Neo
#116
Can you comment a bit more on this, is the idea that whole muscle build with EMS there is less of “resistance and weight” on the actual bones and hence one does not get the bone strengthening of normal weigh-bearing training?
Alpha
#117
I haven’t discussed this with Katalyst yet, so by rights they should have a chance to comment. The EMS stimulation could put demand on bones and muscles, I just don’t know yet.
Until I learn otherwise, I’ll proceed on the conjecture that EMS puts little to no demands (e.g., mimicking the compression demands of heavy weights) on bones.
For that matter, most “weight training” doesn’t put nearly enough load on your bones to make a difference. To maximize your bone density one needs to lift and push very heavy things. This can prove a challenge or even dangerous if you don’t have the right equipment.
I use timed static contraction training for this. Ken Hutchinson (developer of Super Slow training) describes the method in this paper. Timed Static Contractions
I don’t think one needs much of this. Maybe 3 to 5 exercises. One set of each. Once per week. Example exercise:
- Dead lift
- Squat
- Shoulder shrug
- Over head press
These kinds of things put maximum load on your skeleton.
One can do this sort of thing on stall bars, a chin-up bar that you can move to different positions in a door way, or a platform with straps or chains connected to a bar.
I don’t recommend the following, I just added the picture to illustrate the idea.
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May not be as good as going to the gym for a workout, but it may be a reasonable substitute for those looking to get benefits with little effort. I have a whole-body vibration platform and find it useful as an adjunct to going to the gym.
In addition to increasing or a least maintaining bone density, it has some other surprising benefits:
“Our previous studies have shown that vibratory training is an effective strategy to improve brain health and cognitive functions, as well as to counteract muscle atrophy and motor decline related to aging and/or a sedentary lifestyle [9,16]. In agreement, numerous studies over the last decades report among the main benefits of mechanical vibrations those affecting the musculoskeletal system, such as increased bone mass and muscle strength, as well as increased hormonal responses and improved cognitive abilities, anxious and depressive behavior, and neuromuscular adaptation”
“A study by McGee-Lawrence et. al, 2017 compared exercise versus WBV, and found that WBV produced similar effects as treadmill exercise with respect to improved insulin sensitivity, better glycemic control, decreased muscle atrophying, and increased cortical bone mass from increased osteocalcin.”
“Systematic review and meta-analyses on the effects of whole-body vibration on bone health”
“High frequency-low magnitude mechanical strains also effectively increases bone structure and density in postmenopausal women.22 Whole-body vibration (WBV) is a form of non-invasive, passively induced mechanical stimulation that increases the mechanical load on bone tissues through the production of strain and modulating muscular force contractions.”
This is the machine I use: It works great, but I don’t recommend it because it has the most aggressive Bluetooth capture I have ever seen. I have to unplug it from the wall, not merely turn the machine off because it will automatically connect with any Bluetooth device I turn on.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229922000139
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Investigating the association of testosterone with survival in men and women using a Mendelian randomization study in the UK Biobank
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-93360-z
Interesting…
Consistent, with well-established theory, testosterone reduced longevity.
Several aspects of a healthy lifestyle (such as a low animal fat diet) and several widely used medications (such as statins, metformin, dexamethasone and possibly aspirin) happen to modulate testosterone.
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Neo
#120
Very helpful - and it looks from the supplementary table that this effect is a bit larger for men than in the number you quote above for both men and women.
Did not know this:
Testosterone is also increasingly acknowledged to be an immune-suppressant44, potentially increasing susceptibility to cancer45, as well as to infectious diseases44, such as coronavirus disease 19. Testosterone may also induce impulsive behaviour46.
Also founds this interesting:
Our findings differ from previous observational studies which suggest that endogenous testosterone might improve health and lifespan10,11,12,13,14. However, these studies are open to both confounding by health status18,19 and selection bias from inevitably only recruiting survivors32. Our findings are more consistent with previous MR studies suggesting exogenous testosterone increases cardiovascular disease37,38,
And
Our findings are also consistent with the observation that in one of the few primate species with no age or sex difference in testosterone levels, there is also no sex difference in age-dependant survival.
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I apologize if you addressed this in a different thread but in your experience would you place PEMF at the top of your list for healing modalities or something else?
Have you purchased a full body PEMF device? If so which one and if not have you narrowed it down to a few? I just purchased a ICES M1 and if it does anything subjectively positive l would like to invest in one (hopefully semi reasonably priced)
Alpha
#122
In my experience PEMF heals or supports the healing of injuries that nothing else does. It can take time, but it works.
I do not have a full body PEMF device. I have the ICES® DigiCeutical® A9 Model System. Your M1 device appears to do the same things.
RufusDawes in Anyone want to discuss PEMF Therapy, links to a guy that has DIY PEMF devices including large mats.
Given I’ve never come across any contraindications using PEMF (at least at the levels Bob Dennis recommends), I don’t know why one wouldn’t use a full body mat in or under one mattress every night.
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A future competitor to the Catalyst EMS suit?
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Alpha
#124
I just added to my Timed Static Contraction station.
I’ve used a rack from which I have rings hanging (see 1stt image) and a bar I can move up & down (see 2nd image)
I can quickly adjust the bar to do most standing pushing and pulling exercises - over head press, pulls, squat, dead lift, shoulder shrug.
Timed Static Contractions last 90 seconds divided into 3 increments:
- 1st 30 seconds 1/2 capacity
- 2nd 30 seconds 3/4 capacity
- 3rd 30 seconds maximum capacity.
I view the first 60 seconds as keeping you from hurting yourself when you get to the maximum effort.
Doing this correctly gives one massive inroad across all the muscle fibers used.
Absolutely a High Intensity Training protocol.
The protocol has the problem that one can’t measure force applied pushing or pulling a fixed bar.
Some fancy and expensive devices can do this, I found something inexpensive and effective.
Stainless steel platform sitting on the floor between the rack uprights in the 2nd photo.
A veterinary/livestock scale with a 300 kg | 660 lb capacity and a mountable digital readout.
They use these things to weight pigs and sheep!
I got mine from Temu for $132.
I plan to add a plywood platform and layer of thin yoga mat.
I set the scale to zero out my body weight. Then it pretty accurately gives me the force I apply.
Not perfect, but it gives me a means to measure what the protocol needs to measure.
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That sounds amazing! Could you share more info on the exact device and protocol you used to get these results in your knee?
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Alpha
#126
Already mentioned in this thread…
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Thanks for the info.
You claimed to have used it every night while you slept. Do you mean you used it for the whole duration of sleep, i.e. 6-8 hours a night? How did you wear it? Did you place the two coils on each side of the knee?
Alpha
#128
@Olafurpall
You claimed to have used it every night while you slept. Do you mean you used it for the whole duration of sleep, i.e. 6-8 hours a night? How did you wear it? Did you place the two coils on each side of the knee?
I used it through my entire time sleeping. One coil on each side of the knee (2 in total).
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I have a high powered full body (ish) PEMF device, but they don’t recommend more than 12 minutes at a time.
@John_Hemming how often do you use Hugo PEMF and what benefits would you say you have gotten from it?
I use it daily when I am at home. What I am looking for are mitochondrial improvements. I know it has an effect because I can feel it and I noticed an improvement in the function of my digestive system. That implies it has a broader improvement, but I can specifically identify the effect on the digestive system as being caused by Hugo. Hence I make the assumption that the same mitochondrial improvements occur in other tissues noting the inverse cube power issue.
I only run it for 12 minutes a day, however.
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It’s nice to hear anecdotal benefits. Thanks for sharing.
I wouldn’t read too much into what they recommend. Some studies use a lot longer durations in the range of hours. Just because they don’t recommend more than 12 minutes doesn’t mean their device is necessarily more high powered than other devices or that longer time can’t be better. It’s really hard to make general recommendations on PEMF therapy because the literature is all over the place.
I don’t think it’s reasonable for you to conclude that you feeling better implies mitochondrial improvements. It could be any number of other things In fact I find it unlikely that mitochondria are responsible for the benefits you’re noticing because looking at the literature on PEMF I did not find any evidence of them influencing mitochondria in particular.
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I wanted to share my experience. I have been using a micro-pulse PEMF device for about 5 months. As noted by other posters and in other threads, there is something to it at least for inflammation. I have been using it on my knees to heal tweaks faster and reduce pain. Also other family members have used it for vagal nerve pain and aches and pains. @Alpha believes it can actually restore tissue and given my limited experience, it’s plausible.
I am persuaded to go to the next level. I am looking to purchase a mat to sleep on at night. Any affordable recommendations would be welcomed. The 2 brands l am considering at the moment are the OMI Beyond and the Celler8.
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Alpha
#135
More than plausible. I have before and after imaging that proves the regrowth of cartilage in my right knee.
I would read through the information on the micro-pulse site before setting on buying any particular device.
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