I’ve always loved working out, even though I wasn’t athletic growing up. In my 20s, I completely changed my lifestyle, and fitness became a huge priority. Over the years, I’ve tried just about every workout you can think of, but for the past decade, my focus has been weight training. I love feeling strong and building muscle. Unfortunately, injuries and illness have forced me to pause at times, most recently a shoulder injury and Long Covid. Lately, I’ve been sticking to Pilates while rehabbing my shoulder, which has been tough because I really miss lifting, but healing properly was the only option.

I am in a bunch of different groups here in Portugal, both through Facebook and Whatsapp. In one of these groups, I connected with Michelle from Human Movement Studio. She asked if anyone was interested in working with her doing an EMS workout (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) in exchange for her shooting some content. I had never really heard about it, but of course, it being a workout thing, I was absolutely interested. She sent me over some information about it, and we set up an appointment. I was really excited to try it. 

What is an EMS Workout

In the information pack Michelle sent me explained what EMS was all about. You wear a suit that is fitted with electrodes. These electrodes are on your main muscle groups, Biceps, chest, back (upper, lower, and mid,) quads, hamstrings, calves, abs and obliques. The packet said you perform a 20-25 minute workout but the electrodes stimulate your muscles so you get a much more intense workout with less joint strain. After reading this, I was even more excited to try it! 

  • EMS stands for Electrical Muscle Stimulation. It’s a type of workout that uses electrical impulses delivered through electrodes worn on the body to activate major muscle groups while you perform simple movements.
  • The electrical impulses cause your muscles to contract more intensely than they would during a regular workout
  • A typical EMS workout session lasts around 20 minutes but is designed to work the full body
  • EMS is considered low impact and is often used for strength training, recovery, and injury rehabilitation
  • The intensity can be adjusted, making it suitable for beginners as well as more experienced athletes
Info About EMS

Benefits of EMS Training

• Efficient full body workout
EMS activates up to 90 percent of your muscles at the same time, including deep muscle fibers that are hard to target with traditional workouts.

• Low impact and joint-friendly
Because there’s no heavy lifting or high-impact movements, EMS puts less strain on your joints, making it a good option if you’re dealing with injuries or just hate burpees.

• Customizable intensity
The workout can be adjusted to your fitness level, whether you’re brand new to exercise or already working out regularly.

• Improves strength, endurance, and recovery
EMS can help build strength, improve muscle endurance, and even aid in recovery by increasing blood flow to worked muscles.

• Time efficient
A typical session lasts around 20 minutes, which makes it appealing if you want maximum effort with minimal time commitment.

Who EMS Wokrouts are Best For

  • People who are short on time but still want an effective full-body workout
  • Anyone looking for a low-impact option that’s easier on the joints
  • Those recovering from injury or easing back into exercise
  • People who want EMS as a supplement to their regular workouts rather than a full replacement

My Experience at The Human Movement Studio

I drove out to the studio. It was about a 30-minute drive from my house, not very far. I met Michelle when I arrived. She was so welcoming and nice. She showed me the studio, which is absolutely beautiful. There is an outdoor pool where she does water classes. There was also a treatment room where she does massages and a beautiful sitting area. It’s all beautiful and very serene.

Michelle in front of the studio

We sat down in the sitting area where Michelle had put out water, chocolates, and almonds on a beautiful table. I had to fill out a health questionnaire, and we got to talking about things. She has a lot of experience in the health and wellness industry, as she has multiple degrees and qualifications in Biokinetics and Sport Science. I told her about my Long Covid struggles and my shoulder injury. I told her about my normal fitness routine and how I had been primarily doing Pilates for the last couple of months. She explained more about how the suit works and what to expect. 

The EMS Workout

We went outside, and she suited me up. The suit fits snuggly, but it’s not uncomfortable. It’s stretchy, so you can move in it. She turned on the electrodes on low so I could get used to them before raising the power. She explained how the suit was customizable with both placement and intensity. The one on my left arm actually felt really uncomfortable because of my shoulder pain, so we decided it was best to leave that one off. 

The EMS Suit

The workout started with a light warmup to get my body used to the pulses, which move in a wave pattern of four seconds on and four seconds off. It felt strange at first but not painful, similar to a TENS unit. Since it was my first session, we kept things simple with squats, curtsey lunges, and sumo squats, then moved to the mat for core work like crunches, bicycle crunches, and reverse crunches. By that point my legs felt incredibly heavy and wobbly, to the point where she had to help position them because I LITERALLY couldn’t move them. We finished with savasana to lower my heart rate and let my muscles recover.

My legs were so wobbly I could barely lift them

How It Felt Afterwards

When I stood up, my legs felt super wobbly. I felt like I had just done multiple sets of heavy squats. I could barely walk down the small hill to my car. It was so crazy because the workout was relatively simple. As I was doing it, it didn’t feel strenuous at all, but afterwards I could definitely tell how hard my muscles had worked. It was really cool.

I wish I could have met Michelle 3 months ago and been doing these workouts the whole time I have been out of the gym. She also told me that the suit can be used to rehab injuries, so that would have been helpful in addition to my physiotherapy. I really wanna go back for more sessions. And Michelle was absolutely lovely. It’s evident that she is passionate about health and fitness and she has the qualifications to prove it. 

Try EMS Workouts in the Algarve at The Human Movement Studio

If you live in the Algarve and you are interested in trying EMS you totally should. Prices start at just €28 per session if you buy a pack of 12. Michelle also offers many other services at Human Movement Studio. Besides EMS, she offers traditional Personal Training, Pilates, Aqua workouts, Yoga, Biokinetics, Stretching, and even Postnatal programs. She also offers multiple types of massages, including but not limited to Hot Stone, Relaxation, Deep Tissue, and others. You can also do packages with workouts and massages. The whole center is really nice, and it’s all very personal. Unlike traditional spas and gyms, you get full and undivided attention and are the only patron at a time. It’s a really great place, and I really want to do more EMS sessions and maybe even a massage. I definitely need one!

The Massage Room

If you are interested, check out Human Movement Studio on Facebook or on Instagram @human.movement.studio. 

Make sure to check out my Instagram for a video showing my workout and more content on my life in Portugal @vegas.to.portugal. 💙