When we get injured, it is usually due to these factors – overtraining (and hence fatigue), incorrect technique or as a result of an accident. Other than the latter, the other two can be prevented.
Overtraining can be solved by reducing intensity and volume to help you cope with the training load. Incorrect technique however, requires a bit more work. It could be due to a muscle imbalance in your body (for example, my right hip flexor is tighter than the left), hence there is overcompensation somewhere and if not taken off properly, will lead to injury.
The off-season period – after my Ironman 70.3 Malaysia race – is a good time to work on these weaknesses. During this time, I was introduced to TESLA Former, a device that is used for muscle strengthening for areas such as the glutes, abdomen, hamstrings, arms and pelvic floor using Functional Magnetic Stimulation (FMS).
FMS technology has been scientifically found to result in increased muscle mass after multiple treatments on the same targeted area. Basically, the TESLA Former has a pulsed magnetic field to contract the muscles that you are targeting and it will trigger motor nerves and excite muscle contraction.
I tried the TESLA Former on my stomach, glutes and quads. For each area I tried it for 30 minutes and you can adjust the intensity – I went up to about 85%. I could really feel my muscles contracting and for the next one to two days after the treatment, I was a little sore in these areas too, similar to how it would be like after a hard workout. In a 30-minute session, the machine can achieve more than 50,000 pulses.
I did it at Halley Medical Aesthetics at Orchard Gateway. When you go for the first time, there will be a consultation with Dr Terence Tan first and he will find out what your objectives are for doing this treatment. After that you will head to the treatment room where the machine is and the therapist will fix the FMS heads onto your targeted areas. It is really convenient and easy!
The good thing about this non-invasive treatment is that there is no downtime and no preparation needed. It doesn’t hurt at all and during the session you can watch Netflix or sleep.
I’m doing this to help strengthen my muscles – as part of injury prevention – on top of all my triathlon training and HIIT sessions. I would recommend doing this in addition to your fitness regime, and not to replace your workouts!
You may enquire more about the TESLA Former treatments at:
Halley Medical Aesthetics
277 Orchard Road, #03-15 Orchard Gateway (S) 238858
Tel: 6737 8233
Email: info@halley.com.sg
