Effects of Longitudinal Whole-Body Electromyo- stimulation on Muscular Power and Endurance Parameters in Sportspeople and Athletes

Due to its time-efficient and joint-friendly character, whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) attracts sportspeople and athletes of different disciplines. Nevertheless, whilst some trials reported positive effects of WB-EMS on performance parameters, the study situation is very inconsistent. Thus, the present meta-analysis aimed to summarize the effect of WB-EMS on maximum muscle power and endurance performance in sportspeople. Five electronic databases (Medline, CINAHL, CENTRAL, Web of Science, SportDiscus) were searched until 03/06/2025 according to the PRISMA scheme. Applying a random-effect model that includes the inverse heterogeneity model, effects sizes (SMD) and 95%-confidence intervals (95%-CI) were calculated. Subgroup-analyses focused on different modes of WB-EMS. The search identified 13 eligible trials with 14 WB-EMS and 13 control groups. In summary, we observed positive effects of WB-EMS on maximum hip/lower extremity power (13 studies, SMD: 0.48, 95%-CI: 0.04 to 0.91). Subgroup analyses revealed positive effects of superimposed WB-EMS versus underlying voluntary exercise (10 studies, SMD: 0.46, 95%-CI: 0.03 to 0.89). Heterogeneity between the trial results was moderate to substantial in both cases (I2=58% and I2=62%). The few WB-EMS trials (n=3) that addressed endurance performance (i.e. V˙O2peak) reported inconclusive and, on average, non-significant results (SMD: 0.32, 95%-CI: -0.19 to 0.84). The present study provided considerable evidence for a favorable effect of superimposed WB-EMS on maximum power in already well-trained sportspeople and athletes. By contrast, positive evidence for the effects of WB-EMS on endurance performance is lacking, particularly due to the varying research issues of the studies and diverging exercise protocols. Key Words: Electrostimulation, Performance, Well-Trained People, Quantitative Analysis, Stystematic Review, Meta-Analysis