INDICATIONS FOR USE
Intended Use
The "Compex® Sport" is intended
to stimulate healthy muscles
in order to improve or facilitate
muscle performance.
The "Compex Sport" is not intended to be used in conjunction with therapy or treatment of medical diseases or medical conditions of any kind. None of the "Compex® Sport' training programs is designed for injured or ailing muscles and its use on such muscles is contraindicated.
The "Compex® Sport' electrical impulses allow the triggering of action potentials on motoneurones of motor nerves (excitations). These excitations of motoneurones are transmitted to the muscle fibers via the motor endplate where they generate mechanical muscle fiber responses that correspond to muscle work. Depending on the parameters of the electrical impulses (pulse frequency, duration of contraction, duration of rest, total session duration), different types of muscle work can be imposed on the stimulated muscles.
The various types of muscle work that the "Compex® Sport" can impose on the stimulated muscles are able to improve or facilitate muscle performance.
The "Compex® Sport" may therefore be considered a technique of muscle training.
How to Use the "Compex® Sport"
Always stimulate muscles isometrically; this means that the extremities of the limb in which a muscle is being stimulated must be firmly secured (see pictograms below) to prevent the movement of the limb (resulting from muscle contraction).
In order to use the "Compex® Sport" safely and effectively, the following essential matters must be considered:
- the choice of the appropriate muscle work program
- the planning of stimulation sessions
- the placement of the electrodes
- the setting of the electrical current intensity
Choice of the Appropriate Muscle Work Program
The choice of a program determines the kind of work that is imposed on the stimulated muscles. Based on your knowledge about sport training, you can choose the program that is appropriate to your needs. Please go on the www.plannerusa.bycompex.com web site as it offers an advanced interactive way to establish an appropriate work program. With just a few answers to basic questions, the "Training Planner" section will determine which is the most appropriate program for you.
Planning of Stimulation Sessions
The Training Planner (www.plannerusa.bycompex.com) will determine the number of training sessions per week you should do and the number of weeks you should use a muscle training program.
Placement of the Electrodes
Depending on the sport you practice, the Training Planner (www.plannerusa.bycompex.com) will determine the muscles that should be stimulated. It also shows pictures with the correct placements of the electrodes for the muscles involved. You can also use the booklet provided for the positioning of the electrodes.
Setting of the Electrical Current Intensity
The intensity of the electrical current determines the number of working fibers in the stimulated muscle. With a lower current intensity, there are fewer working fibers. With a higher current intensity the number of working fibers is increased. To reach a significant percentage of working fibers, you should reach a minimum intensity of 30 mAmp. This threshold intensity can be reached within the first two sessions by progressively increasing the intensity during muscle contractions. Once this threshold is reached, continue to progressively increase the current intensity to make the stimulation more effective. Further details about the setting of the current intensity are given in the "Practical Rules" section of the the Training Planner (www.plannerusa.bycompex.com).
Training Programs
The "Compex® Sport" provides four muscle stimulation training programs. They correspond to the type of muscle performance the athlete wishes to improve or maintain. These training programs are:
- Endurance
- Resistance
- Strength
- Explosive Strength
Each of these four training programs offers five different working levels that enable the amount of work to be gradually increased.
Endurance Program
The "Compex Sport" Endurance program imposes an average medium working level on muscle fibers. This working level is maintained over a long period (45 minutes per session). The Endurance program particularly activates the aerobic metabolism of the fibers during the stimulation session. The purpose is to increase the time the muscle is able to maintain a medium level of working power or the average power level the muscle is able to maintain for extended periods of time. The program may be used in most physical preparations to establish or improve basic muscle endurance. It is designed to increase the average intensity of muscle effort that must be maintained over a long period. It is most appropriate for athletes engaged in endurance sports such as marathon, triathlon, cycling, etc.
Resistance Program
The "Compex® Sport" Resistance program imposes an average high power working level on muscle fibers. This working level is maintained over a short period (12 minutes per session). The Resistance program activates the anaerobic metabolism of muscle fibers during the stimulation session and induces the production of lactic acid. It is intended to increase the time the muscle is able to maintain a high power working level (close to its maximum) or the average power working level the muscle is able to maintain for a short duration. It is designed for sporting activities, which are characterized by a need for intense (close to the maximum) efforts to be maintained or repeated to approach the limit of muscle exhaustion. Sports requiring this type of effort are, for example, the 400 and 800 meters, one-kilometer cycle races and 100 meters swimming. It is appropriate for many other sports based on duration, such as cycling, which makes repeated demands on muscle resistance.
Strength Program
The "CompeX® Sport" Strength program imposes a high and instantaneous power working level on muscle fibers during tetanic contractions. These contractions are separated by long periods of rest. The result is an average medium power working level (+ 20 minutes). This program is intended to increase the maximum strength of muscle contraction, which is carried out isometrically or dynamically. It is specifically designed for sports characterized by a need for maximum but very brief strength contractions. Weight lifting is a typical sport of this kind. This program is also appropriate for any type of sports requiring a gain in strength on a specific muscle (cycling, short distance running, soccer, etc.).
Explosive Strength Program
The purpose of the "Compex® Sport" Explosive Strength program is to increase the speed with which maximum muscle strength can be supplied. It is designed to improve performance in sporting activities of very brief duration such as jumps, sprints and throwing. To ensure a progressive approach in the muscle stimulation training, you are strongly advised not to use this program without having previously worked through a cycle of sessions using the Strength program.
Special Programs
The "Compex® Sport" also offers two special muscle training programs. Their objective is to prepare muscles for explosive motions or to facilitate recovery after active muscle training and competition:
- Potentiation
- Active Recovery
Potentiation (Warm-up) Program
The "Compex Sport' Potentiation (Warm-up) program produces the physiological muscular phenomenon known as "Twitch potentiation". A specific system of stimulation increases the amplitude and the speed of the elementary muscle twitch response of muscle fibers, more particularly of fast fibers. A potentiated muscle gains in velocity and reaches its maximum strength more easily and rapidly. This warming-up program is recommended before performing a sprint, a jump or a throw. Applied briefly just before the beginning of a competition, it offers immediate, well potentiated muscle fibers and an optimal level of performance to basketball, soccer or volleyball players.
Active Recovery Program
The "Compex® Sport" Active Recovery cool-down program produces muscle twitches at a very low frequency. Those twitches act like a massage and induce an increase in blood flow. They are responsible for a faster reduction of the lactic acid blood level (much better than mere rest) and accelerate the exchanges between muscle fibers and blood. Consequently, the stimulated muscles recuperate better from fatigue and the athlete has a feeling of relaxation and muscle lightness. This type of cool-down program is recommended after hard training sessions and competitions. It is particularly useful after sports requiring long duration efforts, combining endurance and resistance (cycling, marathon, triathlon, mountain-bike, etc.). The same is applicable to sports that require shorter efforts (basketball, soccer, football).
