You’ve been really good this summer: hitting the gym a few times a week, eating healthier, and cutting out bad habits. It’s all made a difference, but it can be hard to keep up the routine, especially with the stresses of everyday life. Well, vibration plates are here to help.
Gaining popularity in recent years, vibration plates are being used to increase flexibility, and balance, and cut workout times in half. In fact, NASA has used vibration plates to study the bone loss and muscle weakening that happens with astronauts in space. These machines can now be found in gyms and wellness centres across the country and are now also available at Aztec Tan & Spa in San Diego.
What to Expect During Your First Vibration Plate Session
Here’s how they work: Stand on the platform, which resembles a scale, and select the intensity of vibration you would like. The controls are similar to that of a treadmill at the gym. Once you select your desired intensity, the machine will begin to vibrate under your feet. You may hold on to the bars under the console’s display for additional support. This vibrating movement of the platform signals to your brain to correct the instability you are experiencing, targeting 30-50 muscles to contract in your body per second. Since vibration plates enhance workouts, you can do squatting exercises, calf-raisers, or balancing poses on the platform, and you can burn more calories. A 10-minute session on a vibration plate is roughly equivalent to 60 minutes of conventional exercise.
According to a 2009 study by the University of Antwerp in Belgium and Artesis University College, women who ate a healthy diet and exercised with a vibration plate lost more weight and kept the weight off longer, compared to women who just dieted and exercised without the help of the plate. It was revealed that women who used the vibration plate to exercise also lost more weight around the midsection, compared to the other group.
Alternative Uses
Although primarily used as a workout enhancer, a vibration plate can be used to increase balance and mobility following an injury, or even relieve symptoms associated with fibromyalgia. Users have also reported an increase in strength and agility after incorporating vibration plate sessions into their workout routine.
Try it at Aztec Tan & Spa
At Aztec Tan & Spa, our focus is whole-body wellness for every customer that walks through our doors. Our Power Step Plus vibration plate is a great complement to a body sculpting, or Formostar Infrared Body Wrap session. Owner Rebecca Samman can show you how to use the vibration plate, for how long, and recommend which exercises to try while using the plate.
Call (619) 286-4826 for more information about this service or to make an appointment today.
SOURCES:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jill-s-brown/body-vibration-machines_b_893774.html
https://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/equipment/do-vibration-plates-really-work.html
