

If you do want more information, however, the best source is .Īfter Madonna bought a Power-Plate, sales soared at one point John Lewis's version - which costs £2,599 - was the store's fastest-selling fitness product. The instructions are comprehensive and simple to read, while the banner illustrations are easy to follow. Allow up to 20 minutes for a total workout for resistance, flexibility and massage. 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.Įach Power-Plate comes with an instructional manual, booklet and banner showing visual descriptions of each of the positions for resistance, flexibility and massage. Beginners are encouraged to start off at 30 vibrations a second, progressing up to 50. You can choose your intensity of vibration stimulus from the control panel. Once on the plate, the beginners' programme involves standing in nine different positions, each held for 30 seconds. If you want to try before you buy, go to one of the introductory classes at the Power-Plate Studio, Harrods, London SW1 (020-7893 8518) - it's £25 for a 25-minute session with a certified trainer. To find one close to you, and for classes, log on to. David Lloyd clubs have between three and five units on each site, and several community leisure centres now own one, too. A number of health-club chains now have one or more Power-Plates as part of their gym equipment. But don't fret if you're not in the A-list league of owning your own. You can get similar benefits for your golf swing, rugby scrum and so on - just stand in the sport-specific position.Ĭelebrity Power-Plate devotees include Madonna, Jonathan Ross and Donatella Versace. 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. Using Power-Plate can help you get far better sport-specific benefits.

Your muscles will be contracting 30-50 times more quickly, thereby generating a lot of internal heat, so even if you don't feel thirsty, always drink water while you're working out. 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. You'll get a better training response, as well as increasing potential calorie burn. 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). This will reduce the duration of the workout, which is a real bonus for people who are time-short but crave results. 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.Īlthough everyone is different, it's usually enough to start with no more than 30.#8209 60 seconds on each exercise. In order to develop strength, power, muscle tone and definition, it is essential to adopt a position that puts tension on the muscles. 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. The best way to train is by increasing the frequency gradually. Power-Plate is like the microwave of fitness - you can do as little as 10 minutes and still achieve a great workout. Mark Andrews is a remedial therapist and Power-Plate specialist trainer. It's claimed that 10 minutes on the Power-Plate will have the same results as 60 minutes of conventional strenuous training.

Power-Plate is a great time-saver due to the effectiveness of training and the fact that many muscle groups are activated at the same time. They generally 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. Power-Plate is a machine that gives the body's muscles a high-speed workout by using vibrations to stimulate them to contract and relax.
