Hayley Newton looks at Power Plates this week
The Power-Plate Craze
So this week I would like to bring to your attention the "Power-Plate" craze This is a new piece of technology that is glorified with slogans such as "the 10 minute workout". A workout that claims it will have the same result in 10 minutes as you would have in a normal 60 minute training session. Sounds good eh? Well let me delve in a little deeper and explain what it does. The Power-Plate is an intriguing machine designed to improve toning and muscle strength in brief, intense workouts. It vibrates in several different directions, going side-to-side and up and down creating an oscillating effect at a very jarring and hard rate. The body has no choice but to continually contract the muscles being used or you'd just immediately fall off the platform. Generally your muscles contract once or twice a second, but by standing on the Power-Plate, its vibrations cause an automatic reflex muscle contraction of 30-50 a second.
The device began to catch on with celebrities such as Madonna, Donatella Versace, Jonathan Ross, as with elite athletes such as Serena Williams and the Chicago Bulls. But don't feel put off if you're not in the A-list league of owning your own. They are very expensive. A number of health-club chains now have one or more power-plates as part of their gym equipment.
But does it give better results in less time? You could say it's like the microwave of fitness. By quickening your muscle contraction you're speeding up the time in which you achieve your normal workout, however, what is important to remember is that 10 minutes on a power-plate is not sufficient enough to replace other forms of exercise. Rather than a sole substitute, it should be considered more as an integration into your normal workout. I am a firm believer that change is good for exercise. It stimulates the mind and body. You don't want your muscles to become familiar with your exercises so they don't feel the fatigue they should. Chopping and changing will make your body constantly work and feel the burn.
So let's look at some of the negatives:
- There are minimal cardiovascular benefits with the Power-Plate. As mentioned already, it is not an all-around solution. Although improvements in body tone and flexibility are easily achieved, it would be best to combine it with other forms of exercise as stamina of your heart and lungs will be limited.
- It's pricey - what with it being 'new' technology it unfortunately comes with a scary price tag. Top of the range models cost around £7000. There are brands that are available for less, but with this, comes with reduced durability. Reduced vibrations, plate size and economic functions are all a consequence of a lower fee.
- You should start gradually by increasing the frequency slowly. Posture is important to optimise the benefits. It may be possible to overuse this subtly powerful method of training, and it is recommended that people don't exceed 10 minutes of vibration per workout, and ideally not more than 3 times a week (avoid consecutive days).
- Dehydration- The machine will generate lots of internal heat, and so it is important, what with your muscles contracting 30-50 times more quickly, to always drink water even if your not feeling thirsty.
The positives:
- Speed - We all have an ever growing timetable of stress and work. Finding a workout that can achieve the same results in half the time is right up EVERYONES street.
- Help injuries - Faster recovery and regeneration from injury has been noted. It also seems to improve osteoporosis and Fibromyalgia,
- Sports - It can help you get far better sport-specific benefits. With snowboarding, for example, stand in a side crouched position for 30 seconds, and your quads will receive a more appropriate training stimulus than any standing squat against a wall. There are many other sports that it can work for as well!
- Toning and strength- It can increase joint range of motion whilst having little impact on the ligaments and joints.
On a more personal note, I would like everyone to always be a little more careful with "new" training workouts. Obviously some are fabulous and really do work, but until they have been tried and tested over a long period of time you can never be sure. So always research extensively before hand.
I love the thought of new workout regimes though, and would embrace any type of ideas that could replace some already in place stale and boring methods. Keep the mind moving. Keep the body working. Keep having fun!
Start gradually
The best way to train is by increasing the frequency gradually. Beginners are advised to start with nine minutes of the resistance programme, followed by nine minutes of the stretch, massage and relaxation programme, both on the lower frequency and amplitude settings.
Stand correctly
In order to develop strength, power, muscle tone and definition, it is essential to adopt a position that puts tension on the muscles. For example, if you're doing the squat position, have your knees bent and lean from the hips, as if you are about to sit on a chair.
Keep your workout short
Although everyone is different, it's usually enough to start with no more than 30. seconds on each exercise. This will reduce the duration of the workout, which is a real bonus for people who are time-short but crave results.
Combine your exercises
Try to choose a combination of compound exercises (such as squats and push-ups, which use more than one muscle group) and isolation exercises (biceps curls and front raises). You'll get a better training response, as well as increasing potential calorie burn.
Keep your knees bent
Vibration training stimulates the contraction of the muscle spindles, so it's important to keep your knees slightly bent to avoid jarring through the joints.
Train for other sports
Using Power-Plate can help you get far better sport-specific benefits. With skiing, for example, stand in a crouched ski squat position for 30 seconds, and your quads will receive a more appropriate training stimulus than any standing squat against a wall. You can get similar benefits for your golf swing, rugby scrum and so on - just stand in the sport-specific position.
Getting started
Celebrity Power-Plate devotees include Madonna, Jonathan Ross and Donatella Versace. But don't fret if you're not in the A-list league of owning your own. A number of health-club chains now have one or more Power-Plates as part of their gym equipment.
Once on the plate, the beginners' programme involves standing in nine different positions, each held for 30 seconds. You can choose your intensity of vibration stimulus from the control panel. Beginners are encouraged to start off at 30 vibrations a second, progressing up to 50. Getting started is easy - simply stand on the machine, select the appropriate vibration level on the control panel, and position yourself in each of the nine positions.
Each Power-Plate comes with an instructional manual, booklet and banner showing visual descriptions of each of the positions for resistance, flexibility and massage. Allow up to 20 minutes for a total workout for resistance, flexibility and massage.
The downside
The first time I was on one of these machines was at a fitness convention. It was a bit intimidating as I watched buff dude after fit gal struggle to hold a simple squat position.
As I took my turn, I decided to just stand there and see what happened. The guy running the machine told me to hold on to the handlebars and then flipped the switch. It's hard to explain the bone-rattling, teeth jarring (I literally had to clamp my jaw shut) 30 seconds that followed. It took a few seconds to adjust to just how hard this thing was vibrating my entire body. I whooped (several other people did too), held on and just went for the ride. The guy shut off the machine and I started laughing. It was fun -- in a masochistic kind of way.
I came back several times during the convention and tried other poses such as push ups, squats and even some Pilates moves. Each time, the same thing -- an intense amount of work and a bone rattling experience.
When I returned, I found a local trainer with a Power-Plate and did three or four more private sessions. The workout really does only take about 10 minutes and you just hold certain positions and let the shaking begin. A couple of my clients got hooked on it to and went regularly. I can attest to some pretty impressive muscle tone as a result of two to three sessions per week.
Pluses: It is a fast workout and some research has found it seems to improve osteoporosis, fFbromyalgia, muscle strength and tone.
Takeaway: Something to keep an eye on for down the road. While I like the concept and I really like the idea of counter-acting osteoporosis, I want to make sure it's safe for my entire body before I engage in it regularly. I'm waiting for more studies on overall health benefits and risks before adding this into a regular routine.
If you're interested in working out with the Power-Plate, here's a sampling of exercise to try:
Standing: Just standing on the platform and let it shake away is a toning exercise. Particularly when working with people with medical issues, they frequently start by just standing for very brief periods of time, say 30 seconds. To get used to the machine and gradually adapt the body to the experience.
Squats: By holding onto the handles and lowering your bum down into a squat position you'll be heavily engaging your leg muscles in full contraction. Yes, some of your body weight is being held up by your arms, but your arms are working too to hold you in that position.
Planks: With your feet on the floor and your hands on the platform you hold a plank position for 30 to 60 seconds, longer if you're conditioned. You can even go all out and throw in push ups. This works arms and the core muscles, of abs and glutes.
Benefits include:
- Immediate improvements in blood circulation
- Increased muscle strength and flexibility
- Increased joint range of motions
- Decreased cellulite
- Increased bone mineral density
- Reduced pain and soreness
- Faster recovery and regeneration from injury and training, (research support includes Moezy et al (2008), that indicated enhanced recovery from anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery using vibration technology during rehabilitation)
- Enhanced metabolism and lymphatic flow and reductions in Cortisol (which is a stress hormone)
- Little impact on the joints and ligaments
- Capacity for whole body massage and relaxation
- Increases the production of collagen to encourage firmer, smoother skin
- Helps prevent age-related muscle loss, bone density loss and skin wrinkles
- People with medical conditions can exercise while working within their personal physical limitations
- Helps prevent injuries through enhanced proprioceptive awareness and control
My View
The marketing on these vibration machines is generally misleading as the benefits are glorified with slogans such as "the 10 minute workout". What is important to remember is that 10 minutes on a Power-Plate is not sufficient to replace other forms of exercise and its integration into existing exercise plans should be viewed as an alternative for variation rather than a sole substitute.
I personally rate vibration technology because the power of these machines for rehabilitation, muscle massage and relaxation are phenomenal and together with an opportunity for escapism from 'traditional' exercise, I think these will continue to grow in popularity and availability. It is however, important that we remain critical, (perhaps even sceptical), with all 'new' technology, discoveries and theories as what we know at any given time may, in the future be shown to be wrong, (the "benefits" of smoking for example!), therefore it is worth considering the following:.
There are becoming increasingly available in health clubs. If you get one at home, be prepared as they are not the sort of equipment you can hide away, or just get out of the cupboard everytime you want to use it. It would require a designated space at home if you were to purchase a personal one.
The research into the extent of contra-indications and potential issues from long-term use of vibration technology are very limited as the machines are so new. It is for this reason that I am particularly cautious about the volume and duration of use with my clients and therefore only phase its use in to their training schedules for select periods of time. It may be possible to overuse this subtly powerful method of training and it is recommended that people don't exceed 10minutes of vibration per workout and ideally not more than 3 times a week (avoid consecutive days).
As mentioned already, it is not an all-round solution and it is wise to avoid the misunderstanding that it can replace traditional exercise. It is handy for those who want a quick workout, but the best solutions are found in combining it with other forms of exercise. You need to start gradually by increasing the frequency slowly and make sure you stand correctly in order to optimise the benefits and ensure safe biomechanics.
Try to choose a combination of compound exercises, (big muscle group exercises like squats or push-ups) and isolation exercises, (that focus on single muscles, i.e. bicep curls and front raises). This will increase the calorie burning potential of the workout. It is easy to forget but make sure you drink enough water, as your muscles will be contracting 30-50 times more quickly, thereby generating a lot of internal heat and subsequently increasing the likelihood of dehydration.
Just a note of safety: You should consult a physician/exercise professional before beginning any exercise program, including one involving the use of a Power-Plate machine. If you want more information and instruction regarding the use of a Power-Plate, one of the best sources is powerplate.com.
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