Superimposed Whole-Body Electrostimulation Augments Strength Adaptations and Type II Myofiber Growth in Soccer Players During a Competitive Season

Andre Filipovic; Markus DeMarees; Marijke Grau; Anna Hollinger; Benedikt Seeger; Thorsten Schiffer; Wilhelm Bloch; Sebastian Gehlert

doi:10.3389/fphys.2019.01187

Superimposed Whole-Body Electrostimulation Augments Strength Adaptations and Type II Myofiber Growth in Soccer Players During a Competitive Season

Front Physiol. 2019 Sep 23:10:1187. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01187. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Andre Filipovic¹, Markus DeMarees², Marijke Grau¹, Anna Hollinger¹, Benedikt Seeger¹, Thorsten Schiffer³, Wilhelm Bloch¹, Sebastian Gehlert^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Section of Molecular and Cellular Sport Medicine, Institute of Cardiology and Sports Medicine, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
² Section of Sports Medicine and Sports Nutrition, Faculty of Sports Science, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
³ Outpatient Clinic for Sports Traumatology and Public Health Consultation, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
⁴ Institute of Sport Science, Biosciences of Sports, University of Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Germany.

Abstract

Background: The improvement of strength and athletic performance during a competitive season in elite soccer players is a demanding task for the coach.

Aims: As whole-body electrostimulation (WB-EMS) training provides a time efficient stimulation potentially capable in exerting skeletal muscle adaptations we aimed to test this approach over 7 weeks in trained male soccer players during a competitive season.

Hypothesis: We hypothesized that a superimposed WB-EMS will increase maximal strength and type I and type II myofiber hypertrophy.

Methods: Twenty-eight male field soccer players were assigned in either a WB-EMS group (EG, n = 10), a training group (TG, n = 10), or a control group (CG, n = 8). The regular soccer training consists of two to four sessions and one match per week. In concurrent, the EG performed 3 × 10 squat jumps superimposed with WB-EMS twice per week, TG performed 3 × 10 squat jumps without EMS twice per week, and the CG only performed the regular soccer training. Muscle biopsies were collected and strength tests were performed under resting conditions before (Baseline) and after the intervention period (Posttest). Muscle biopsies were analyzed via western blotting and immunohistochemistry for skeletal muscle adaptive responses. To determine the effect of the training interventions a 2 × 3 (time ^∗ group) mixed ANOVA with repeated measures was conducted.

Results: Maximal strength in leg press (p = 0.009) and leg curl (p = 0.026) was significantly increased in EG along with a small but significant increase in type II myofiber diameter (p = 0.023). All of these adaptations were not observed in TG and CG.

Conclusion: WB-EMS can serve as a time efficient training method to augment strength capacities and type II fiber myofiber growth in soccer players when combined with specific resistance training. This combination may therefore be a promising training modification compared to traditional strength training for performance enhancement.

Keywords: electrostimulation; hypertrophy; mTOR; p70s6k; soccer; strength.