Electric muscle stimulation is in Winter Garden

As a veteran, Andino Delve deals with sciatica and knee injuries that do not allow him to use his full potential at the gym without overexerting himself. 

Two years ago, he discovered electro muscle stimulation, or EMS, which is a workout method that uses electrical impulses to contract muscles, enhancing workout results in a shorter amount of time. It’s a form of training where a wearable device with electrodes is used to stimulate muscles and can be used to improve overall fitness, tone the body and strengthen muscles.

Since then, Delve has been using EMS to alleviate his pain.

With his perusal trainer certification, Delve joined Bodystreet, an EMS fitness studio, as the manager and trainer in April wanting to help others understand and reap the benefits of EMS. He joined the Bodystreet team after meeting Steffen Brandt, the owner of Bodystreet in Winter Park, through a networking event and learning more about the EMS studio. 

 “I love watching people win and hearing their success stories and helping them get there,” Delve said. “We have a client who came in just not even two days ago, just grinning ear to ear, smiling and she’s like, ‘Hey, this is the first time in 20 years that I hopped on a scale and there’s a ‘one’ in front of me.’ You can just feel she’s so happy with the progress she’s made.” 

Winter Garden is one of many Bodystreet locations around the world, being the third location in Florida. 

Bodystreet started in Munich, Germany in 2007. With over 300 boutiques and over 1,000 employees around the world, Body Street delivered over 16.3 million EMS workouts since its opening, making it the world’s market leader in the field of EMS boutique fitness studios, according to its website. 

The boutique studio in Winter Garden is designed for up to two people per session, making the experience unique to them with the proper attention from trainers.

EMS is specially helpful to people with mobility limitations or people with time constraints, like busy parents, full-time employees, etc. It is a 20-minute session that provides 85 muscle contractions per second. 

Delve said it can be done once a week and clients still should see results. 

“Besides the time factor (being different from gym workouts) is the injury factor,” Delve said. “Here it’s very low impact. It’s like yoga on steroids… You get a lot of power and strength building without the injury or stress on your joints or bones.” 

These 20-minute sessions are equivalent to a 2.5-hour session at the gym or a 10-mile run, Delve said. It works multiple muscle groups simultaneously which allows for a balanced workout. 

Communication is extremely necessary throughout the workouts, Delve said. 

“I let everyone know, ‘I can’t feel it (electricity) for you so you let me know what your limit is,’” Delve said. “It’s really just about communicating and being very observant on who I’m working out with.” 

Delve compared it to having a dance partner. The trainer will watch while turning the electric dials up to add intensity and respond to the client’s reaction. 

Delve said feedback from his clients means the world. As a testimony, one of his clients who is in her 70s put on so much muscle it helped reverse her osteoporosis. 

To see results, Delve said clients should wait two to three months with the proper diet and consistency. 

“This is just like going to the gym, except you don’t spend as much time,” Delve said. “At three to six months, you’ll see it (progress) yourself. Though everybody’s different, you’ll be feeling it and other people will be noticing the difference in you as well.” 

Delve said it’s not a miracle workout. Diet changes like increases in protein intake, less junk foods, staying hydrated and resting will play a big part in EMS’ successes. 

“People coming to us, they have a problem they want to solve. They want to be more efficient, they want to be healthy and they don’t want to spend a lot of time doing it or stress their body on more than necessary,” Delve said.  

Certain health conditions will impede some from the EMS workout method, like pregnancy, cardiovascular issues, skin conditions, neurological conditions and more. 

For that reason, all clients must read and sign a consent form to participate in the EMS method and should not participate in case of conditions worsening.