Do Vibrating Plates Such As 'Power Plate' Actually Work?
Covered at length in my book "is it just me or are sit-ups a waste of time," this page will give you an idea on the whole concept of vibrating plates, whether they live up to their promise and whether they are worth buying.
With a price tag upwards of £1,000 per machine, you'd be justified in expecting a vibrating plate to do the exercise for you – which ironically it kind of does. This revolutionary piece of equipment has been all the rage with celebrities, who claim that the oscillating platform has transformed their bodies with minimal effort and no risk from injury.
The whole concept of losing weight and getting into shape simply by standing on a vibrating plate has invited huge media attention, all thanks to excellent marketing and celebrity endorsements. The notion of standing, sitting or lying on something that effectively does the exercise for you is every dieter's dream – and the manufacturers know it. We live in a society where we want everything now and with minimal effort, and vibrating platforms appear to be that miracle 'pill' every dieter would die for. It intrigues me that these vibrating plates are marketed with claims that you can:
- Improve fitness levels
- Increase fat combustion
- Improve coordination
- Reduce stress
- Improve flexibility
The manufacturers claim that these miraculous results can be achieved in 10-20 minutes without barley raising a sweat. It's everyone's dream, which is why they are flying off the shelf and all the rage in health clubs up and down the Country.
The science behind these oscillating plates is actually quite interesting and despite the hint of sarcasm at theefficacy of the plate, some benefit can be gained for certain groups of people such as:
- Those with limited time availableto exercise
- Those who want to add variety to their workouts
- Those prone to injury or recovering from injury
- Those who wish to focus purly on muslce toning
- Those with a spare £2000 burning a hole in their back pocket
So how do t
hey work and should i get one?
If the claims are correct, exercises on the plate cause the muscles to contract 30-50 times a second, which will stimulate the metabolism to a point and possibly over time contribute to a degree of weight loss. This is all well and good, but it is so important to remember that a vibrating plate will only give you the health benefits you want if you use it in conjunction with a healthy diet and other forms of exercise to encourage fat loss. The power plate will certainly give you results but do not rely on it as your only form of exercise.
If you want to learn more about the power plate as well as see what exercises you can perform on it, click on the picture to the left and click on the "34 exercises tab"
So, should you get one? My advice would be that if you have the funds available and you are bursting to try out a totally different form of exercise, then a vibrating plate may very well add variety to your workout and if used regularly it may help to tone the muscles . I certainly wouldn't rush out to buy one if you think it's the answer to reducing your midriff, though and please - do not expect any miracles if your diet needs some attention too.
If you are salivating at the prospect of owning a power plate, or any fitness gadget or gizmo at that, there is probably no better place to buy one than John Lewis. With a free 3 year warranty on most products, you'd do worse than good old John Lewis. Have a look by clicking the logo below: