In 2019, Kinney et al. published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal a scientific study on the effect of HIFEM (High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic) technology on abdominal body composition. It is now one of the most-cited references documenting the effects of this technology on muscle mass and visceral fat outside any surgical context.
The study protocol
The study recruited healthy subjects who underwent four HIFEM sessions spaced 2 to 3 days apart over a two-week period. Body composition measurements were performed by MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), considered the gold standard for soft-tissue quantification.
MRI measurements before and after the protocol. MRI allows precise quantification of subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness and abdominal muscle mass, without the approximations of impedance-based methods or skinfold calipers.
HIFEM sessions induce supramaximal muscle contractions of an intensity that the voluntary nervous system cannot produce. The mechanism is twofold: muscle hypertrophy and hyperplasia on one side, accelerated local lipolysis on the other.
The measured results
What these numbers actually mean
A 15% increase in abdominal muscle mass in two weeks is a result that deserves to be put in perspective. In traditional resistance training, gains of this magnitude require several months of intensive work. The specificity of HIFEM is to induce contractions at a frequency and intensity that voluntary training cannot reproduce, around 20,000 contractions per 30-minute session.
The concomitant 19% reduction in subcutaneous fat results from a distinct mechanism: lipolysis triggered by the release of free fatty acids under the effect of intense contractions. This phenomenon is independent of caloric deficit and requires no dietary restriction during the treatment period.
- No anesthesia, no recovery time: unlike invasive procedures (liposuction, abdominoplasty), HIFEM is non-invasive and requires no downtime.
- Lasting results: follow-up studies at 3 and 6 months show maintenance of the results, particularly in muscle composition, in the absence of countervailing factors.
- Target population: the results are most pronounced in sedentary or deconditioned subjects, not in already-trained athletes.
Limitations to be aware of
The Kinney 2019 study covers the abdominal area. Data for other muscle groups (glutes, quadriceps) exist but come from separate studies with variable protocols. It is therefore inaccurate to generalize these figures to the entire body without nuance.
In addition, the study does not include a control group treated with conventional physical exercise, which makes direct comparison with traditional training difficult. The measured effects are consistent with other HIFEM studies, but superiority over physical exercise is not established in the literature.
Our BodySculpt protocol integrates HIFEM into a combined approach: body-composition assessment by impedance analysis, targeted HIFEM sessions and follow-up of results over 4 to 8 weeks. The Kinney 2019 data serve as a reference for setting goals with each client.