Compex testimonial

Triathlon Forum
1

Yet another “scientific study”…

On Saturday, I did a 21 mile trail run/race with about 2000 ft of climbing. Since it was my longest run since last September, my results were not stellar but after 3+ hours I slowly trotted across the finish line totally spent.

Went home hooked up the Compex Muscle Stimulator on the active recovery mode - 2 sessions (hamstrings/lower back) at 25 minutes each. Although my feet were still sore (heels and one large blister on the ball of my foot), my legs and back felt much better immediately.

Sunday am, I get on the bike and ride a 28 mile loop (fairly flat, 2 good climbs). Despite an easy 3 mile spin warm-up and a slight headwind the entire return leg (10 miles), I still averaged just shy of 21 mph and felt strong at the end.

Considering the last time I did a 20+mile run, I could only do the “marathon shuffle” the next day, I owe it all to Compex.

Not bad recovery for an old fart soon to be 55.

Disclaimer:
I am not associated with Compex in any capacity but I would entertain sponsorship offers.

2

When I demo Compex units to potential dealers, pro teams, athletes etc, I tend to say that a Compex can do in 24 minutes (active recovery) what it feels like it takes your body 24 hrs to do… sounds like a TV infomercial sales pitch, until they try it… usually the feedback we get is veyr much similar to yours! Im glad that you are enjoying your Compex!

3

Jason – what is the best Compex routine to tighten up the midsection/gut? Abs on endurance or resistance? Also, how often should one do this?

4

To “tighten up” your midsection? First and most important is your Training and Diet- next, with the Compex, the resistance program will give you a little hypertrophy, while the endurance wont- so if you are lean and you want to “see” your abs, then do the resistance, but for every time you do the program on your abs, I would suggest also doing it on your lower back (TVA) to balance out the “core”. 3x a week would do the trick.

5

I have the Compex Sport and like to use a combination of endurance and strength programs with relatively low intensity working endurance on Monday, strength on Wednesday, and either strength or endurance on Friday depending on Saturdays training event. Just for funs and grins, I tried the explosive strength on my abs once (once!) and quickly found that at a setting of anything over about 20-22, it was neither fun nor was I grinning! Last nigth I did the strength routines on the quads followed by the hamstrings while the wife and I watched “24” on fox - varied the setting between 20-30 for hams and the wife said that along with heavy breathing, I was making a variety of interesting sounds during some of the higher intensity contractions! I then followed up the strength work on the hams with active recovery so that I would not spend the rest of the evening walking funny! :^>

6

anybody else have opinions or testimonials on the use of this? any links to test independent test data. i tried it on my seriously sore calves at an expo and was pretty impressed with how i felt the next day. i was hooked up for about an hour but don’t remember which program he used. recovery seems like the most logical application. hypertrophy? i find that hard to believe. would all those bodybuilders be spending hours in the gym lifting big weights if they could hook up to this and sit at home watching soaps?

anybody?

7

I posted this in another thread- here is some literature you can read about Compex and E-Stim.

Potentiation

Posttetanic potentiation of human dorsiflexors, O’Leary, D, Hope, K, Sale, D, The American Physiological Society, Dept. of Kinesiology, McMaster University, H~ton,Ontario,Canada,pp.2131, 1997

Kinetics of Myofilament Activation in Potentiated Contraction: Staircase Phenomenon in Human Skeletal Muscle, Desmedt,J, Hainaut, K, Nature, 217:5128, pp 529-532, Feb. 1968

Postactivation Potentiation: Role in Human Performance, Sale, D, Exercise and

Sport Sciences Reviews, 30:3, pp. 138-143,2002

Stimulation Frequency and Force Potentiation in the Human Adductor

Pollicis Muscle, European Journal of Applied Physiology, 65; pp. 229-233, 1992

Endurance

Electrical Stimulation of Human Lower Extremities Enhances Energy

Consumption, Carbohydrate Oxidation, and Whole Body Glucose Uptake,

Journal of Applied Physiology, 96:911-916,2003

Effects of electrical stimulation on V 02 Kinetics and Delta Efficiency in

Healthy Young Men, Perez, M, Lucia, A, Santalla, A, Chicharro, JL, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 37(2):pp. 140-143

Resistance

Effects of Transcutaneous short-term Electrical Stimulation on M. Vastus lateralis Characteristics on Healthy Young Men, Perez, M,. Lucia, A, Rivero, J.­L.L., Serrano, AL, Calet,J.-A.L., Delgado, MA, Chicharro,JL, European Journal of Physiology, 443:866-874, 2002

Energy Metabolism and Contraction Force of Human Skeletal Muscle in Situ During Electrical Stimulation, Hultman, E, Sjoholm, H, Journal of Physiology, 345:pp.525-532,

P NMR of Electrically Stimulated Rectus Femoris Muscle: An in Vivo Graded Exercis Model, Matheson, G, McKenzie, D, Gheorghiu, D, Ellinger, D, Quinney, A, Allen, P, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 26:pp. 60-70, 1992

Explosive Strength

Effects of Electromyostimulation Tr~ining and Voleyball Practice on Jumping Ability, Malatesta, D, Cattaneo, F, Dugnani, S, Maffiuletti, N.,Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 17(3), pp. 573-579,2003

The Effects of Electromyostimulation Training and Basketball Practice on Muscle Stength and Jumping Ability, Maffiuletti, N, Cometti, G, Amiridis, G, :\fartin, A, Pousson, M, Chatard, J-C, International Journal of Sports Medicine;21:pp.437-443, 2000

Supplemental EMS and Dynamic Weight Training: Effects on Knee Extensor Strength and Vertical Jump of Female College Track & Field Athletes, Willoughby, D, Simpson, S, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 12(3), 131-137, 1998

Strength

Electrical Stimulation and Swimming Performance, Pichon, F, Chartard,JC, Martin, A, Cometti, G, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, pp. 1671-1676, 1995

Strength Response in Human Quadriceps Femoris Muscle During 2 neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Programs, Parker, M, Bennett, M, Hieb, M, Hollar, A, Roe, A, Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 33(12) pp. -19-726, 2003

The Effects of Combined Electromyostimulation and Dynamic Muscular Contractions on the Strength of College Basketball Players, Willoughby, D, Sunpson, S,Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 10(1), pp. 40-44, 1996

Electrical Stimulation of Quadriceps Femoris in an Elite Weight Lifter: A Single Subject Experiment, Delitto, A, Brown, M, Strube, MJ,. Rose, SJ, Lehman, ;tC, International Journal of Sports Medicine, 10, pp. 187-191, 1989

Active Recovery

INCREASE BLOOD FLOW

Blood flow Response to Electrically Induced Twitch and Tetanic Lower Limb muscle Contractions, Janssen, T, Hopman, M, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vol. 84, pp. 982-987, July 2003

STIMULATE ENDORPHIN RELEASE

Role of Endorphins in Pain Modulation, Stratton, S, The Journal of Orthopaedic :and Sports Physical Therapy, 0196-6011/82/0304, pp. 200-205

REDUCED MUSCLE SPASMS

Severe Muscle Cramps Relieved by Transcutaneous Nerve Stimulation: Report, Mills, KR, Newham, D), Edwards, RHT, Joumal of Neurology,Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 45:539-542, 1982

Modulation of Spasticity: Prolonged Suppression of a Spinal Reflex by Secttica1 Stimulation, Walker,), Science, 216:203-204, April 1982

SPEED MUSCLE RECOVERY-MINIMIZE NEXT DAY SORENESS

Blood Lactate Disappearance at Various Intensities of Recovery Exercise

Dodd, S, Powers, S, Callender, T, Brooks, E,)oumal of Applied Physiology, Vol 57,No. 5, pp. 1462-1465, Nov. 1984