Recently heard about this type of exercise for the first time. I was not very familiar with vibration training, but when traveling through England about a month ago, I saw the Power Plate being sold in Harrods, the enormous London superstore. Actually found out it is as big in Europe as pilates and spinning is in the United States...there are Power Plate studios all over! It sounded like a gimmick...a vibrating platform that can give you a better workout than lifting weights? But this is totally a product you have to see and try out to believe. The vibrating platform makes your muscles tense up and react to the movement, so you get a more intense workout than you could directly on the ground. It's a weird feeling at first, but you can really tell you muscles are contracting to "right" itself (like if you were pushed and all your muscles tensed) very quickly, like over 50 times a second. There is a lot of science behind it, too...a little confusing, but basically it uses the principles of F=MxA and so with the greater frequency you add, the greater the force on your body. But instead of having to add on heavy weights to see results, you can build up your exercise on this by frequency and time. Since it is an internal force, coming up through your legs, it is super easy on your joints. I did research on the company's website, and there are over 100 studies on how the plate increases circulation, helps with bone density (so could help with the effects of osteoporosis), and how it can decrease cellulite (the vibrations help drain lymphatic fluid)...and I was hooked!
I have had it for a short amount of time, but completely love the product and can use it as an all in one: stretching, warm-up, massage, strength training, etc. I am really happy to decided to purchase this, and it's a blast showing it off to family and friends and explaining the technology.
Product Description
The Powerplate my3 Vibration Training Machine combines the award-winning whole body vibration technology from Powerplate with a stylish compact design and an equally compact price tag. The Power Plate my3 is the trimmest, most economical way to bring Acceleration Training exercise into any sized home or apartment, enabling you to make room for three 15-minute full-body workouts a week. The re-designed my3 model for 2008 combines form and function, displaying a distinctly stylish edge. The newly designed face plate will allow you to fully interact with the machine, making it more user-friendly than ever before.
It uses whole-body vibration to increase muscle strength, blood circulation, bone density, and uses whole-body vibration. Originating in Europe, vibration exercise training is backed by dozens of medical research reports and is being integrated into daily routines by top universities, NFL teams, medical centers, gyms and celebrities alike.
How It Works
The my3 employs a technology called Acceleration Training to stimulate the body's natural response to vibration. These vibrations transmit waves of energy throughout the body, activating muscle contractions between 25 and 50 times per second, thereby enhancing your overall fitness in sessions as short as 15 minutes a day, three times per week. Acceleration Training offers a host of benefits, ranging from an immediate improvement in blood circulation to a variety of other measurable outcomes, including increased muscle strength and flexibility, improved range of motion, decreased cellulite, increased bone mineral density, reduced pain and soreness, and faster recovery from injury.
Acceleration Training works by creating instability in the human body, as with each vibration the body is forced to perform reflexive muscle actions. Furthermore, these contractions must work in multiple dimensions, as the Power Plate machines actually oscillate in all three directions, exactly as the human body is designed to do. This means that one can improve functional force (stability, strength, or power) by either applying more mass or more acceleration to the body.
Many forms of training and conditioning use mass--as seen in methods with weight machines and free weights. Power Plate machines, by contrast, use the second half of the law of motion equation: they apply acceleration to the body while keeping mass (i.e., your body weight) the same. The result is that you work against a far greater influence, or "load," of gravity in every movement you perform. Power Plate machines are a great alternative for people who enjoy an active lifestyle but don't have the time to perform lengthy workouts three or more times a week.
Sports Performance Benefits
For serious athletes, workouts on the Power Plate machines enhance the results of conventional training and explosive strength training, as well as serve athletes and trainers alike to speed recovery and regeneration times. In just minutes, range of motion and stability can increase, providing a perfect warm-up before training or competing. In addition to being an ideal pre-event tool, Power Plate machines are an excellent means of continuously maximizing performance. As the vibrations stimulate fast-twitch muscle fibers, athletes who use Power Plate machines over time experience a dramatic increase in explosive strength, motor learning, muscular endurance and overall agility.
Specifications:
- Frequency range: 35 Hz
- Frequency adjust: 3 mats / varying thickness
- Dimensions: 25 x 32 x 62 inches
- Surface plate dimensions: 25 x 15 inches
- Time settings: 30 or 60 seconds
- Vibration energy: Low and High
- Machine weight: 126 pounds
- Maximum user weight: 250 pounds
Manufacturer's Warranty
Two-year warranty for parts, one year for labor
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