Effects of whole-body electromyostimulation as a time-efficient intervention on myokine profile and muscular performance in overweight adults: a randomized controlled study

Front Sports Act Living. 2026 May 19;8:1761170. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2026.1761170. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: This study compared the efficacy of whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) vs. traditional resistance training (RT) in overweight adults.

METHODS: Forty overweight adults were randomized to WB-EMS (n = 14), RT (n = 14), or a control group (n = 12). Five participants withdrew during the intervention; consequently, and 35 participants completed the study and were included in the final analysis: WB-EMS (n = 12; age = 30 years, BMI = 29.12 kg/m²; 20-min sessions, 30 Hz, 350μs), RT (n = 12; age = 30 years; BMI = 29.14 kg/m²; 3 × 10 reps at 55%-70% 1RM), or control (n = 11, age = 29 years; BMI = 29.17 kg/m²). The intervention lasted 8 weeks with biweekly training sessions. Outcome measures included muscular performance tests, ultrasonographic muscle thickness measurements, and serum biomarkers (IL-15, myostatin, and follistatin). Between-group differences were analyzed using ANCOVA with baseline values as covariates.

RESULTS: Findings demonstrated significantly greater improvements in selected performance and biomarker outcomes in the WB-EMS group compared to other groups. Performance tests revealed significant enhancements in sit-ups (η _p ² = 0.35), push-ups (η _p ² = 0.54), and strength measures (η _p ² = 0.46) compared to RT and control groups. Biomarker analysis showed WB-EMS induced a 15.88% increase in IL-15 vs. 8.27% with RT and -4.92% in controls (p < 0.001). Myostatin decreased by 21.22% (WB-EMS) vs. 10.84% (RT), while increasing 5.08% in controls (p < 0.001). Follistatin levels rose by 17.96% (WB-EMS) and 8.92% (RT), with minimal change in controls (0.03%, p < 0.001). All between-group differences were statistically significant (p = 0.016-0.039) with large effect sizes (η _p ² = 0.35-0.63).

CONCLUSIONS: Twenty-minute WB-EMS sessions twice weekly elicit significantly greater improvements in muscular performance and favorable myokine profiles compared to conventional RT in overweight individuals. These findings suggest that WB-EMS may represent a time-efficient alternative for improving metabolic-muscular health in time-constrained populations.

PMID:42239744 | PMC:PMC13226195 | DOI:10.3389/fspor.2026.1761170