I tried to shock my muscles into existence with an EMS workout. Here’s how it went

For the sake of fitness, we’re ready to lift heavy weights, stretch to new limits, even willingly plunge ourselves in ice-cold water. Now, we’re taking things further and electrocuting ourselves for an ultra-effective fitness experience. I’m talking about an electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) training, a bougie fitness routine that’s been doing the rounds among celebrities and the well-heeled for a while now.

If you follow pop culture trends, you might have heard that Tom Holland has already said he did EMS training while preparing to play Spider-Man. Or you would have seen Kylie and Kendall Jenner in the same black suit in an episode of The Kardashians. Now it was my turn.

At the Reaviva clinic in Khar, Mumbai, trainer Anand Thakur was ready to strap me into a snug EMS suit embedded with electrodes situated in the location of the core muscles—quads, glutes, pecs, and so on—that would deliver controlled electrical impulses to stimulate deep muscle engagement. But first, he made me change into a set of pedal-pushers and a tight, full-sleeve T-shirt and proceeded to water me like I was a parched fiddle leaf fig plant. He explained that the water enables the electrical current to travel more effectively from the electrode pads to the skin and muscles. Once I was damp enough, I was buckled into the gear that made me feel like I was going to go scuba-diving rather than work out at an Instagram-friendly wellness space.

Each session is a mere 25 to 30 minutes long, which is said to be the equivalent of 90 minutes of professional training.

According to my trainer, the EMS workout offers a bundle of benefits—everything from efficient fat burning and muscle growth to lymphatic drainage and smoother, cellulite-free skin. But the key appeal of EMS is its efficiency.

Each session is a mere 25 to 30 minutes long, which is said to be the equivalent of 90 minutes of professional training. Its ability to target multiple muscles simultaneously and the contractions that hit at both the fast and slow twitch muscle groups (the former are engaged when you do sudden bursts of activity, like sprints or squats, while the latter are engaged during endurance-based exercises, like running or swimming) make it a kind of powerful, all-in-one routine, albeit one that’s gentle on the joints.

After I got into my own little super suit, Thakur took me through a slow warm-up that included stretches, squats, and even spot-running on a miniature trampoline. We then moved on to the sort of weight-training exercises you do at the gym—dumbbell rows, kettle-bell swings, bicep curls—the difference being that through it all I was experiencing a sort of pins-and-needles feeling, an intense vibration at each point where the electrodes connect with the body.

While we started out with low-intensity vibrations, Thakur gradually turned it up via an app on his iPad. The sensation was mostly uncomfortable during rest periods, when there was nothing to distract me. Once I started an exercise and my attention was on maintaining form or simply getting through those reps, it was easier to ignore the intense buzzing on my thighs or arms.

The technology for this workout was first used as a form of therapy for treating patients with muscle atrophy, or for elite athletes, who used it to build strength in specific muscle groups. One study from 2021 said it can be considered an “effective exercise and a time-efficient tool for end users”. Another more recent study, from 2023, called it an excellent “supplementary exercise” but added that it should “not be regarded as a replacement for conventional exercise training per se”.

Essentially, while it’s more efficient in terms of time, EMS isn’t a quick-fix solution to a lifetime spent at a desk in front of a computer screen. Instead, it’s ideal for those who perhaps have certain fitness goals. (Getting married in six months? Book your appointment now.) Or those who are in recovery from an injury that doesn’t allow them to indulge in high-intensity workouts.

What I appreciated about the session was how it was carefully calibrated for my body. Before the workout, Thakur and I had a discussion about my fitness levels and did an InBody test to get some data on BMI and muscle versus fat percentage. He followed it up by suggesting a possible exercise plan that would be suited to my goals and recommended the best way to recover—a protein shake and a fruit to be consumed half an hour after the workout. The next day, my muscles groaned like they had done some real work, which was a satisfying takeaway. Would I do it again? While it was a fun, albeit damp, novelty, probably not. But then, I’m not gearing up to be Spider-Man.

Contact Reaviva, Mumbai, for details of pricing and availability