Effect of Muscle Electrostimulation on Chronotropic Reserve

Resistance training (RER) forms the basis of an exercise rehabilitation program, helping to improve muscle and heart function, and in particular chronotropic reserve. In this respect, muscle electrostimulation (MES) is an interesting alternative to RER. We studied the effect of MSE on a cohort of 32 Tunisian pilots, at the Aeronautical Expertise Center, to evaluate the effects of an RER program using MSE on chronotropic reserve over a 4-week follow-up period, at a rate of 3 sessions per week, and secondarily to evaluate the effects of this same program on their anthropometric and biological data.We obtained an improvement in body composition, as well as in biological, lipid and glycemic balances, and also in exercise tolerance, with a significant increase in VO2 max, and a statistically significant increase in CR, linked above all to a reduction in resting heart rate. This response could therefore be an objective to be achieved by ESM in this target population at increased occupational risk, and be proposed as a fitness supplement.