Issue #45: Our EMS Training Programs explained
How to get started with Visionbody "BASIC Program"
Through the last few months, we received a lot of questions about our training programs and how to apply them to real training situations and fitness goals.
Here, in the first part, we go through the BASIC Programs.
But before we go deep into the rabbit hole of EMS Training, let’s start with the EMS basics…
Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS)
Electromyostimulation is a protocol that elicits muscle contractions using electrical impulses that directly stimulate your motor neurons. An EMS unit like Visionbody is a device that delivers this in the comfort of your own home.
This stimulation creates muscle contractions that can be quick and frequent, fast with long pauses, or contractions that are held for several seconds or minutes at a time.
Here is a video for a deeper understanding of how the impulses work your muscles:
So the EMS impulses work the same way as traditional training with weights. This is what you need to understand at this point! Most of the people can’t get this in their heads, because after the training they feel great and not “worked out”!
So before we get started you need to internalize this:
Visionbody EMS Training is not about sweating like hell, feeling sore, and worked out for days after the training! It’s about feeling the impulses while you train and make the body work with the impulses and not against them.
You will get all the training benefits you might also get from “traditional training”, but without the negative impacts of lactate overload, heavily worked joints/ligaments, and metabolic stress.
“It’s a smooth and intense training. But you will feel great after it!”
- J.Knabe, Head of the Visionbody Academy
Visionbody Training Program Overview
When you enter our app and connect the box you will get access to our training programs:
With the Home-System, you will find 5 programs…
BASIC (Get Started, Basic-1, Continuous-1)
STRENGTH
ENDURANCE
FAT BURN
SPECIAL (Massage & Wellness)
Strength, Endurance, and Fat Burn are our three major training programs that you should only do three times per week between 20-30min each, depending on your training level. For most people 2x per week, 20min each is a great start and where most of us can stay for the rest of our life…!
“But my neighbor always says more is more!”
If you are a pro Athlete maybe this is true. But do not think that you as regular joe can handle 120min EMS training every week and expect to get results. Too much good stuff is also bad for you.
Like chocolate! It’s good for you if you just take a little bit of it! Chocolate every day is the best recipe to get overweight very fast.
So after we checked our egos here, we go and take a look at the programs and how they will help you and your health and fitness goals.
In the first part of our five-part series, we gonna take a closer look at the Basic programs.
How to adjust a training program?
Well, this is very simple and be done in 6 easy steps:
STEP 1: Make sure you have no contraindications
STEP 2: Chose the “BASIC” Program
STEP 3: In “BASIC” you chose GET STARTED, BASIC-1 or CONTINUOUS-1
STEP 4: Chose the training time (10-15 or 20min)
STEP 5: Chose the feeling of the impulse (Soft / Medium is enough ;-)
STEP 6: Chose the interval between “impulse and rest”
What does the adjustments “soft - medium-hard” mean?
Well, this does definitely not mean that if you are a tough athlete you should take “hard”. These adjustments describe the way the impulse is brought to your muscles.
“Soft” means the impulse is brought to you softly rising to the top of the Intensity (for example 10% on the Abs) peaks there for a very short time and then softly goes down.
“Medium” is a steeper rise of the impulse and a little bit longer stay at the top of the intensity.
“Hard” means the impulse is directly rising to the top of the intensity. Stays there the whole time of the impulse length and then falls immediately back to the beginning.
Most of the time I spent my training at “medium” which feels great to me. But I think after the first 2-6 weeks of training you should try hard and see how it feels to you.
How to combine the Impulse Intervals “Intensity & Rest” with each other?
What we know is that two types of impulse intervals are working quite well for almost everybody to boost strength, speed, power and endurance with EMS.
The first one is the 4s Intensity followed by 4s Rest. You can use this with all kinds of our programs and for all your fitness goals. To succeed with your fitness goals you only need to choose the program that suits your goals best (STRENGTH, FAT BURN, or ENDURANCE). Because each program is designed with an individual “Impulse-Cocktail” mixed by low and middle frequencies that will help to reach your goals.
The other one is the continuous Impulse. You will find that one only in the BASIC programs. It s perfect for Yoga, Pilates, or Endurance training protocols. So for example, if you go for a walk, running or a sprint session just use the continuous impulse.
“Cocktails” are our secret source for your training success!
Visionbody is the only company developing successfully the mixture of low and middle frequencies. Because we know that only low frequencies are not the right button to push to succeed in EMS training. You need middle frequencies to enter the muscles without shocking them and create a muscle tension that feels natural.
In the next parts of this series, we will discuss more combinations for our STRENGTH and FAT BURN programs.
How intense should the training be?
Well, that depends…!
Everybody got a different feeling about “Intensity”. I would recommend the following adjustment:
START your training with LEGS & BUTT: These muscle groups are big!! So they need more intensity than other bodyparts. Most people like to start here because it’s a nicer feeling than at the chest for example. I would recommend something between 30-70%. But remember: It depends!
Then go over to ABS: These muscle groups are really tiny in comparison to the legs. I would recommend something between 8-15% at the beginning. Later in the training, you can go harder on that muscles if you feel good.
Then go over to ARMS, CHEST & NECK: These muscle groups tiny in comparison to the legs. I know, some men might think they got big arms in comparison to their legs. But if this is the case you have a totally different problem…:-) and I would recommend not to skip the leg day next week. Start slowly here and ramp it up step by step. I would recommend something between 5-10% at the beginning. Later in the training, you can go harder on that muscles if you feel good.
Finally, go over to the UPPER & LOWER BACK: These muscles are big too! So they also need more intensity than other bodyparts. Most people like to start here because it’s a nicer feeling than at the chest for example. I would recommend something between 20-40%. But remember: It depends!
How to Warm-Up before an EMS training?
Also very easy! Just follow the prescription from above!
Do one round of 60-75s of each of the four exercises and ramp the intensity up so that you can feel the impulse and still move freely!
Start with an exercise for the LEGS and the BUTT and increase the intensity until you feel the impulse softly and you can move freely:
Then go over to your ABS and increase the intensity until you feel the impulse softly and you can move freely:
Then go over to your CHEST, ARMS & NECK and increase the intensity until you feel the impulse softly and you can move freely:
Finally, go over to the UPPER & LOWER BACK and increase the intensity until you feel the impulse softly and you can move freely:
BASIC: Where you should start your EMS journey…
The BASIC programs are ideal to get started with EMS training. If you use these types of training two days per week you are doing quite a lot of training. The basic programs train your body equally in muscle types which means 50% fast-twitch fibers and 50% slow-twitch fibers.
In the BASIC Programs we have: Get Started, Basic-1 & Continuous-1.
GET STARTED is the perfect program for Warm-Up routines and easy training flows like mobility routines or Yoga/Pilates sessions. If you already have a good Morning Routine you can boost this with your Visionbody PowerSuit.
But GET STARTED is also a great program for the first two weeks to make yourself comfortable with EMS training in general and to give your body time to adapt to EMS training.
BASIC-1 and CONTINUOUS-1 are great for the next 4 weeks of training after you finished GET STARTED for 2 weeks. Now that you are used to EMS training we can level up your training and performance. From now on you can mix strength and endurance style training routines every week with each other. Training # 1 is the BASIC-1 and training #2 is the CONTINUOUS-1.
Week 1+2: Built a solid Base
Here is an example of what kind of training might be good in combination with the GET STARTED program and your first two weeks of EMS training experience.
Training 1: BASIC - GET STARTED - 10min - Medium - 4s Intensity / by 4s Rest
Do it 1-2 times per week and get comfortable with the impulses and the movements.
Week 3-6: Ramp Up the Volume
For BASIC-1 we would recommend a bodyweight training routine that is very basic and easy so that you can concentrate on good movement quality and impulse intensity.
For CONTINUOUS-1 we would recommend a bodyweight training routine that is also very basic and easy so that you can concentrate on good movement quality and impulse intensity.
But here the focus should be on endurance. Anytime throughout the training, you should pass the talk test. If you can not talk while you are training, the training is too hard.
Day 1: BASIC - BASIC-1 - 15/20min - Soft/Medium - 3s Intensity / 3s Rest
Day 2: BASIC - CONTINUOUS-1 - 20min - Soft/Medium - Continuous Impulse
BASIC-1
CONTINUOUS-1
This is what you can accomplish with the first 6 weeks with our Basic training programs:
increased fat loss
stronger muscles
better posture
less muscle tension in the lower back
better skin
more energy throughout the day
no hard feelings or regrets about not enough training… ;-)
If you have any questions about the BASIC training, feel free to join our free Zoom Calls every Monday and Thursday where we answer all your training related questions:
In English @6PM. You can sign up here.
Auf Deutsch @7PM. Hier gehts zur Anmeldung.
Yours,
Johannes