Health & Fitness

GOOD VIBRATIONS

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29 July 2008

 

THERE IS something strange happening in the world of gyms. In workout spaces across the country, strangely shaped and bulbous machines have been appearing in the corners, sitting there waiting to be investigated.

But anyone who goes to a gym will tell you this - it’s best not to be the first to try a new machine, as you don't want to be the one who is publicly embarrassed when you get everything arse about tit. Gyms are, after all, a place to parade, as well as where to work up a sweat.

So while Power Plates have crept into work out areas nationwide, they are still not part of the accepted group of machines that make up the usual daily work out.

So in the name of all those timid gym bunnies who have looked at people vibrating away on a Power Plate but have never worked out the courage to jump on themselves, the Weekender popped along to a specialist gym to see what they were about.

Vibration training was first developed by researchers looking to increase the fitness of Russian cosmonauts, says Jane Dowling, owner of London Bridge Power Plates gym Fitness for Everybody.

The explorers were getting so weak from their time in space that they had to find a way they could increase their muscular strength and bone density. Vibration training was developed and the results were that the cosmonauts could spend more time in space.

Later research on ballerinas' damaged Achilles tendons also saw quick recuperative results, Jane says.

The early Russian research was soon jumped on and led to the modern Power Plate. And what can you do on it?

Almost everything you do normally in the gym, including yoga. It is also said to be great for helping injuries. How does it work? In conventional exercise, Jane says, you recruit 35 to 40 per cent of your muscles. In a Power Plate session, she says, you use 85 to 90 per cent. The more muscle fibres you work, the stronger your muscles will be.
While cardio exercise such as running will work on your fat reserves while you are actually performing the exercise, it stops when you do. If you have strong muscles, they will burn fat even while you are resting.

In fact a Power Plate work out is so intense on the muscles you only have to do a twenty five minute work out each time. Perfect for those on lunch breaks or who do not have much time.

And at Fitness for Everybody, there are only four Power Plate machines, meaning at most a one to four personal service. "Normally people who come two to three times a week see results quicker than conventional exercise," says Jane.

And, perhaps most importantly, what does a vibration plate feel like? If you can imagine standing on an enormous bumblebee while doing your normal squats and lunges, that may be the best comparison. The machines have different levels, and workouts can be done to different lengths.

Whether you are a runner who wants to build up strength, to help you power your way through your jog, or someone just looking to tone up, the Power Plates, its promoters say, can get you there quicker. They can't be that good can they? Well one thing is for sure, 25 minutes on one will almost certainly leave you aching the next day. And that muscle ache, born of a good workout, is what all fitness fanatics crave.

Fitness for Everybody
The Basement, Trowbray House
The Leathermarket, 108 Weston St
SE1 3QB.
T: 020 7403 9988
reception@fitnessforeverybody.co.uk

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