Charge Studio · Service
Compex EMS Muscle Activation
Activate. Train. Recover.
Prime the nervous system and wake up under-firing muscles before lifting, running, or sport, better recruitment from the first rep.
Compex EMS Muscle Activation uses a clinical-grade, FDA-cleared electrical muscle stimulator originally developed for European Olympic training programs and physical therapy clinics. Self-adhesive electrodes are placed on the target muscles, quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, back, or arms, and the device delivers controlled electrical pulses that recruit muscle fibers the same way the brain does, only more completely.
Each session runs roughly 20–30 minutes and uses one of several program modes: activation to prime muscles before a workout, recovery to flush soreness afterward, endurance and strength to layer training stimulus, or massage to release tension. It pairs naturally with the rest of Charge Studio, a focused warm-up before training, or a quiet flush at the end of a long day.
Prime the nervous system and wake up under-firing muscles before lifting, running, or sport, better recruitment from the first rep.
Low-frequency recovery programs use rhythmic pulses to help flush metabolic byproducts and ease next-day soreness.
Reconnect with muscles that have gone quiet after injury, surgery, or long stretches at a desk, a foundational rehab use of EMS.
Layered on top of voluntary training, higher-intensity EMS programs can support strength gains, especially in already-trained athletes.
- Recruits more fibers, more completely. Voluntary contractions tend to recruit muscle fibers in a fixed order. Electrical stimulation can engage a broader pool of motor units, including fast-twitch fibers that often go under-used, which is why clinicians have used EMS for decades in rehabilitation.
- FDA-cleared, clinically derived. Compex devices are FDA-cleared neuromuscular electrical stimulators (NMES). The same category of device is used in physical therapy clinics for strengthening, muscle re-education, and disuse-atrophy prevention.
- Recovery programs target the flush. Low-frequency "active recovery" protocols produce gentle, rhythmic twitches that increase local blood flow without adding training load, a useful tool the day after hard sessions.
- Evidence-supported for athletes. Peer-reviewed sports-performance reviews report that, when added to a structured training program, EMS can support strength and power outcomes, most reliably in already-trained athletes using progressive, higher-intensity protocols.
A short activation cycle on the muscles you're about to load, quads before squats, glutes before running.
A recovery or massage program after training to ease tension and help next-day legs feel fresher.
Higher-intensity strength or endurance programs layered onto a structured training block, with rest days between.
Approach with care if you have:
EMS is well-tolerated by most adults, but certain conditions are absolute or relative contraindications. If any of the below sound like you, please tell our team before your session so we can route you appropriately, or, for the items marked clinical, ask your physician first.
- ·A pacemaker, defibrillator, or any implanted electronic device
- ·Pregnancy (especially over the trunk or low back)
- ·Recent surgical sites, avoid placing electrodes over fresh incisions or hardware
- ·Broken, irritated, or numb skin in the electrode area
- ·Active or suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- ·Active cancer in the treatment area, epilepsy, or unmanaged cardiac conditions
📚 Full bibliography, 6 science-backed sources›
Clinical & Mechanistic Reviews
- Frontiers in Sports and Active Living (2024), How NMES works: muscle-fiber recruitment, rehabilitation use, disuse-atrophy prevention, and recovery of quadriceps strength after knee and ACL surgery.
- Acta Physiologica (2024), NMES induces exercise-like molecular adaptations in human skeletal muscle, with roughly 80% gene-expression overlap with voluntary exercise.
EMS in Sports Performance & Strength
- J Functional Morphology and Kinesiology (2026), Whole-body EMS on jumping, sprinting, and agility in athletes: systematic review and meta-analysis; added EMS offers only limited benefit beyond near-maximal voluntary training.
- J Functional Morphology and Kinesiology (2025), Whole-body EMS produced 1-rep-max strength gains comparable to traditional resistance training, in far less weekly time.
- BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders (2025), Adding NMES to an exercise program may improve quadriceps strength and knee function over courses of six weeks or more (very-low-certainty evidence).
Rehabilitation & Muscle Re-Education
Sources span medical institutions, peer-reviewed sports performance literature, and clinical rehabilitation reviews. This bibliography is reviewed and refreshed quarterly per Recharge Danvers' process.
Recharge Wellness Club · Danvers, MA