Buzz
I’ve put myself through some truly bizarre workouts in the name of science, but nothing quite prepared me for the sight of myself in an EMS suit. It’s all black, covered in straps and buckles. A long wire connects me to a computer, and I can’t help but feel like I’m about to pilot a spaceship or take control of a giant robot. Instead, I’m preparing to do lunges and pushups, all while being told I’m getting a far superior workout than those poor souls in a regular gym.
Curious to experience it myself, I took up the offer of a free session at BODY20, a rapidly expanding chain of EMS fitness centers. The sessions don’t come cheap, ranging from $40 to $100 per session, depending on the studio's location and the type of membership you opt for.
So, does an EMS workout really offer any advantage over the typical gym routine? Probably not. (We’ll dive into the specifics shortly.) But after catching my reflection in the mirror, I can see why some might be intrigued.
What Exactly is EMS?
EMS workouts are having their moment in the spotlight again—not for the first time, and likely not the last—thanks to their futuristic appeal and the fitness industry's constant push to introduce you to newer, trendier workouts than what everyone else is doing.
Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) is a collection of techniques and technologies designed to trigger muscle contractions by sending a mild electric current through your body. If you’ve encountered other types of electric currents used for health and fitness, I'll explain them for comparison.
If you've ever used a TENS machine for pain relief, you're familiar with one such technique. You attach sticky electrodes to your skin and activate a handheld device that’s connected to the electrodes via wires. TENS uses a gentle current that feels like a tingling sensation but doesn’t cause your muscles to twitch or contract. Its purpose is to disrupt pain signals. TENS stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, meaning the electrical current passes through the skin and is picked up by your nerves, but it’s not intended to make muscles contract.
In contrast, if you've used e-stim during a physical therapy session, you're closer to what happens in EMS workouts. After my ACL surgery, rebuilding my quad muscle became a top priority. I’d perform leg presses and leg extensions, and toward the end of the session, the physical therapist would apply sticky electrodes to my thigh. As the intensity increased, my quad would begin to contract. When we reached a level of mild discomfort but still bearable, the therapist would let the machine work my quad for about 10 minutes or so.
EMS workouts are somewhat similar to using an e-stim machine, but the sensation is quite different. During an EMS session, you're suited up in a full-body suit that sends electrical impulses to multiple muscle groups at once. The intensity of the current is not as high as in my physical therapy sessions, but unlike just sitting in a chair, you'll be performing exercises while the electrodes make your muscles contract more forcefully than they would through exercise alone.
What exactly happens during an EMS workout?
For my EMS workout, I visited a boutique fitness studio located in a suburban area, next to a veterinary clinic and in sight of a yoga studio. I was required to sign a waiver, which included a disclaimer advising against participation if I had a pacemaker, metal implants like rods or plates, epilepsy, cancer, or if I was pregnant. There were also warnings about dehydration, a history of rhabdomyolysis, having done strenuous physical exercise within the past 72 hours, or completing another EMS workout in the last five days.
The studio manager explained that my first session would be relatively short, without weights. As I continued with more sessions, the workouts would get progressively longer and more challenging, but each session would always be capped at 20 minutes.
The area behind the reception desk was divided into two main spaces. One was a small fitness studio with mirrors and black flooring, where the workouts took place. Behind it was a room equipped with an InBody scanner and several cubby-like lockers, brightly lit, each containing an XBody suit.
(I went ahead with the InBody scan, even though I know it isn't the most precise way to measure body composition. It gave me flattering results, so I can't complain too much.)
I was given a change of clothes: a sleek black shirt with three-quarter sleeves and a matching pair of cropped pants.
I'd read that some EMS studios advise against wearing underwear, but at this particular studio, it seems you're expected to keep them on. That's fine with me. Just a heads-up: the clothes worn under the suit will get wet, so you might want to bring a dry change of underwear for after the session.
As I changed into the provided workout attire, a Body20 staff member sprayed the interior of the EMS suit with water. Rather than attaching electrodes directly to your skin like a TENS machine, the electrodes are integrated into the suit. Each electrode has an absorbent pad, which she was dampening. The water acts as a conductor between the electrode and your skin, resulting in wet patches on your biceps, belly, quads, and butt, among other areas.
There are no electrodes placed on the calves or forearms, which didn't surprise me, as they're not typically a focus for most people's workouts. However, I was surprised to find that the deltoids, the prominent shoulder muscles, aren't equipped with electrodes either. This omission likely exists to allow shoulder movement, but it felt odd, especially since these muscles are often targeted for both aesthetic and functional reasons.
The workout itself was fairly simple and brief. The suit activates, and you perform a series of exercises such as lunges or squats. Then the suit turns off, and you take a brief break—just a few seconds—before jumping back in for the next set.
Body20 offers both strength and cardio classes. The strength sessions seem to be the main focus, with rules that limit how often you can attend them. Cardio workouts involve less current passing through the suit, and you move quickly between exercises, similar to the bodyweight circuit training routines you might find on YouTube. These cardio sessions can be done more frequently.
The Body20 staff kept referring to rules on frequency and intensity as being established by 'the FDA.' However, when I inquired about this in a follow-up email, I was informed that the regulations actually come from XBody, the manufacturer of the suit. The FDA does regulate EMS devices and requires them to be cleared for use. They have received reports of shocks, burns, and other issues from devices sold illegally without FDA clearance. Ultimately, the manufacturer's guidelines seem reasonable to me; I’d be cautious about purchasing any EMS equipment unless you can confirm it is FDA-cleared.
How does an EMS workout feel?
Similar to my e-stim experience during physical therapy, the start of my Body20 session had the trainer gradually increasing the current and asking me to tell him when it felt strong but still manageable. If it was too high, it could become uncomfortable or cause cramps; if it was too low, I might not feel much of anything. (Interestingly, the e-stim at PT turned out to be much more intense than what we were aiming for in this session.)
Throughout the exercises, I could definitely feel the current enhancing my muscle contractions. On a couple of occasions, while doing a tricep movement, I felt my tricep nearly freeze. It wasn’t painful, but it gave the sensation that my arm wanted to stay straight, almost like a mild cramp in my tricep.
There were dumbbells in the room, but we didn’t use them for my introductory workout. Instead, the trainer gave me stress ball-like objects to hold in my hands and move them as though I was curling a dumbbell or performing tricep kickbacks. With the current in play, it definitely felt like I was doing something.
It wasn’t a particularly tough workout. Despite the warning that I might be sore afterward, I left the studio and went straight to my usual Monday weightlifting routine (jerks, power snatches, power cleans, Pendlay rows). I felt a little more tired than when I start fresh, but it was more like ‘I just did a solid warmup’ than ‘I completed a whole second workout.’ I wasn’t sore the next day.
For someone who doesn’t regularly throw around barbells, some soreness might seem reasonable. A lighter, shorter workout for the first session makes sense, especially when you’re uncertain how your body will react. But based on my experience, it didn’t feel much different from a regular strength workout. If anything, it felt less intense than a typical gym strength day. There’s just not that much effort involved.
Are EMS workouts effective?
I’m someone who believes in supporting all types of exercise: if it excites you and keeps you coming back, then I’m all for it, whether it’s Pilates, powerlifting, or anything else. I’m sure there are people who find lunges in an EMS suit fun, though they wouldn’t do the same lunges at home for free. If an EMS studio membership helps you develop a consistent habit (and you can afford it), then go ahead and enjoy it.
We need to address an ongoing claim: that EMS workouts are somehow superior to regular workouts or deliver identical results in a fraction of the time. Take Bodystreet, for instance, which insists that all you need is 20 minutes of training each week. Tummo claims that one 20-minute session is equivalent to 3-4 days in the gym. We202 also states that a 20-minute class equals 3 hours of traditional training. Fitopia asserts that its 20-minute workouts are comparable to 90 minutes of conventional workouts. Even Body20, where I had my session, isn’t any different: it promises that you can achieve results in just 20 minutes, which would otherwise take hours in a regular gym.
Naturally, I inquired about these claims. The PR representative who had introduced me to Body20 provided a list of studies, pointing specifically to a 2016 study comparing whole-body EMS to high-intensity resistance exercise. The study concluded that EMS workouts 'can be considered as a time-efficient but [expensive] alternative to [high-intensity] resistance exercise for people seeking to improve general strength and body composition.'
I dove deeper, eager to analyze the data. As promised, the study included an EMS workout similar to those offered by Body20 and other studios. The results showed that both the EMS and non-EMS groups experienced similar gains in muscle mass and strength.
However, the assertion that you need hours at the gym to match one EMS session isn’t supported by this study. The non-EMS workouts were only 30 minutes long. To be precise, they lasted 30.3 minutes on average, with a variance of 2.3 minutes. Even assuming all the study's results are valid and applicable to you, you're only saving ten minutes per workout—not hours.
I also have some reservations about the study’s relevance, beyond the time-saving claim. The study was conducted on 48 healthy men aged 30 to 50, all of whom were 'untrained,' meaning the results should be taken with caution. Almost anything works for individuals who are new to exercise. If you're already working out at a gym or fitness studio and considering switching to EMS, I wouldn't expect extraordinary results. It might work just as well, or it might be less effective. We simply don't have any evidence suggesting that it would be superior.
When all is said and done, I believe the only real reason to try EMS workouts is if you think it’s an enjoyable way to spend your money. (We all have our little indulgences and quirky hobbies; perhaps this happens to be yours.) It’s certainly not a more intelligent or effective way to exercise compared to hitting the gym or picking up an active hobby like running or rock climbing.
