by Olympic athletes and celebrities alike.
‘I loved aerobics and I used to do Callanetics,’ she added to Express. Created by classical ballet-trained Callan Pinckney around 40 years ago, Callanetics uses ‘small, precise pulsing movements’ to ‘activate muscles’. ‘I would travel everywhere with this home workout on a VHS tape and put it on in hotel rooms,’ Kylie revealed.
However, being the ‘Princess of Pop’ does mean that the physical demands are considerable, and often her endurance, coordination and overall fitness are put to the test when she’s on stage.
‘I would say my ultimate workout is being on tour. I’m never as fit as when I’m on tour, so I can’t wait to tour again. My body needs it.’
One of our most frequently asked questions here at Women’s Health? How to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. So, we asked superstar trainer Oyinda Okunowo exactly how to do it. In this 4-week plan – created exclusively for Women’s Health COLLECTIVE members – you’ll get the workouts and nutrition guidance needed to help you on your way to better body composition. Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to Oyinda’s plan and start training today.
