June 26, 2021
In a recent weekly roundup, I reported on what I called “Possibly The World's Most Efficient (New) Workout: The “Katalyst,” and told you to get ready for the next frontier of electrical muscle stimulation.
In my book Boundless, on my podcast, and elsewhere, I've talked about how I use electrical muscle stimulation, also known as “EMS”…
- The Ultimate Biohacked Workout & The Future Of Fitness: Minimal Effective Doses, Cold, Blood Flow Restriction, Electrical Muscle Stimulation, Ozone & More!, at SystimFit in New York City.
- The Most Powerful Electrical Muscle Stimulation Device Known To Humankind (& Exactly How To Use It), with Garrett Salpeter.
- Nerdy Ways To Lose Fat, Build Muscle & Maintain A Nice Body As You Age, with Thomas Delauer.
- How To Use Electrical Muscle Stimulation to Enhance Performance, Build Power and VO2 Max
- How To Quickly Biohack Your Nervous System & Muscle Growth With Electrostimulation.
…but with all other forms of EMS I've used in the past, although getting great results for injury rehab, muscle growth, targeted muscle “re-training,” and more, I've also had to deal with all sorts of wires, time-consuming electrode attachments, confusing user interfaces, and a pretty clunky experience that takes up a lot of time.
This brand-new electrical muscle stimulation suit called the Katalyst is a total game-changer. You literally just pull on the suit and select from any of the workouts on the app and a personal trainer not only walks you through the entire workout, which involves functional fitness moves like squats, side lunges, presses, cardiovascular and power movements, and a whole lot more…
…but the intensity is automatically adjusted by your trainer as you go, and so it also creates a highly customized workout. This is one of the coolest time hacks for exercise that I've discovered in a long time and—coming from a guy who has done a lot of different workouts—I can tell you that this thing is not some gimmicky “As Seen On TV” technology that you use to get a six-pack while you're sitting on the couch eating Twinkies.
Instead, I think this technology is going to take the fitness world by storm. Pro athletes can train muscles they've never used before and retrain injured muscles while complete exercise beginners or those in rehab can lift weights without excess stress on the joints.
Again, the Katalyst suit is a total game-changer, and this thing is flying off the shelves now as folks discover the magic of EMS. Here's where you can get the Katalyst suit today (that link gives you “early access” to getting a unit for yourself).
I wanted to get the founder and CEO of Katalyst—Bjoern Woltermann—on the show to take a deep dive into exactly how this new technology works.
Using proven Full-Body EMS (Electro Muscle Stimulation) technology, Katalyst removes common barriers to fitness like time, ability and motivation, and replaces them with a 20-minute, full-body workout that works with your body rather than against it. Because there are no weights and no joint impact, Katalyst empowers all people to live longer, healthier, and happier lives.
A startup veteran and economist by trade, Bjoern was introduced to Full-Body EMS as a way to fit strength training into his busy travel schedule and to rehabilitate a back injury. After training every Monday for six weeks, Bjoern was amazed to find himself both pain-free and in better physical shape than he had been in years. He soon realized that this technology had the potential to significantly improve millions of lives. Driven by an innate desire to serve people, Bjoern founded Katalyst in 2015 to bring Full-Body EMS to the United States.
Aside from Katalyst, Bjoern is a devoted husband and uncle who loves to travel the world and is committed to a healthy lifestyle.
During this discussion, you'll discover:
-How Bjoern got interested in EMS…8:54
- In 2012, he had a corporate job; flying all over the world
- This resulted in chronic back pain
- Advised to strengthen core and lower back, otherwise he would end up with herniated disc
- Introduced to an EMS clinic (20-minute treatment is too good to be true)
- Bodystreet studio EMS
- The format is 2 people with one trainer
- After 6 weeks, with one session per week, he was pain-free, no pain meds, etc.
- Two different reactions: horribly uncomfortable or relatively manageable
- Breathwork is important for comfort level
- EMS is far more popular in Germany than in the U.S.; pre-COVID, Germany had around 2,500 EMS studios
-A brief history of EMS training…15:10
- How Underground Russian Techniques From Old Soviet Training Journals Can Turn You Into An Endurance Beast, with Jay Schroeder.
- The science was discovered by Russians in the '60s
- TENS treatment is a different treatment than EMS
- In the early 2000s, the body transformer was a more efficient means of delivering EMS
- First commercial device was around 2007
- Used by elite soccer teams (athletes signed NDAs because it worked so well)
-The science that backs up the efficacy of EMS…19:10
- EMS devices are FDA-regulated, treated as a medical device
- The hurdles were too high for manufacturers to expand in the U.S.
- Some European universities carry out 2-3 full-blown studies on EMS per year; a mini-knowledge base has been created around the devices, with around 85 medical studies done so far
- Hockey players 1.5% faster after EMS; jumping height of basketball players
- New way to activate muscles; easier to target specific muscle fibers
-Why EMS induces a high amount of soreness…23:20
- Muscle damage induced by electrical stimulation: “the magnitude of muscle damage induced by ES-evoked isometric contractions is comparable to that induced by maximal voluntary eccentric contractions”
- Previously unused and dormant muscles
- The Katalyst suit hits 13 areas of the body, each muscle group has its own channel
- No muscles left behind
- Much more complete muscle activation; increasing the recruitment of muscle fibers in each repetition
- Get to an exhaustive state of the muscle faster
- Activate more muscle fibers at the same time, subconsciously this is how it's supposed to feel
- Need extreme loads to activate fast-twitch muscle fibers or very quick movements with conventional weight training
- Cardio mode causes the muscle to be active, transform energy into motion, calorie burn effect
- Airdyne bike is the ultimate EMS workout
-Why the body gets so hot in an EMS suit…34:05
- How much muscle activation is going on at a given time
- A two-hour gym workout is squeezed into a 20-minute session
- Excess heat generated by muscles working is not evaporated over a 2-hour period but in 20 minutes
- The body needs to cool off from so much work done in so short a time
- Water provides adequate conductivity
-Why different ranges of motion are used in EMS…37:00
- Always start with why. Why are you doing this workout? What's the ultimate goal? What's the ultimate outcome?
- You want to achieve a stronger body, you want to have access to your muscles
- You want flexibility and have a full range of motion
- No shortened muscles, no tension like tightness around the neck
- One of Ben's training clients had knee pain disappear after using the Katalyst for a couple of sessions
- Usually, unused muscles are in a tight state as a protective mechanism
- Katalyst training is getting muscles into an exhaustive state; previously injured areas become softened up and loosened
- Relax the muscle, get back to a natural function
-The recovery setting on the Katalyst…40:45
- Recovery mode promotes blood flow
- Very low frequency, 1 twitch a second
- Pumping effect to the muscles; pumping massaging effect that promotes nutrient and lactic acid movement
-How EMS may affect longevity and anti-aging…42:20
- EMS is a solution to a lot of different problems in this day and age; people don't have time to work out
- Study of 100 women over the age of 75
- Two of the women dropped out, not because it was too stringent
- Gained muscle mass, reversed atrophy
- Increased walking speed 10-20%
- Walking speed, grip strength, and ability to get off the floor are good metrics for longevity
- Gained bone density
-How to mix regimens to get the most out of EMS…45:20
- Do strength/power on first day followed by 10 minutes of cardio
- Day 2, cardio only
- Day 3-4, do strength again
- Do two sessions per week
- Katalyst suit is 3 to 3.5 lbs, depending on the size
- Strength training should have some intervals in-between while cardio can be done every day
-Topicals or cold packs that can improve the efficacy of EMS…47:30
- Podcast Episode #35: What It Truly Takes for Lightspeed Exercise Recovery!, with Jeff Spencer.
- Applied topical before applying the electrodes; used the electrodes to drive in the topical
- Vasper machine
-How the EMS routines are conducted in real-time…50:20
- Katalyst has a catalog of exercises, now numbering about 160
- System is completely wireless
- Things are in the works to do EMS detached from the current system
- Trainers are actually getting the treatment while the user does
- Roles of customer and trainer are very different
- Immersive experience for the customer
- The system always remembers what you are doing, so it learns over time
- The levels are always individual to a person
-How to access the Katalyst and skip the waitlist…58:30
- There is a limited supply but using the link basically skips the waitlist
-And much more!
Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.
Resources from this episode:
- The Katalyst Full Body EMS Suit (click here for early access)
– Podcasts And Articles:
- The Ultimate Biohacked Workout & The Future Of Fitness: Minimal Effective Doses, Cold, Blood Flow Restriction, Electrical Muscle Stimulation, Ozone & More!, at SystimFit in New York City.
- The Most Powerful Electrical Muscle Stimulation Device Known To Humankind (& Exactly How To Use It), with Garrett Salpeter.
- Nerdy Ways To Lose Fat, Build Muscle & Maintain A Nice Body As You Age, with Thomas Delauer.
- How Underground Russian Techniques From Old Soviet Training Journals Can Turn You Into An Endurance Beast, with Jay Schroeder.
- Podcast Episode #35: What It Truly Takes for Lightspeed Exercise Recovery!, with Jeff Spencer.
- How To Use Electrical Muscle Stimulation to Enhance Performance, Build Power and VO2 Max
- How To Quickly Biohack Your Nervous System & Muscle Growth With Electrostimulation.
- The Ultimate Breathwork Ninja Guide: How To Banish Stress & Kiss High Cortisol Goodbye
- The Weekly Roundup: Your Go-To Guide For Everything You May Have Missed This Week & More! 5/15-5/21
– Gear:
– Other Resources:
- Boundless by Ben Greenfield
- Body Street EMS Studio
- TENS Treatment
Upcoming events:
- Ben will be speaking at the Ancestral Health Symposium in L.A. on August 12-14, 2021
- Keep up on Ben's LIVE appearances by following bengreenfieldfitness.com/calendar
Episode sponsors:
–The Boundless Cookbook: Optimize your physical and mental performance with nutritious and delicious Greenfield family recipes. This is your roadmap to a culinary journey that includes ancient food and wild game preparation tactics, biohacked smoothies, meat rubs, cocktails, desserts, and beyond—without any restrictive diet, limited ingredients, or tasteless “health foods!”
-Kion Refer a Friend: My personal playground for new supplement formulations, Kion blends ancestral wisdom with modern science. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners, save 10% off your first order with code BEN10, and we'll pay you to send your friends to us!
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–Therabody: Take control of your recovery with Therabody and relax with Therabody’s 30-day money-back guarantee.
–Butcher Box: Delivers healthy 100% grass-fed and finished beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage breed pork directly to your door on a monthly basis. All their products are humanely raised and NEVER given antibiotics or hormones.
Thank you for this Podcast Ben as it is an eye opener of the benefits of this product. I have a couple questions though. Do you still use this product regularly? Also are there any side effects that you have encountered both negative and positive? It seems to work most of the muscle groups, but specifically I am interested in any positive side effects for individuals with ED issues. If it is TMI then I absolutely understand, but any info would be great. Thanks again for all your work and insights and have a great day.
I’m a Bodystreet studio owner and have been following you for the last 5 years. I’m very glad that you covered this topic ,Ben . Great to see EMS is growing , not just in Europe.
finally got mine yesterday 8/9. did the beginner workout on a very low setting. It was pretty wild. Going to do a legit strength training workout and up the intensity.
Looks interesting. How much is your suit? Cant find information on your site.
It's around 2k
Hi There,
Can someone share her/his experience with the device?
Thanks,
Dani
Wish I could tell you. I ordered mine 8 weeks ago and still no suit. Got an email last week saying that you can now get your suit in 2-3 weeks. Will be interesting to see if I get mine before that time frame overlaps . . . I know Ben just posted recently that if you use his link you get special priority, but I have yet to see anything special happen.
Mine just shipped
You are very into the EMF issues. Does anyone know if there is any potenital long term negative impact of EMF fields from the Katalyist? I contacted their customer support – did not really get an answer. Wondered if Ben konws?
If you are worried, check out https://www.symbiont360.com they are certified medical product in Germany – it’s more advanced (EKG, HRV, EMG is actively being measured and the program is adjusted individually to the user
LINK NOT WORKING
Hey Ad, do you have any more information for our team? We checked out all the links on the page and they are working. We would be more than happy to assist you if you are unable to access any of Ben’s content on the website. Hope that you are having a fantastic weekend! -Tony
Intriguing, but why doesn’t the suit cover calves and forearms?
Hi Ben,
Do you have evtl. have a discount code for the Katalyst?
Thanks
Hi Dani! At the moment, there's no code available. But you can use this link to get special priority: https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/katalyst
Hi Dani! We don't have any discount codes yet but we're working on getting one for the holiday season :)
Awesome. Thanks!
Hi Ben or Bjoern, looking forward to getting our full body workouts. We have our suits but what if one is wearing a continuous glucose monitor on the arm. Do either of you know if either gadget will effect or interrupt the other?
Betsy,
Can you share your experience with the device?
Hi Dan. Yes, I will post next weekend. We won’t be able to try the suits until then.
Awesome. Thanks!
Hey Dan…. OMG, we didn’t try our suits this weekend because the boxes that arrived on 6/3 were not our suits. They were 2 products I purchased for a family member and those boxes were supposed to be shipped to their house. The box is 2 1/2 ft tall x 1 1/2 ft long and 4″ wide and it has 3″ tall words on the box with the company name Keekaroo. In my dyslexic mind I translated it to Katalyst! So the 2 boxes sat by our sauna and when we went to go try our suits I was instead looking at 2 pink Keekaroo Peanut Diaper Changing stations for a baby, LOL. Needless to say it was quite humorous. Anyway, we received an email today saying our 2 KATALYST suits are on their way.
I emailed the company about the CGM with their suit and they said “that is no problem. One of our investors also has a Levels CGM and is working out with Katalyst for months now.”
Haha that’s hilarious. Thanks for the update Betsy, appreciate it.
It would be awesome if you could share your experience once you have the suits.
Btw, how long was the wait until the suits were ready to be shipped?
Thanks,
Dani
We ordered Katalyst on 6/30. The package I received that wasn’t the Katalyst arrived 7/3 to correct my confusing typo above….Anyway so Fedex tracking says the Katalyst will arrive this Fri end of day 7/23 so approximately 3 weeks.
Thanks! 3 weeks is not bad :)
Hi Betsy, have you had a chance to try out the suite? :) Thx Dani
I ordered mine 3 weeks ago and have not received any indication that it is being sent yet. I hope it comes soon.
I contacted the company, they are now saying it will take 6-10 weeks to get your suit
Hi Betsy, have you had a chance to try out the suite? :) Thx
This book is awesome with great remedies for the human body (https://bit.ly/3h8518C) You guys should try it out !!!!! (https://bit.ly/3h8518C)
Do they ship o/s. I emailed them weeks ago but got no response.
Can’t believe Ben has not brought up the techy details, such as kind of current (AC or DC) or what waveform is being used by the Katalyst suit. Sounds like they’ve thought about their product for a while, why miss out on that moment to shine?
Getting an error message when I click link and fill out the form to request access to Katalyst.
I’m assuming you their are different sizes for the suit. If so, do you have to purchase a unit for each body type (e.g. husband and wife)? I emailed this question to the Katalyst team when Ben mentioned this a while back, but never got a response.
I’m getting error message after submitting Katalyst’s “request early access” form.
I have been getting the same message. Tried submitting it thrice. Guess its a website issue.
Same, bummer.
it worked on my phone, just not my laptop
Hi Ben,
At 44:03 Bjoern said: “but then what totally was a surprise is they gain bone density again” (explanation interrupted with another question).
At 52:08 Bjoern said: “can I go and test and try sprints” (story cutoff).
Q&A 430 @ 1:09:46 “Ben you interrupted your guest too much”. All constructive criticism that will add value to my favorite podcast.
Hey Ben, how would you compare this to the Neufit? Would you say the Neufit is still more powerful?
I am wondering the same thing, Matthew. Thank you for asking. I know cost is a huge difference as this is around $2400 and Neufit Neubie $27,000, I believe. I’m looking at both. I hope Ben is able to answer this.
i realize its not availabel to the general public yet but can you give me an idea of the appoximate cost to buy it?
It’s ~$2400 according to FAQ on their website
Can the katalyst be efficient for MS ppl: locally stimulate muscle contraction while doing an active movement since the nerv influx is not at its full potential ?
$2,385 + iPad required
Another $20,000 (+monthly$ +wear/tear/replace$) fitness gadget. Great.
Is it 20k?
No, it's not 20K. It's around 2K.
Ben what is the studio in Nyc that you mentioned in this podcast
https://www.systimfit.com/