Health aNd Fitness Guide

This is the couch potato’s dream machine. Yes, it helps lose weight while doing practically nothing! The ‘new kid’ on the fitness block is called the Power Plate. Listen to its manufacturers: If you stand on the machine’s vibrating plates for 10 minutes a day, three times a week, you will lose weight, increase bone density and improve your overall health.

The Plate promises to be way ahead of the treadmill and other fitness gadgets. The reason, its makers claim, is the technology. Using, a technique called acceleration training, the plate uses vibration technology to stimulate the body’s natural response to vibrations. These transmit waves of energy throughout the body, activating 25-50 muscle contractions per second. How does this help lose flab? “When you stand in the recommended half-squat position, your muscles contract and relax to counter the vibrations sent by the Plate; there is action on the muscles and not the joints. These contractions help you tone your muscles,” explains Dr. Rajiv Mehta, orthopaedic at the Apollo Hospital, New Delhi. “Contraction and relaxation of muscles also improve blood flow to the area, which helps increase bone density,” explains Dr. Alokananda Banerjee, physiotherapist, Max Hospital in New Delhi. She adds, “It is a good equipment to increase muscle strength and burn calories. It is especially good for golfers, tennis players, and those who want to increase muscle strength.”

A trainer’s supervision is a must while working out on the Plate, and the company has delegated trained professionals for the purpose. Those who wish to keep their Power Plate at home get free demos before the work out.

The Power Plate caught the attention of the hoi polloi after Madonna endorsed it and attributed her fab figure to the benefits of the workout. The Plate is partly responsible for creating some of the more famous six-packs abs in Bollywood. (But, of course, their training went beyond just standing on the Plate!) A number of regular workouts like lunges and push-ups can be done on the Plate.

A word of caution. “One should use the Plate only for a maximum of 10 minutes and about three days a week,” says Banerjee.

The origin of the science behind the Power Plate goes back to the 1960s, when principles of acceleration were used by Soviet cosmonauts on earth to counteract bone and muscle degeneration caused by zero gravity in space. In 1999, Dutch Olympic Trainer Guusvan der Meer adapted these techniques.

The principle on which the Plate works is quite elementary. Hark your minds back to Newton’s law of motion. Force of an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration (F=m*a). So by applying more acceleration or increasing mass, one can improve the functional force — stability, strength or power. Usually, training and conditioning methods use increased mass; for example, free weights and weight machines. The Plate, on the other hand, applies increased accleration to the body, and keeps the mass (your body weight) the same.

The elderly can reap huge benefits from the gizmo. “It can cut down the rate of age-related muscle loss and reduction of bone density,” says Banerjee. And the release of endorphins will help them feel good about themselves, too!

It can also be used to rehabilitate those who need to strengthen their muscles or build muscle mass. “It can benefit people suffering from osteoporosis and neurological problems, like multiple sclerosis,” explains Banerjee. The vibrations can help these people recover from atrophied muscles.

But the Plate might not benefit those who have acute problems and need physiotherapy. “Such people should not get on the Plate even for rehabilitation. The may use it after the pain is gone, to regain their muscle strength,” says Banerjee. Others who should also avoid the Power Plate are those recovering from a spine surgery or those who have undergone a surgery for joint replacement.

Mehta has an additional piece of advice. “Those with heart ailments and diabetes should first consult their physician before trying out the Power Plate,” he says.

Various Power Plate models will cost from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 5.75 lakh and is available at its franchises in 15 Indian cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.