Both in view of theoretical analyses and a number of practical experiments, there have been appearing for a long time speculations that electric stimulation of muscles should produce significant gains in muscle strength.
The issue was looked into in the 1960s and a number of guidelines were developed as well as regularities identified, useful in strength training.
The problem that remained for long unsolved were the electric current parameters, which could produce effective electrostimulation.
The “Soviet School”, headed by Professor J. M. Koc, have constructed, specifically for the athletes, a stimulating device “Stimul – 02”, with the use of which hundreds of experiments have been conducted. It was found that the best current for the development of muscle strength is a rectangular current with a frequency of 50 Hz and pulse width (period) of 10 milliseconds. It was used in stimulating cycles of 10 sec with an interval of 50 sec between cycles. The workout included 10 cycles. The regimen resulted in a significant improvement in muscle strength. Already after 20 stimulation sessions, an improvement was observed in the quadriceps muscle strength by 45.8% and in cross-section, examined with the use of ultrasonic echolocation, by 27.4%. At the same time, the thickness of fat over the stimulated muscle was reduced by 11.7% (R. N. Bolchowskich, 1968).

After the electrostimulation training, muscle strength was maintained for 15 days at a high level and only then its value dropped slightly, yet still exceeding the baseline level. Data refer to athletes training regularly and demonstrating high sports level.
Similar results have been obtained in the case of stimulating the triceps brachii muscle, and it should be noted that the improvement here was much stronger (3-fold) than in the non-stimulated group, working out with similar weights. There were no expected problems of coordination observed. From these figures it transpires that the method of electrical stimulation could be used as reinforcement for other methods described above and its advantages can not be overestimated in the case of injury preventing “normal” training.

Until, however, it raises a number of reservations from the anti-doping committees and is considered in fact as means of doping, the manner of its application will not be discussed in detail here. However, it should be emphasised that regardless of the opinions of “anti-doping advocates”, we currently have for sale a number of portable electrostimulation devices, which are being purchased on large scale by private customers and used in the “combat” with deposits in adipose tissue, for instance.