I certainly think so. Reasons follow.
I principally use the suit for strength training. Two 20 minute sessions per week.
Katalyst has additionally developed training protocols for power, aerobics, flexibility, recovery, and free form.
Setup
One needs an iPad or cell phone to run the sessions.
One needs to wet/soak the stimulation pads on the suit prior to staring a session.
This can take 5-7 minutes before you can star a workout.
You use hot water, but strapping on a wet suit could take a bit of deliberate disciple during a cold winter.
Strength & power
The strength and power training sessions supply 4 seconds of stimulation followed by 4 seconds without stimulation over the 20 minutes. Katalyst suggests synchronizing one’s breathing to that rhythm. Intensity increases through the session. One can adjust the overall intensity as well as the intensity of the stimulation of specific muscle groups.
The sessions have accompanying videos that take you through a series of exercises some calisthenic like, some body weight like, some weight lifting like. The idea being your muscles get stimulated over the range of motion.
I sometimes turn on the video and do my own movements, e.g., I use a 5’ aluminum bar and do power cleans and thrusters or other movements for the 20 minutes.
The suit makes it easy to replicate progressive loading. Just dial up the starting intensity 2.5%-5% each session. In practice I adjust increasing intensity relative to the recovery data I get from my Oura ring.
I’ve trained in Olympic lifting, CrossFit, power lifting, Nautilus, and Superslow. I find the Katalyst strength training workouts the most intense of anything I’ve ever done. Katalyst claims its suits stimulate 90% of one’s muscle mass. It certainly feels that way.
Aerobics
Base sessions of 20-30 minutes, but one can extend or just repeat them. These sessions provide a constant stimulus while you engage in some aerobic activity e.g., walking, running, biking, rowing, or X-country skiing (any of these either out in the world or on machines). The use of the suit just intensifies what you already do so you metabolically place greater demand on your body in the time you have. Kind of like going for a walk with weights in a back pack.
Flexibility
More recently introduced, the Katalyst flexibility sessions can enable one to load stretches, e.g., go to one’s limit in a stretch, stimulate the muscles, then release into a deeper stretch.
I think Katalyst could optimize this better. A number of the training videos they have available, look mainly like yoga in the suit - OK, but not using the kinds of advanced flexibility training now available.
Recovery
I use the recovery sessions after strength sessions whenever I have time. I also like to use them a day or even two days after a strength session to address delayed onset muscle soreness.
The recovery sessions supply a continuous kind of percussive feeling that gradually increases in intensity over a 20 minute session.
Think of it as a (nearly) whole body massage suit.
Free form
The free form sessions have no corresponding video, but 20 to 30 minutes of 4 seconds of stimulation followed by 4 seconds without stimulation. Some of the free form sessions will increase intensity over the session; some keep the intensity constant.
I find these the most interesting. You can develop your own strength, power, or flexibility routines.
Training while injured or impaired
Given my age, my history of (i) doing physical things at an intensity level probably beyond what I should have attempted and (ii) 73 years of wear and tear, and injuries the Katalyst suit has enabled me to train at very high intensity even while injured.
As example, while I’ve reported in other threads that I have repaired|restored cartilage damage from a botched meniscus surgery, I still feel wary of doing heavy squats and deadlifts.
The Katalyst suit enables me to do the movements with the benefit of high intensity muscular stimulation while not risking further injury.
Customer support
I’ve used the suit for nearly 3 years. I originally had one of the earliest models - pre wide spread marketing. I had some issues with the battery pack, some stimulation pads failing, parts of the suit delaminating. Katalyst support replaced everything, with only clarification questions asked.
Impressive.
What else I’d like
I’ve suggested that Katalyst set up a users forum, from which it could glean improvements and from which users could discuss and develop programs, protocols, workout optimizations for using the suit.
Seems knuckleheaded (a technical term;-) that they don’t. It would cost them almost nothing to set up and review once in a while.
I’ve found a Reddit discussion, but I haven’t found it well attended.
