A review of 26 studies: more muscle and strength
A 2023 review pooled 26 studies of whole-body EMS in adults. On average, it increased muscle mass, strength and power.
26 studies, 1,183 adultsRodrigues-Santana et al., 2023, Medicine
EMS for body toning · Belgravia
Build strength. Tone and shape.
One-to-one EMS training that works all your main muscle groups at once: a 20-minute full-body session with a personal trainer, at our private Belgravia studio.
- 20-minute
workout - One-to-one with
your trainer - £60 introduction
session
As Featured In
Built for toning
Toning is muscle work: building strength so the muscle underneath shapes how you look. EMS trains all your main muscle groups together, with your trainer setting the intensity for each.
All your main muscle groups
The suit’s electrodes sit over your main muscle groups, so every simple movement works them together. Twenty minutes is a demanding full-body session.
Focus where you want
Arms, core, legs or glutes: your trainer turns the intensity up on the areas you want to work, muscle group by muscle group, and builds it as you get stronger.
Muscle you can build
A review of 26 whole-body EMS studies in adults found that, on average, it increased muscle mass, strength and power.
What the research says
Toning comes down to muscle. Here is what controlled trials found about muscle and strength with whole-body EMS, and who took part.
26 studies
pooled in one review: on average, EMS increased muscle mass, strength and power
Rodrigues-Santana et al., 202326 studies, 1,183 adults
36%
stronger squat after 10 weeks on one 20-minute EMS session a week
Grgic et al., 202520 sedentary women aged around 20, 10 weeks
89%
said they felt firmer or more stable after six weeks of training twice a week
University of Bayreuth, 2003 · not peer reviewed134 adults training in fitness studios, average age 42, 6 weeks, questionnaire
Similar results to high-intensity training
Untrained men aged 30 to 50 did 20-minute EMS sessions or a high-intensity strength programme for 16 weeks. Both built lean mass and leg strength, with no significant difference between them.
48 untrained men aged 30 to 50, 16 weeksKemmler et al., 2016, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Similar strength gains in a sixth of the time
In a small study, sedentary women chose either one 20-minute EMS session a week or about two hour-long gym sessions. After 10 weeks their squat strength rose by 36% and 34%, with no significant difference between the groups.
20 sedentary women aged around 20, 10 weeksGrgic et al., 2025, Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology
Strength gains like weight training
Overweight adults around 30 did two 20-minute EMS sessions a week for 8 weeks. Their strength and muscular endurance improved more than in a group that did no training, with no significant difference from a group doing conventional weight training.
35 overweight adults around 30 years old, 8 weeksMahboobi Semnan et al., 2026, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
Results vary from person to person. How toned you look also depends on what you eat, how you sleep and your body fat. If you have a medical condition, check with your GP before starting any new exercise. Each link opens the source.
Your £60 introduction session
- 01
Health check and goals
We go through your health history and the areas you want to work on, so your plan starts in the right place.
- 02
Suit up
We provide the EMS suit and a base layer. Your trainer fits the electrodes over your major muscle groups.
- 03
Your first workout
Simple movements while your trainer sets the intensity muscle group by muscle group, building it up gently.
- 04
Your plan
How often to train and which areas to focus on, so you can feel your strength build.
Plan for about 45 minutes at the studio: the health check, changing, a 25-minute first workout and finishing up. 9 Kinnerton Street, Belgravia.
Three quick questions
Is EMS right for you?
Answer three questions and we’ll tell you straight away whether an introduction session fits you.
Toning Questions
Toning is building muscle and strength so the muscle underneath shapes how you look. EMS works all your main muscle groups at once, so a 20-minute session trains your whole body with a personal trainer guiding you.
Yes. Your trainer can turn the intensity up on the areas you want to work, such as arms, core, legs or glutes, while still training your whole body. No training chooses where your body loses fat; that depends on your genetics, what you eat and how active you are.
No training can promise that. Building the muscle underneath can sometimes improve how skin looks, but how much skin tightens depends on your age, genetics, sun exposure and any weight you have lost, and EMS itself has not been tested on skin.
Most clients feel the difference after two or three sessions. Visible change takes longer and varies from person to person. Training consistently is what counts.
They do different jobs. EMS works all your main muscle groups at once, so a 20-minute session covers the whole body with a trainer guiding you throughout. It suits people who want an efficient, structured workout.
Perfect for you. Your trainer controls the intensity, starting gently and building up. Many of our clients started as complete beginners.
EMS isn’t suitable during pregnancy; with a pacemaker or other electronic implant; with epilepsy or another neurological condition, heart rhythm problems, narrowed or hardened arteries, untreated high blood pressure, a bleeding disorder, or a hernia in the abdomen or groin; within six months of a stent or bypass; soon after surgery in the area being trained; while you are unwell or have an infection; or after alcohol or drugs. With diabetes, cancer, heart or kidney disease, new back pain that hasn’t been diagnosed, nerve pain or a slipped disc, or an implant such as a joint replacement, you need your doctor’s approval first. We go through your health history before your first session, and if you’re unsure, check with your GP.