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The first thing you might notice about Phil Heath are his biceps. Building arms the size of many athlete’s thighs is no small task so if you want to look like the legend, you’ll have to work like him, too.

The use of a NMES device such as Compex® can build muscle strength and density by utilizing the full potential of a muscle group. Maximize the bicep “pump” with this Compex routine:

The Prep

The Compex Pre-Warmup program uses low frequency electric waves to help increase local blood flow and the temperature of a muscle group in under 5 minutes to help reduce risk of injury and potentiate your muscles. Place the electrodes on the biceps and perform some bodyweight “air curls” before your session.

The Pump

The Compex Resistance program helps maximize muscular effort by activating both Type 1 (slow-twitch) and Type 2 (fast-twitch) muscle fibers to increase strength and enhance full performance potential. During the contraction phases of the program, perform your favorite “bicep pump” exercise and let your NMES device maximize the contraction!

Check out our Bicep page to learn about pad placement and videos with some of the movements you see below.

Some of our bicep favorites are:

Incline Hammer Curl

EZ Bar Curl

Wide-Grip Barbell Curl

Overhead Cable Curl

Dumbbell Curl

The Prize

Your session is done - maximize the rewards! The Compex Active Recovery program will help you recover faster for your next session and reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness. This program should be used just after your session to stimulate blood flow to help bring nutrients to the muscle group.

Put on that tank top, head to the beach.

“To be a champion your goal is to be a little bit better each day, making sure that every day is an opportunity to be your best.” - Phil Heath

Your Compex device, which utilizes NMES, can be used to help build muscular strength and endurance, promote muscle relaxation and decrease recovery time. But could it do more? We think so! Our new device, Compex 2.0, offers a TENS program to further the benefit of your device by affecting the sensory nerves to help treat pain. If you’re experiencing pain from an injury or event, the Compex with TENS can help to maximize your training and recovery.

So what’s the difference? Though both NMES and TENS may appear the same at surface level, they actually offer very different stimuli.

TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)

A TENS device is designed for treatment of pain by inhibiting the receptors that our brains perceive. By targeting the sensory nerves, a TENS device is able to “trick” the mind into ignoring pain for periods of time. TENS units are also believed to release endorphins to further fight the mechanisms of pain. A TENS device might be used to treat individuals who suffer from chronic back pain, or who are managing acute injury.

NMES (Neuromuscular Electric Stimulation)

An NMES device uses frequencies that activate actual muscle fibers. By exciting the tissue, an NMES device causes similar stimulus to the muscle as would a workout. Depending on the frequency, NMES devices can target either slow or fast twitch muscle fibers. This means that a certain program could help to enhance endurance-based musculature versus those necessary for a power athlete. This allows a user to mimic and add to training to gain muscle size, strength and reduce risk of injury through proper warmup.

TENS and NMES devices work differently based on the types of nerves they target in the body. Where TENS targets the sensory nerves responsible for transmitting pain to our brain, an NMES device targets the motor nerves which allows for benefit to training and recovery through the muscle. Where you may have needed two different devices for these effects before, Compex 2.0  maximizes the functionality of your device with both TENS and NMES functions.

Phil Heath is preparing for his 6th defense as Mr Olympia in Las Vegas this weekend. Early this year we got to peak into his training program and spend some time on set for our Compex photo shoot with the legend himself.

The Granite Games have been in play since 2013, in their fifth year of action, the level of competition continues to grow.  Some of the fittest athletes will converge onto St. Cloud, Minnesota to compete alongside one another as they fight to earn their piece of the $100,000 prize purse pie!  While the athletes duke it out on the competition floor, the spectators will have an opportunity to stock up on the essentials from sponsors like Rogue and Compex.

The event will take place on September 8^th through the 10^th at Saint Cloud State University.  The goal is simple, celebrate athletes of every skill level.  The Granite Games will host over 1,900 athletes in the heart of central Minnesota!  In addition to offering a weekend of competition to the community, Granite Games gives back.  Every year, they aim to support the growth of the fitness community both locally and nationally.  From offering Fitness Education Scholarships to outfitting gyms with Rogue equipment, Granite Games aims to support the growth of the fitness community both locally and nationally.

Hope to see you there!

2017 was the first year the CrossFit Games was held in Madison. It proved to be an exciting location, packed full of new events for the athletes. The enclosed stadium allowed the crowd to be louder than ever, and the obstacle courses and weather provided additional challenges for the athletes to overcome.

Congratulations to our Compex^® Athletes:

Men:

Mat Fraser - Fittest Man on Earth

Ricky Garard (AUS) - 3rd Place

Garret Fisher - 14th Place

Rob Forte (AUS) - 26th Place

Zeke Grove (AUS) - 34th Place

Women:

Kara Webb(AUS) - 2nd Place

Sara Sigmundsdottir - 4th Place

Brooke Wells - 14th Place

Lauren Fisher - 30th Place

Team Athlete:

Sarah Loogman : CrossFit Invictus - 6th Place

Learn More about our Athletes Here

A big Thank you to our Education Staff who worked all weekend, providing demonstrations of our muscle stimulators to the spectators and athletes.

Incase you missed it heres our tip on Instagram:

Todays tip is all about the wavelength we use at Compex® and what makes it unique.

Make sure to follow all safety instructions before beginning any new exercise program, and always be aware of your progressions based on your activity level.
Please visit www.compexusa.com to learn more.
Individual results may vary.

Incase you missed it:

Check out @compexusa on Instagram for a new tip every Tuesday

Today's tip is about utilizing the resistance program to get the most out of your workout.

Check out the review by Steven John from The Manual.  Please note that Steven was provided a device to keep by Compex at no charge, and his opinions in the review are his own. Go to https://www.themanual.com/culture/compex-sport-estim/ to see this article and more.

First of all, forgive the “shockingly easy to use” pun. I went for the low-hanging fruit, yes; this device does not actually shock you, no. Rather the Compex Sport Elite uses electrostimulation (estim) — brief pulses of electricity transmitted through the muscles via electrode, e.g. — to aid with everything from improved blood circulation to increased muscle mass to faster post-exercise recovery. And yes, this Electric Muscle Stimulator really can do all that, and more. You just have to spend the time to learn to use it properly, and you have to get over the fact that using the Compex EMS is kind of really strange at first.

First, let’s take a basic look at what electric muscle stimulation is: it’s making muscles work. There. I mean… I said basic, didn’t I? OK, we’ll go a bit deeper.

When you pick up a barbell (or a cup of coffee or a copy of War and Peace), your brain is sending electrical impulses to your muscles via the trusty nervous system. All the right muscles contract, and the result is you lifting the weight (or other object). Or typing, playing the violin, running from a tiger, etc. The point is that your brain controls all sorts of voluntary muscle contractions. (And involuntary ones, yes, Mr. Scientician.)

When you apply electrodes to your muscle groups and send charges through the muscle using a battery instead of your brain, your muscles will contract as well, albeit this time the contraction is involuntary. But guess what? Muscle fibers don’t care whether it was you’re brain or the Compex Sport Elite EMS device that made them contract; if they do so enough times, the fibers will endure the slight tears that lead to new growth and result in larger, stronger muscles. Using a Compex device can help you build muscle even if you are sitting in a chair, stuck in traffic, or even lying in bed; using the device during an active workout or as part of your warm-up or recovery can help you build a hell-of alot more muscle, and can keep your body limber and feeling great. Yes, many people see using EMS devices as a rather lazy approach to muscle building and fitness, but that’s largely a misconception of this type of hardware generally, and a diametric misunderstanding of the intended use of the Compex Sport Elite. This is not a way for the lazy person to exercise, it is a tool to help the fitness devotee make the most of his or her workouts. But it didn’t start out that way…

I spoke to Brandon Hearn, Senior Director of Consumer Business Development with Compex, and got the lowdown on the brand’s backstory. He told me that the company “has been around for 31 years now. [Compex] was founded in Switzerland, and started out as a medical device company.” The products were developed for “people who had muscle atrophy issues, who needed rehab, that sort of purpose. But slowly and steadily we began getting more and more requests from fitness-related clients, and we became more geared toward sports and fitness products.” People realized the potential top quality EMS devices offered beyond keeping muscles of injured or elderly patients functioning, seeing that Compex products could also help fit people achieve ever greater strength and endurance capabilities.

What sets the Compex Sport Elite apart from many other EMS hardware options is the fact that this device can “grab” almost 100% of the muscle tissue in a given area, providing your muscles with a productive, complete workout and avoiding dysmorphic issues many electric stimulation devices can cause. Think about it like this: when you lift a weight, you are using multiple muscles to heft and balance the load. When you use an electric pulse to contract a muscle, you run the risk of hitting and therefore working only a few fibers. The Compex sends electric pulses deep into the fibers, contracting almost every tissue in a muscle group, therefore ensuring the muscle is developed evenly.

Alright, now let’ talk about me. I’m a runner/hiker and I do daily calisthenics and some moderate weightlifting. I was circumspect about EMS technology primarily because it kind of freaks me out, and also because I just wasn’t sure this type of device would do me much good. After all, I’m not looking to build huge muscles for competitive weightlifting or anything. But I do like making the most of my two to three weekly weightlifting sessions, and I do know the agony of severe lactic acid build up after a serious hike. So when I learned that of the nine programs the Compex Sport Elite offers, one was all about recovery and rapid lactic acid processing, and that many of the strength and endurance regimens could make those lifting sessions more productive, I figured hey, let’s give this thing a whirl.

The first time I applied the electrodes to my body, I managed to put them on wrong and nothing happened. About 45 seconds of reading later and I realized I needed to reposition the adhesive pads and boom, my left bicep was twitching away without me doing anything more than watching in mild consternation. But y’know what? You get used to the involuntary muscle twitching pretty fast.

I tried out the Compex on my quads, calves, and other arm, and then started trying it out on my abs some, too. While I have by no means had the time to become an expert with this device, I’ll say that I (and you will too) quickly got down the proper electrode placement for larger, distinct muscles and muscle groups, such as the biceps and quadriceps. Getting everything in just the right place to feel I was properly working my abdominals was a bit harder, and the fact that I have a moderately hairy chest wasn’t a benefit here. The goo on the pads is pretty forgiving on skin and even hair, I’ll allow, but it definitely took a bit of hair with it. Oh well.

I’m sure over time I will become more comfortable with the strength and endurance building programs, but it was the post-workout recovery assistance that caught my attention initially and that I see myself making the most use of going forward.

The Compex Sport Elite can help you stave off delayed onset muscle soreness (which they call DOMS), therefore precluding one of the most common issues the athlete/outdoorsman faces. If you are a serious hiker, you know the score: you get off the mountain feeling great, but within hours, your legs are locked up and throbbing and your back is sore as all hell. But not if you spent some time with the Compex’s recovery programs. In this modem, the device produces a constant but low-intensity frequency of pulses that induce gentle muscle contraction akin to getting a massage. The result in increased blood flow that helps move lactic acid out of there muscles and bring oxygen and nutrients in. I have tried the recovery program out after runs and workouts, and I can’t wait to try it after my next big hike.

And hell, I might even start building some muscle while sitting at this desk.

In case you missed it:

Follow us on Instagram @compexusa for a new tip every Tuesday

Todays tips is all about learning how Compex can help you build muscle mass.

incase you missed it:

Follow us on Instagram @compexusa for a new tip every Tuesday

Todays tip is about how to bypass the warm up setting in your device.