Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) suits are being marketed as a way to intensify short workouts by sending electrical pulses through muscles as users exercise. The article’s writer tests Pepper’s home-use suit, which claims that a 20-minute session can match the calorie burn and muscle activation of a conventional hour-long workout, but notes that the technology remains medically contested despite its long history in rehabilitation.

Research cited in the article suggests whole-body EMS can improve muscle mass, strength and athletic performance, though evidence for fat loss is less consistent and study results vary. Pepper’s $1,400 suit is among at least five consumer options, while medical opinion ranges from seeing EMS chiefly as useful for people with restricted mobility to viewing it as a worthwhile supplement to ordinary training.