A unwieldly name for an almost-magic machine. An electronic muscle stimlator perfectly imitates the human body, and is capable of toning muscles without lifting a finger. A tall tale? Not at all. In fact, electrostimulation is just the ticket for getting fit without leaving the house.

We've known since the 17th century that minor shocks make the body's muscles contract, but it wasn't until 1960 that this discovery was put to use in therapy: electrostimulation, a technique that uses an electrical current to cause muscle contraction and, by using a machine called the electrostimulator, improves muscle performance.�

What is an electrostimulator?
An electrostimulator is an imitator capable of perfectly emulating the stimuli that the human body produces naturally, whenever we instruct our muscles to move. The imitation is so superior that it can actually improve the body's activity. How? Voluntary exercise rarely manages to contract each and every muscle, unless you lift weights that are so heavy that they strain your joints and articulations. However, electrostimulators do just this, because they exercise the muscle with the same level of intensity, without damaging knees, elbows, shoulders or ankles.

What is it for?
At first, electrostimulators were used exclusively for therapeutic rehabilitaion and for pain management, but as time went by, they were incorporated into the world of sports-where their development has been quite surprising-and, more recently, into the beauty and cosmetics industry, where they are used to improve muscle tone, and reduce flabby skin and cellulite.

Where sports are concerned, the advantages of electrostimulation are many indeed: it boosts strength and aerobic resistence; tones, reaffirms and defines body musculature without the mental effort that this usually entails; facilitates recovery of overworked muscles after a tough workout; improves blood circulation in the muscle, and more.

To take full advantage of the technique's possibilties, experts recommend combining electrostimulation with aerobic exercise in order to stimulate muscle oxygenation.

1001 programs
There is a vast number of electrostimulators on the market today, and more and more programs are being included. There are those which improve muscle tone and strength, those that boost definition by reducing fat, others which combine factors to improve both power and muscle resistence, and even those with recovery functions which aid the muscle in eliminating toxins with light contractions after a heavy workout. Top-of-the-line machines are able to produce-in addition to regular stimulating waves-other TENS-type waves that block nerve impulses and eliminate pain.�

The newest model on the market is a Compex (Mi-Sport 500) designed for athletes of a certain rank, which can detect the type of stimulus needed by the user's muscles at all times. At the beginning of each session, the electrostimulator draws up a complete muscular diagnosis which serves as a precise plan for the electro-workout.

A world of possibilites... and one in which the consumer must pay special attention to the type of electric wave generated by the electrostimulator (this information should be displayed by the manufacturer on the product or its packaging) before making a purchase. The machine should be rectangular, biphasal and protected in order to avoid irritations.

Household versions
In recent years a number of electrostimulation systems for home and personal use have been made available from companies like Slendertone, Compex, Gym form, and Pacific. Discipline is a must if you expect results: count on at least 20-30 minutes every other day. The intensity of the current on these models is lower than on the machines found in gyms or beauty salons, so while they are suitable for people with low muscle tone, they are usually insufficient for individuals in excellent physical shape.