Power Plate MY5

Author's product rating:   

Durability	Good
Comfort	Excellent
Value for money	Good

Advantages:	A low impact, all over workout for those on the go
Disadvantages:	Might be a little too unconventional for some .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Powerplate is the latest fitness tool that has celebs and fitness folk in a lather. Madonna swears by it (apparently) and Premiership football teams incorporate it into their training and recovery regimes. Its fast, fits easily into a busy lifestyle and has benefits. The Powerplate is positioned at the top end of the 'vibration training' market of fitness equipment and here are my experiences of trying it out.

In layman's terms: the Powerplate has two rotating motors under the platform which cause a vibration to travels up the body. This makes muscles involuntarily contract, then the nervous system responds by relaxing these muscles again to compensate. In this way, the muscles are fatigued through work, they consume energy (such as stored fat) and get stronger/more defined - just like in conventional exercise such as running or doing yoga. Blood circulation is improved, as the muscles act like a pump on surrounding blood vessels and the lymphatic system. This ensures enhanced flow of nutrients to all parts of the body, and the filtration out of impurities. The vibrations also remodel bone structure - encouraging bone building cells and inhibiting those that break them down. An important feature of the power plate is that the joints in the body are minimally loaded - meaning the danger of overloading with external weights is much reduced.

There are many scientific studies that provide support to these claims. Google the words 'power plate' and 'scientific support' and you'll see it.
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The Power Plate is a sleek piece of kit, it looks like a weighing scale you'd find on the deck of the Starship Enterprise. All brushed grey chrome and black foam handles, the display reminds me of what you seen when you get behind the wheel of an expensive. This can be intimidating to some people. As previously mentioned, the 'Powerplate' brand falls at the upper end of the vibration training market. You can get cheaper pieces of equipment like the interestingly handled 'Crazy Fit Body Shaper/Massager' for around £300 whereas the 'My 5' (the flagship Powerplate model) weighs in at just under three and half grand. To be honest, I would trust my fitness and well-being to a company whose products have the word 'crazy' in them. Besides, the cheaper products may work on the same principles of vibration training, but are not as effective.

Most people do not have a couple of thou lying around to buy this piece of kit. Happily there are companies who offer a course of Powerplate sessions, so you get the benefits without the hole in the bank balance. Movers and Shapers is one of these, they have several branches around England where they offer a course of 12 sessions for £195.00. This includes 10 power plate sessions in a studio under the watchful eye of a qualified instructor. The niche they aim at is the 'gym jaded', people who have tried all the gimmicks and for whom the attraction of membership at the local Cannons has worn off. It is 'the gym for people who don't like the gym', small workout area with neutral, beauty boutique décor, no monthly membership, no exercise card - you buy a course of sessions and use them when it's convenient to you.

A typical session is just thirty minutes in duration, it involves a number of callisthenics and yoga style moves which are mostly easy to master. Section one begins with a 1 minute massage to increase blood flow and warm up the muscles for work, a gentle flexibility stretch follows. As a session involves minimal weight and very little movement, the 5-10 minutes of pre preparation stretching is not required. Two minutes is all that is needed. Afterwards the programme moves to a core and stability section, exercises to strengthen the core muscles (abdominals, glutes etc) and improve balance, two sets of exercises in each. Making up to 4 minutes on this component. The core exercises are much in demand, the ladies (and gents) who visit primarily focus on tums, bums and thighs which aren't as toned as they once where - and you certainly can feel these muscles being worked. The main component of a session targets individual body parts; backs of arms, chest, shoulders, lower/mid low back, legs etc for anything up to a minute for each. Once these moves are completed the sequences is repeated - making perhaps 12 exercises in total for 15 minutes in duration. A massage and stretch complete the session, the lights are dimmed and the upbeat music turned down, you leave the studio feeling worked out and surprisingly chilled out.

The Verdict:
To put both feet onto a powerplate is like standing on top a washing machine. The rattling of your teeth is disorienting but the majority of people can tune out the sensations so they are no longer a distraction. I wouldn't be able to attest to the longer term benefits but I can state: IT CAN CERTAINLY WEAR YOU OUT! Holding a press up at its lowest point for 30 seconds over a vibrating platform will load the muscles to their fullest extent and you really feel the strain. The effect of core exercises are magnified as the positions held involve minimal body movement so abdominals are concentrated on. I am told individual exercises can be varied with countless permutations and the instructors are always on hand to tweak exercises according to ability and to spur you on. No disinterested, aloof gym staff here. I was gasping for breath after 10 minutes so there is an undisputed cardio affect too! People as a rule have been conditioned to believe you have to move around a lot in order to lose weight, 'vibration training' proves that you don't. Providing you can suspend this assumption and put your trust in something that looks like a fixture in a Porsche showroom - you may be pleasantly surprised.

You can buy this product from many online retailers such as John Lewis.

Or, if you don't have several thousand pounds floating around but are still intrigued, check out Movers And Shapers (moversandshapers.net) for more information.