Testing the latest craze....The Power Plate!

So its the start of a brand new year & for me that can only mean one thing its time to get fit and healthy.

I've decided this year I'm trying something different....the new fitness craze....Power Plates!

With clinically proven results and many health benefits, how can this be bad?!
I'm going to a local Shape Studio, testing out this latest craze, loved by celebs and health professionals worldwide.

So this is how it works......

The power plate employs a 'pivotal' system which oscillates to produce therapeutic vibrations through which energy is transferred all the way from the soles of your feet and up through your entire body. Head shake is minimised during exercise as the movement is absorbed in the pelvis. This mechanical stimulus produces a stretch reflex which, depending on the frequency, results in rapid and intense muscle contraction - 30 to 50 times per second!

These contractions not only build muscle and bone density, but improve flexibility, burn fat, increase metabolism, improve circulation & improve cellular oxygen.

This fast paced contracting and relaxing penetrates deep into the muscles. You feel a muscle burn very quickly as your muscles are pulsing at very high rates and are being triggered to work in three ways - concentric, eccentric and isometrically as the body naturally tries to stabilise itself. The use of vibration technology rapidly stimulates the muscles while allowing the user to take a more passive role with little or no stress on the joints and fibrous tissue: muscles do not have to work as hard as they do in the mainly concentric and eccentric contractions usually associated with weight training. Instead, this specially designed vibration technology transfers the optimum frequencies for your muscles to benefit from an isometric workout as well.

No matter what your physical condition, the subconscious stretch reflexes will tighten almost all your muscles at once. That compares with just 45 per cent of muscle fibres used during conventional training. Traditional training increases muscle strength because your body reacts to the extra resistance created by the weights over and above regular gravity. With Vibration Training your body reacts to acceleration rather than extra weight, which is many times greater than standard training stimuli. And one repeated 30 or 50 times a second. Your body has to adapt even more to overcome this greater load, and so achieve your training targets faster. The superior muscle-activation that the vibration machine stimulates compared to conventional training, means that less time is required to work muscle groups completely.

The sessions are excellent value for money, although block booking is the best option, prices are as follows....

• 1 session £4
• 4 sessions £10
• 10 sessions £20
• 15 sessions £30
• Unlimited £45

They also give you exercises to do on the plate, depending on which area you want to work on and you can really feel the burn when your doing them!

The plate promises a 10min work out is the equivalent to an hour in the gym, and you should do no more than 3 sessions a day, I am doing 1-2 per day 5 days a week, but 3 sessions a week will be sufficient if you cant do 5 days a week. They also claim you can drop a dress size in 3 weeks.

I am a teaming this up with Weight Watchers, so I am sticking to the healthy eating side of things, and this will be the exercise side of it, I've taken measurements of my weight, plus inch measurements arms, bust, waist, hips and thighs & I'll let you know the results at the end of the 3 weeks.

If you give it a go, let me know how you get on....Happy Wobbling!

CF xxx