Q:I read about one of these new electrical muscle stimulators. Do they really work?

A:Electrical muscle stimulation machines have been marketed as bodybuilding "breakthroughs" for at least 15 years. Some marketers claim that if you hook yourself up to one of these machines and lie on the couch while watching TV, they will force your muscles to grow. (Are people that lazy these days?) Anyway, electrical stimulation of skeletal muscle involves the placement of surface or needle electrodes on or in muscles, which are then stimulated with a small electrical current in "waves" or intervals. This results in an isometric muscle contraction (tensing, but no change in muscle length). The problem is, isometric contractions are not optimal for increasing strength or muscle growth. In fact, the strength that is developed occurs only at the angle at which the contraction occurred. Thus, if you were trying to get a complete leg workout with an electrical muscle stimulator, you would have to move your leg through a dozen different ranges of flexion and extension and "zap" it in each position. Electrical muscle stimulation can be very beneficial to individuals with spinal-cord injuries, where the transmission of nerve impulses to the muscle has been damaged; however, if you're a healthy bodybuilder, there is absolutely no better way to work your muscles than through good old-fashioned weightlifting!