Women’s Fitness Australia — May 2017

GET PULSING

Head to InPULS Studio in Bondi

Junction, NSW (inpuls.com.au)

to give this electro muscular

stimulation workout a go. Pricing

starts from $40 per session.

One session a week is all you

need, to start with, to reap the

benefi ts of boosted strength,

stability and mobility.

Samera straps in

for her workout

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BeFIT

THE LOWDOWN
Don’t freak out. Repeat: Don’t freak out.
Because that’s what I did when I fi rst eyed
the kit I was about to be donning for this
high-tech workout. What looks like a
wired-up military garment is actually
an electro muscular stimulation (EMS)
vest fi tted with electrodes, and worn over
a specially designed top and tights.
The name of this workout technology
sounds as daunting as the vest looks – but
I’m assured there is nothing to fear here.
EMS – revolutionary tech from Germany
that’s used by athletes worldwide – uses
electrical pulses (through the previously
mentioned vest) to simultaneously
stimulate and activate muscle groups
you never even knew you had. While your
brain naturally creates electric impulses

itself in order to activate your muscles

during a workout, EMS enhances the

nerve impulse so that the muscles contract

harder. Because you’re working your lower

body at the same time as your upper body,

it’s a full-body workout targeting strength,

cardio, balance and posture – and one

that’s kind on your joints, too.

But wait... I haven’t told you the best

bit! The workout goes for a grand total

of 20 minutes. And those 20 minutes

o‰ er up the same results as four hours

of conventional training thanks to the high

engagement and stimulation of the muscles.

Mind (and body) about to be blown.

THE TEST

Feet grounded on mat. Heart beating

a million miles in anticipation. An avatar

ELECTRO MUSCULAR

STIMULATION
WF’s Samera Kamaleddine gets pulsing in a smart new way

appears on the screen in front. When the

blue bars transition to orange bars, it’s go

time. My avatar leads the way with a squat,

so down I go, with the ‘zapping’ of the

electric pulses starting in my legs. The

levels have been set by my trainer using

my very scientifi c “yep, I can feel it” to

“ouch, that’s too high” scale of measure.

At fi rst it feels almost like a massaging

e‰ ect, but soon I barely even notice the

pulses tightening the muscles around

my chest, glutes, thighs, stomach and

biceps, as we move through 20 minutes

of body-weight compound moves –

think lunges, squats, rotations, standing

crunches (ooh, they got me good!),

elbow to opposite knee crunches (so

did they!) and hip hinges.

It defs feels like something much

more intense is going on with my muscles

than I’ve ever felt before – and it’s strange,

because I’m not exerting any more energy.

While I’m sweating it (miraculously,

sans sweat), my trainer is correcting my

form. My pelvis tilt is o‰ most of the time,

and, thanks to my horrendous posture,

my shoulders need to be pulled back with

pretty much every move. This is where

it’s very similar to Pilates – there’s a strong

focus on posture. And because I’m a Pilates

girl from way back, I like it.

Given there’s a rest period in between

each of the 12 reps, you’re actually active

for less than 20 minutes, so when time is

up, I’m surprised. I feel tired – but not

as tired as I would feel after four hours

of exercise. The reason you don’t get the

same fatigue? The body isn’t exhausted

because it hasn’t built lactic acid.

I’m warned I might feel light-headed

or euphoric afterwards (especially if you

aren’t properly hydrated beforehand)

but instead, I’m sensing an addiction to

the pulse. However, my muscles might

think otherwise tomorrow...