Very few people know or have even heard of the power plate. When I first started reading about it; it seemed like a throw back to the old exercise machines that promised results by wearing a vibrating belt. However, there are plenty of celebrities out there using this type of training. Celebrities including Madonna, Claudia Schiffer, Natalie Imbruglia, Jonathan Ross, Colin Montgomerie, Sadie Frost and Donatella Versace, George Clooney, Clint Eastwood, are known to use the power plate to tone their body.
What it is: Power Plate is a vibrating platform that uses a technology called “Acceleration Training” to transmit waves of energy throughout the body, making your muscles contract faster. This helps your body do more “work” in less time (as in a full-body workout in 15 minutes), explains Power Plate master trainer, Kristy Wetherell. “Acceleration Training can increase your core strength, stability, coordination, power, speed, flexibility and mobility,” Wetherall says. “It can also increase post-exercise regeneration — all on a single machine.”
How it works: Dressed in gym clothes, the user is required to stand on the platform while the machine vibrates. A Power Plate trainer will then “prescribe” you exercises (ranging from squats to tricep dips) to do on the platform, depending on your goals and capabilities. And yes, it still works if you just want to stand on it and read a magazine
The verdict: Apart from the strange buzzing feeling caused by the vibrations, exercising on Power Plate feels like cheating. You finish each session feeling fitter, stronger and with an endorphin rush— but barely a sweat to show for it!
Cost: Purchase the my3 model for a cool $5,500, or ask your gym about rates. “Some facilities include Power Plate training as part of their membership fee and others have a session charge, which could cost up to $45 per visit,” says Wetherell (source).
Wow, this machine seems too good to be true! It may save these celebrities time, but does it actually burn enough calories to help you lose weight? For 5 grand, you might want to find a location that lets you try the machine out before buying it.
Adria Ali
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