I Did an Electric Muscle Stimulation Workout, and My Left Butt Cheek Has Never Felt More Alive

September 2, 2026

Does Electric Muscle Stimulation (EMS) Really Work? I Tried It for Myself

TL;DR / Key Takeaways

What it is: EMS delivers mild electric pulses to trigger muscle contractions during basic exercises.
The Promise: Enhances mind-muscle connection, activates sleepy muscle groups (like glutes & lats), and reveals hidden body imbalances.
The Reality: It won't replace traditional weightlifting or intense cardio for building massive muscle or burning fat, but it serves as an excellent supplementary tool.

Electric Muscle Stimulation (EMS) has been hailed as the future of fitness — but does it actually do anything at all? We looked at the research and tried it out for ourselves.

My left butt cheek has never felt this... alive. And all I’m doing is holding a plank.

What Does an EMS Workout Feel Like?

I’m wearing a thick black vest connected to a series of wires running to my arms, legs, and glutes. A thick cable hooks back to the Miha Bodytec—a German machine that delivers four-second bursts of electricity directly to targeted muscle groups:

Upper Body: Lats, middle back, lower back, pectorals, biceps
Core & Lower Body: Abs, glutes, quads

This is the future of fitness, at least according to Mohamed Elzomor, the trainer manning the machine at Manhattan’s Core Club.

The Science Behind EMS: When electricity stimulates your muscles for you, the theory goes that you can recruit more muscle fibers throughout your entire body during every repetition.

EMS isn’t brand new—physical therapists have used it for decades. But recently, consumer recovery tools (like PowerDot and Marc Pro) have hit Amazon, and EMS studio sessions have become a hot trend among Victoria’s Secret models like Alessandra Ambrosio and Alina Baikova.

What the Research Says About EMS

Elzomor isn't claiming his shock box contains muscle-building magic—and research supports that caution:

2017 Study (21 Cyclists): 4 weeks of EMS didn't noticeably impact strength or endurance.
Squat Performance Study: EMS improved squat output only when paired with standard training.

While EMS is huge in Europe, it's gaining rapid traction in the U.S. Elzomor predicts "SoulCycle-esque" group EMS studios will pop up everywhere soon.

The Trial: Uncovering Muscle Imbalances

Elzomor starts by firing up each muscle group with test pulses to gauge my tolerance:

Spotting Weak Links: My left lat was less responsive than my right, and my left glute hesitated to fire initially.
Mind-Muscle Activation: Holding a plank, I had to consciously force my sleepy left glute to contract.

Where EMS Falls Short: Progressive Overload

While holding a low squat under pulses was intense, it doesn't measure up to a true weight room session:

No Heavy Weights: Because muscles are in slight spasms (prompting up to 85 contractions a second), overloading them with heavy dumbbells isn't safe or ideal.
No Progressive Overload: Without heavy resistance, you can't build significant muscle mass.
Limited Cardio: Heart rate (measured via WHOOP) topped out at 162 bpm—far lower than a standard HIIT session.

The Real Verdict: Is EMS Worth It?

At $145 a session, EMS won't revolutionize your fitness life overnight, nor will it replace the need to lift heavy or do cardio. However, it shines in two specific areas:

1. Re-Activating "Sleepy" Muscles

Desk jobs and sedentary lifestyles cause glutes and lats to elongate and deactivate. A 20-minute EMS session acts as a wake-up call, firing up underutilized muscles to improve posture.

2. Enhancing the Mind-Muscle Connection

It forces you to become acutely aware of body imbalances, allowing athletes and gym-goers to identify weak links they can later fix at a traditional gym.