• What is Power Plate training?
• Is it suitable for me?
• How does it work?
• How do I start?

The Power-Plate has caused a revolution in the fitness, wellness, beauty and anti-aging industry

The secret: anyone can achieve visible results in a very short period of time. Developed to optimize the effects of whole body vibration training (WBV), the Power-Plate has become one of the most effective forms of strength training.

The Power-Plate is a highly efficient machine designed to safely and effectively accelerate training time and results, by stimulating the body’s natural response to vibration. By standing on the Power-Plate you will notice how your body automatically adjusts to the vibrations, activating muscle contractions between 30 to 50 times per second, while recruiting nearly 100% muscle fiber. Quite simply your muscles, for 60 seconds per posture, are working 3 to 5 times harder than traditional strength training; therefore cutting your training time by a third.

The health, fitness and sports performance industries are rife with fads and trends. Often, these products or activities rely on unfounded claims with little research or evidence to support them and the results do not justify the hype. This is not the case with WBV training, which has more than 30 years of practical and scientific research to support its efficacy. It has become increasingly clear that this training technique is valid, effective, and will continue to grow.

History

Whole Body Vibration has been used as an exercise and therapeutic tool since the late 1800s. The research of this technology really began in the late 1970s with the development of a vibration system by one of Russia's key sports scientists, Dr. Vladimir Nazarov. He was an active sportsman, a member of the Soviet gymnastics team and occupied a chair for sports biomechanics at the State College in Minsk. He first introduced this technology to competitive sports, ballet, and medicine in the former USSR.

WBV was first applied to the Russian Space Program’s Cosmonauts who returned from space with significant bone and muscle loss; from their training they were able to counteract the effect so much that the Cosmonauts now have the strength and ability to stay in space up to 420 days. Later, Russian ballet dancers discovered that vibration could help them jump increasingly higher and aid the healing of injuries by increasing their muscular strength.

Once communism fell in Russia, the secrets of Whole Body Vibration made its way to Europe in the early 1990s. Dutch Olympic trainer Gus van der Meer used this research in 1999 to develop the machine for the health and fitness sector. Just like in Russia, other European athletes began using this form of effective exercise. In addition, the European Space Agency and NASA are actively using vibration in ongoing studies for the maintenance of the muscle strength, mass, and bone density.

Now, Whole Body Vibration is being used in hospitals, physical therapy clinics, and rehabilitation facilities. Everyone from the elderly, the person with physical disabilities, to the general person looking to get toned is using this form of exercise. Due to its many benefits the technology is quickly gaining acceptance by universities, professional sports teams, and health professionals in the rehabilitation and medical fields.

Vibration training has 40 years of research behind its science. With any technology, the individual needs to take a critical look at the research and validity behind it. Whole Body Vibration has been featured in such prestigious and influential peer reviewed journals as Spine, Journal of Bone and Mineral Density, and Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. With its wide potential application, new research is constantly being initiated across numerous North American and European Universities. Since most Whole Body Vibration systems were developed in Europe, most of the peer-reviewed publications have come from there. At present there are nearly 100 articles dealing with the effects of and related benefits of Whole Body Vibration (WBV).