POWER PLATE® Explained

Where has it come from?

 

Whilst Whole Body Vibration (WBV) may seem like a brand new technological innovation, the use of vibration for therapeutic purposes actually dates back to the ancient Greeks who utilised it to help heal injuries. The device they used consisted of a sheet of fabric with one end wrapped around the injured body part and the other end tied to a flexible saw that provided the vibrations.

 

Late in the 19th Century, famed physician John Harvey Kellogg used mechanical vibrations to treat patients at Battle Creek Sanatorium.

 

WBV is based on Rhythmic Neuromuscular Stimulation (RNS) which dates back to 1960 when Professor W. Biermann, from the former East German Republic, described 'cyclical vibrations' capable of improving the condition of the joints relatively quickly.

 

Russian scientist, Vladimir Nazarov, became the first person to utilise vibration training in its most modern application - Biomechanical Stimulation (BMS). With this technology he was able to investigate involuntary muscle contractions and involuntary movement. This information, coupled with the mounting knowledge of voluntary movement, allowed them to answer many questions regarding neuromuscular control.

 

The Russian Space Program utilized Whole Body Vibration training (WBV) to allow its cosmonauts to stay in space longer without experiencing adverse reactions. Later, ballet dancers with minor muscle injuries such as Achilles Tendonitis discovered that vibration aided the healing process. They also found that their muscular strength and jump height increased with only a quarter of the effort or time required by traditional training methods. This led many of Russia's top Olympic athletes to incorporate WBV into their training programmes. Since then, many other athletes have discovered the benefits of vibration training.

 

In 1999, Guus van der Meer, a Dutch Olympic team trainer, began to test the reaction of healthy, untrained volunteers to WBV training. Based on positive results, he developed the POWER PLATE® and set up special training programs to meet the demands of the health and fitness sector.

 

The POWER PLATE® is now used by a wide range of people from athletes looking to improve their performance, to individuals attempting to improve their fitness and wellbeing and those who have a disability or illness that can be relieved or alleviated by WBV training.

 

studioEH1 focuses 100% on POWER PLATE® training.

 

How does it work? >