This Research Topic is part of the Whole-body Electromyostimulation: A Training Technology to Improve Health and Performance in Humans? series:
Whole-body Electromyostimulation: A Training Technology to Improve Health and Performance in Humans?Whole-Body Electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) is an emerging training technology with high application potential and low demands on physical fitness and time - features that make it attractive for a very wide range of users. Reviewing the application of WB-EMS, the current studies address a large variety of outcomes. This includes performance and functional parameters, body composition, cardiometabolic, endocrine, inflammatory and vasomotor outcomes and but also energy expenditure and regeneration aspects. In parallel, very diverse cohorts have been the subject of in part sophisticated WB-EMS trials, ranging from athletes and healthy people through to physically limited people or persons with particular diseases. Besides its effectiveness in the health, fitness and performance domains, the safety and applicability of this novel exercise technology have been addressed (and largely confirmed) by numerous studies. Other studies focus on optimized protocols for WB-EMS application including load composition and prescription. However, although research on WB-EMS has multiplied during the last 3 years, some key players, i.e. countries traditionally strong in exercise research, have yet to engage in WB-EMS. This might be due to the strict approval requirements for WB-EMS applications and its extensive licensing process; but to our best knowledge, these obstacles have been overcome in most countries. Anticipating the correspondingly increased research on WB-EMS, we feel that a collection of different research aspects in a dedicated WB-EMS Research Topic will promote research in this area. This could also relate to research groups unaware of this exercise technology but are looking for optional exercise strategies for their cohorts.
In the present relaunched Research Topic, we would like to include all kind of articles covering the effects of WB-EMS on performance and health-related outcomes in humans. However, scientific work that addresses risks of WB-EMS, optimized WB-EMS protocols or training methods, and feasibility studies on WB-EMS will be also considered.
Thus, the present Research Topic aims to provide an overview of the recent state of the art of WB-EMS application in humans. In detail, we would like to include, by way of example, the following topics:
• WB-EMS and athletic performance.
• WB-EMS effects on health-related risk factors and diseases.
• WB-EMS effects on body composition and fitness.
• Risk factors and limitations of WB-EMS application.
• Processing optimized WB-EMS protocols for different research applications.
This is not an exhaustive list and we specifically welcome clinical trials, original research, mini-reviews, systematic reviews and meta-analyses summarizing the effect of WB-EMS in different fields of application. Further, perspectives, opinions and general commentary will be also considered.