Warming Up with EMS
How to Get the Most Out of Your EMS Unit

Why Warm Up with EMS | Globus vs. Compex

Why Warm Up with EMS?

Research has shown that an EMS unit activates three times the number of muscle fibers vs. voluntary movement or manual manipulation of a muscle. For this reason, EMS is well suited to warming-up muscles for an activity.

As time is usually limited, use a warm-up program on the prime movers (muscles most directly involved in the activity) for the sport you're doing. For instance, a cyclist would warm-up the thighs (quads and glutes). A runner would do the same. A tennis player might warm-up thighs, shoulders and calves.

Don’t sacrifice a sport-specific warm-up to do an EMS warm-up. Instead, combine both EMS and a traditional warm-up to be ready to start your game.

Practice using an EMS warm-up prior to an important event. Never try anything new prior to such an event.

If your unit doesn’t include a warm-up or preparation program, use active recovery as a substitution. Ten minutes of AR on level 12-18mA is usually sufficient.

Globus vs. Compex?

Both Globus and Compex EMS units sold in the US include a warm-up program before training programs that are in each unit. In most cases, these warm-ups are insufficient to prepare the muscles for the workout that is next.

If you use a Globus unit we recommend increasing the amount of time that the warm-up runs. This is easily accomplished by pushing the function (fn) key and pushing the “up arrow” key until 10 minutes is indicated.

With a Compex unit, the user must stop the program before it begins the workout phase, and restart at the beginning of the program.

Both Globus and Compex EMS units adjust the intensity automatically after the warm-up is complete, and before the program starts the workout. This is for the protection for your muscles.

Once you are used to the intensity of the workout (perhaps five minutes), dial-up the intensity within five minutes to the intensity chosen for the warm-up.

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