Vibration plate for the girlfriend

thenightrider · 15-12-2009 01:50PM #1

Looking at geting this for the girlfriend for christmas http://www.irishsportsdirect.ie/catalog/vibration-plates/crazy-fit-massage-pro-500w?cPath=105

Are they any good and would this one be a good one i have no idea about them and dont want to spend this kind of money on something that wont be any good

Thanks

fullback4glin · 15-12-2009 01:53PM

Try Ann Summers

aye · 15-12-2009 01:54PM

you could get six months gym membership for the money.

On another note, be careful,buying the girlfriend a gift to lose weight/tone up, might be dangerous.

sfag · 15-12-2009 01:56PM

If your the kind of person that buys fitness equipment from infomercials in the middle of the night then go ahead.
Any fitness machine which requires you not to move is harly going to work??.
Try a wii fit instead. it wont work either but you can go snowboarding on it when you realise the fit game doesent work.

thenightrider · 15-12-2009 01:58PM

I bought her gym membership before but she would only go if some one else was going with her so she only used it a few time's

Killme00 · 15-12-2009 02:00PM

The 50's are back

v300 · 15-12-2009 02:04PM

They are quite good, but are MAINLY for people who can't walk,
or are suffering from Osteoporosis, or lost bone density on their last
Shuttle mission hence the NASA endorsement of these devices.

They have gone mainstream in the last few years
but the benefits of a good walk may be better...:D

tudlytops · 15-12-2009 02:10PM

Hi!

We bough the one in Argos [IMG]file:///C:/Users/TUDLYT%7E1/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.png[/IMG]like this one

http://www.vibra-trim.net/images/intro%20v2.jpg

at my doctors advice because i can't exercise much.

It's big but small enough to go under a bed, etc, its great, I'm fitter, i lost weigh that I had gain since being ill and its so easy.

Do make sure she doesn't use it for more then the 20 min a day to start with and then 20 min every other day or they can actually be harmful.

I now only do 10 min every second day, sometimes 3 days between using it.

Would not be without it.

tudlytops · 15-12-2009 02:13PM

sfag wrote: »

If your the kind of person that buys fitness equipment from infomercials in the middle of the night then go ahead.
Any fitness machine which requires you not to move is harly going to work??.
Try a wii fit instead. it wont work either but you can go snowboarding on it when you realise the fit game doesent work.

It works, but you still have to watch your diet, not like one can eat a sugary cake, jump on the machine and its all gone.

But they do work

thenightrider · 15-12-2009 02:22PM

The trouble i have is trying to get her to go out for a walk etc she say's she will do it if i help her but i dont like the cold lol and i have weight lifting gear in my shed so if im going to do any thing is to go out to the shed and use them

She no's if she works out she can not go mad eating but i think she needs something to get her start loseing the weight then id say she will start going for walk's

v300 · 15-12-2009 02:25PM

I hated the cold and feared the Irish winters for many years
until I got up the gumption to buy and wear a pair of
thermal undertrousers.

They will do wonders for anyone's ability
to withstand the Irish cold and wind.

Bodysmart · 15-12-2009 03:45PM

thenightrider -

I run a PowerPlate training studio in Grand Canal Square. Perhaps I can help you.

There is no actual problem with vibration training itself, but rather with all the people jumping on the bandwagon. Ever since celebrities have begun advocating the Power Plate, several companies have released their own vibrating machines, in an attempt to capitalise on the growing demand for Power Plates.

A Power Plate costs in the region of €8,000, which is way beyond the budget of the average person, especially in this recession. So there are many vibration machines on the market which target those who can’t afford a Power Plate. Such machines are available for as little as €250. Unfortunately, they are very poor quality.

As with anything in life, you get what you pay for. You wouldn’t get an X-Ray using a machine which cost only €250. So why expect to get the most out of vibration training using a cheap, poorly designed machine? A Power Plate is a serious piece of scientific equipment which costs so much for a reason. You simply cannot replicate what it does with a cheap and inferior copy of it.

Hope that helps

Paul

If you would like to try out a Powerplate for yourself, pm me and I'll organise a free session for the 2 of you. We train people from all fitness levels (sedentary to athletes) so no matter how fit or unfit you are, you'll get a great workout.

aye · 15-12-2009 03:59PM

thenightrider wrote: »

The trouble i have is trying to get her to go out for a walk etc she say's she will do it if i help her but i dont like the cold lol and i have weight lifting gear in my shed so if im going to do any thing is to go out to the shed and use them

She no's if she works out she can not go mad eating but i think she needs something to get her start loseing the weight then id say she will start going for walk's

Go for a walk with her, you can't tell her to do something if you're not willing to do it!

Why could you not just do some weights with her?

Oryx · 15-12-2009 04:08PM

v300 wrote: »

but the benefits of a good walk may be better...:D

With this being a thread all about vibrations, I misread the above. I need to get my mind out of the gutter.:)

nightrider, has your gf actually said she is interested in a powerplate? Or is this all your idea? If its only your inspiration, I'd tend towards something else in the fitness range. A bike or xtrainer, or membership of a class (yoga, spinning, not a gym). I tried a cheap version of a powerplate and didnt like it at all.

I have a friend who swears by her vibration trainer, says its great for toning, but to be honest, shes not a small girl, so might not be ideal for weight loss. She gets what she wants from it but it might not suit everyone.

onemanband · 15-12-2009 04:20PM

thenightrider wrote: »

Looking at geting this for the girlfriend for christmas http://www.irishsportsdirect.ie/catalog/vibration-plates/crazy-fit-massage-pro-500w?cPath=105

Are they any good and would this one be a good one i have no idea about them and dont want to spend this kind of money on something that wont be any good

Thanks

Hi, know nothing about vibration plates but CDiscount in Dundalk have a Horizon Merit 1000 which they claim is at half price in their sale. Price is €349. Cheapest I can find online is £680 sterling for same.

http://www.fitnessmegastore.co.uk/fitness-equipment-14/vibration-plates-27/horizon-fitness-vibration-15840.htm?gclid=CP3N6sDr2J4CFYIA4wodfURKpw

rubadub · 15-12-2009 04:38PM

v300 wrote: »

I hated the cold and feared the Irish winters for many years
until I got up the gumption to buy and wear a pair of
thermal undertrousers.

The cold just allows you to go faster to stay warm! I cycle to work and have a sweatshirt on at the start, no jacket, and am down to a t-shirt after 10-15mins cycling, still arrive sweating on days like today, while all the smokers are lined up outside wrapped up like eskimos & looking on in disbelief.

The cheaper ones are meant to be pretty useless as mentioned above.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_body_vibration

When you get to be at the price of a good one I would sooner get a full home gym and decent bike & runners instead.

Bodysmart · 15-12-2009 07:11PM

v300 wrote: »

They are quite good, but are MAINLY for people who can't walk

I presume you're talking about Multiple Sclerosis sufferers, right? Our branch at Mount Merrion has very strong medical links and are getting fantastic results with M.S. sufferers.

At the same time, the same branch trains many athletes including triathletes, squash and rugby players.

In the same way that a dumbbell can be used by anyone from a couch potato to an elite athlete, the same applies to a Powerplate. You wouldn't say that dumbbells are mainly for bodybuilders. They're for everyone.

With regular strength training, you generate more force by increasing the mass (increasing the amount of weight lifted). With Powerplate training, we generate more force by increasing the amount of acceleration (increasing the intensity of the vibration, e.g. 30Hz up to 40Hz). This means more muscle contractions per minute - usually between 25 and 50.

It's also important to not that we can generate even more force by increasing both the acceleration AND the mass by having the client lifting/holding weights (db, bb or kettlebell) during the static and dynamic exercises. This is what we do with athletes and it's very, very tough. For the vast majority of people, using their bodyweight as the "mass" is more than enough for a great workout.

v300 wrote: »

or are suffering from Osteoporosis

All people will lose muscle (and with it, bone density) past the age of approximately 30 unless they do some form of regular strength training. You want to be doing this BEFORE you develop either osteopernia or the more serious condition of osteoporosis.

What works to reverse it also works to prevent it in the first place. Therefore, it's not just for people who are already suffering from low bone density. Powerplate training, much like conventional strength training, is for adults of all ages.

v300 wrote: »

or lost bone density on their last
Shuttle mission hence the NASA endorsement of these devices.

NASA were actually very late to realise the benefits of vibration training. If they'd know about it earlier, they'd possibily have saved themselves billions and billions of dollars in mission costs.

The Soviet Space Program were using vibration training a full 40 years ago to train their cosmonauts. As a result, the Russians were able to set a record of more than 420 days in Outer space. The American astronauts, who trained using conventional fitness equipment, were forced to abandon their mission after just 120 days due to bone and muscle degeneration.

v300 wrote: »

They have gone mainstream in the last few years

v300 wrote: »

They've gone mainstream mainly due to the fact that celebrities like Madonna, Heidi Klum, Courteney Cox and both Kylie and Danni Minogue use them.

However, Russia’s top athletes were quick to adopt vibration training into their training regime following the results obtained by the cosmonauts. No-one outside of Russia really knew of the benefits for athletes until 1999 when Marcel Tamminga, a Dutch designer and inventor, demonstrated how it could be used to help improve athletic performance amongst top athletes.

You can see a list of the professional sports teams who use it, as well as a number of testimonials from both elite athletes and top coaches->

http://ca.powerplate.com/EN/benefits/high_profile_users.aspx

http://ca.powerplate.com/EN/benefits/testimonials.aspx

Paul

tudlytops · 15-12-2009 08:25PM

Bodysmart wrote: »

thenightrider -

I run a PowerPlate training studio in Grand Canal Square. Perhaps I can help you.

There is no actual problem with vibration training itself, but rather with all the people jumping on the bandwagon. Ever since celebrities have begun advocating the Power Plate, several companies have released their own vibrating machines, in an attempt to capitalise on the growing demand for Power Plates.

A Power Plate costs in the region of €8,000, which is way beyond the budget of the average person, especially in this recession. So there are many vibration machines on the market which target those who can’t afford a Power Plate. Such machines are available for as little as €250. Unfortunately, they are very poor quality.

As with anything in life, you get what you pay for. You wouldn’t get an X-Ray using a machine which cost only €250. So why expect to get the most out of vibration training using a cheap, poorly designed machine? A Power Plate is a serious piece of scientific equipment which costs so much for a reason. You simply cannot replicate what it does with a cheap and inferior copy of it.

Hope that helps

Paul

If you would like to try out a Powerplate for yourself, pm me and I'll organise a free session for the 2 of you. We train people from all fitness levels (sedentary to athletes) so no matter how fit or unfit you are, you'll get a great workout.

There is nothing wrong with the cheaper ones, this just sounded like a sales pitch.

Mine cost just over €300 and it's fantastic.:)

Bodysmart · 15-12-2009 09:14PM

tudlytops wrote: »

There is nothing wrong with the cheaper ones, this just sounded like a sales pitch.

Mine cost just over €300 and it's fantastic.:)

tudlytops wrote: »

We bough the one in Argos [IMG]file:///C:/Users/TUDLYT%7E1/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.png[/IMG]like this one

http://www.vibra-trim.net/images/intro v2.jpg

at my doctors advice because i can't exercise much.

It's big but small enough to go under a bed

You're comparing a piece of cheap home fitness equipment which you tuck under your bed with a powerful machine which weighs over 158kg.

It actually sounds like its your doctor who gave you a sales pitch.

Why would you take fitness advice from a doctor anyway?

tudlytops · 15-12-2009 09:46PM

Bodysmart wrote: »

You're comparing a piece of cheap home fitness equipment which you tuck under your bed with a powerful machine which weighs over 158kg.

It actually sounds like its your doctor who gave you a sales pitch.

Why would you take fitness advice from a doctor anyway?

Because his my consultant in Croom hospital, but if you think you know better.....

And he didn't sell this one to me, I asked him about a nr of different ones and he suggested 1 or 2, choice was mine.

this one weighs less, does the some thing and it costs a lot less in the long run, And if it works, it works.

Why does everything have to be done at a gym, when plenty can be done at home.

Bodysmart · 15-12-2009 10:07PM

tudlytops wrote: »

Because his my consultant in Croom hospital, but if you think you know better.....

I asked because I was curious. Personally, I would be as likely to take fitness advice from a doctor as I would medical advice from a personal trainer. Maybe that's just me though.......

tudlytops wrote: »

Why does everything have to be done at a gym, when plenty can be done at home.

Plenty can indeed be done at home, including very effective bodyweight exercises that cost absolutely nothing at all.

Check out http://rosstraining.com/blog/ - he has some great ideas for training in the comfort of your own home.

Enjoy,

Paul

brianblaze · 15-12-2009 10:41PM

Bodysmart wrote: »

I asked because I was curious. Personally, I would be as likely to take fitness advice from a doctor as I would medical advice from a personal trainer. Maybe that's just me though.......

+1

It's an entirely different animal altogether.

Bodysmart · 15-12-2009 10:53PM

I've actually had quite a few doctors as personal training clients over the last 11 years and have been shocked by their lack of knowledge about even the most basic things, especially in terms of nutrition.

For some reason, I automatically expected them to know what foods were good sources of protein, essential fats etc and was taken aback when they'd ask me such questions.

But when you think about it, why would they know any more about nutrition than the average person? They study disease and how to treat it, not fitness and nutrition.

Like you say, it's an entirely different animal altogether!

kumate_champ07 · 16-12-2009 03:51AM

how about getting her a new bicycle and rain gear?

randomguy88 · 16-12-2009 03:52AM

I am truly astonished that nobody has made a joke about the thread title yet.

Transform · 16-12-2009 08:07AM

randomguy88 wrote: »

I am truly astonished that nobody has made a joke about the thread title yet.

yes i was waiting for that one also!

Bodysmart · 16-12-2009 10:02AM

randomguy88 wrote: »

I am truly astonished that nobody has made a joke about the thread title yet.

Check the first reply!

As if happens, the manager of Ann Summers on O'Connell Street joined BodySmart last week. I took her for her free trial.

Right before she was about to start the first exercise on the Power Plate, I mentioned that she might be familiar with the following sound. With that, I started the machine.

Much hilarity ensued!

Naos · 16-12-2009 04:18PM

I don't want to turn this into a PI, but by the sound of it, your girlfriend just wants your company man.

She didn't use the gym because she had no one to go with.
She won't go on a walk unless you go with her.

Look, I know us men are terrible at getting hints but this if fairly obvious. What to buy her: Get her a decent pair of asics & some warm clothes and while you're at it, buy yourself a pair too.

Get out there walking together, turn this into jogging and maybe even ask her to join you for some weight training sessions.

You get the benefit of a happier, fitter girlfriend who is enjoying that you are spending time with her which results in less arguements of "You're always with your mates, why not make time for me?" etc.

She can also brag to her mates that you two do all this exercise/spending time together, resulting in her mates telling her you're a brilliant boyfriend that you'd choose to do that with her (when you'd be doing it anyway) over spending time lazing in front of the tv/drinking in pub with your mates like their boyfriends (extreme examples) = rise in social status.

And to top it all off, her being fitter will, in general increase her confidence and thus she'd be more likely to keep the light on :P

This really is a win:win situation for you champ.

BobbyOLeary · 16-12-2009 05:00PM

Bodysmart wrote: »

They study disease and how to treat it, not fitness and nutrition.

Obesity and an inability to exercise IS a disease. Doctors, of a consultant grade, are exceptionally well trained to make sick people better. You've no idea of this woman's medical situation so don't try and make her feel bad for not using your €8000 NASA approved machine.

Doctors are not trained to make healthy people healthier, it always amazes me when people give out that doctors can't do that. Go to a nutritionist or a S&C coach for that.

Oh and personally I think this whole power plate thing is a crock. People (male and female) have gotten exceptionally fit and strong through nothing more than using their bodyweight, barbells and willpower. OP, your GF would be much better suited to giving both those things a go before hopping on a wobbly plate.

Naos · 16-12-2009 09:25PM

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

Obesity and an inability to exercise IS a disease.

The sooner people stop calling these issues a disease and start accepting responsibility the better.

flywheel · 16-12-2009 09:58PM

thenightrider wrote: »

Looking at geting this for the girlfriend for christmas http://www.irishsportsdirect.ie/catalog/vibration-plates/crazy-fit-massage-pro-500w?cPath=105

Are they any good and would this one be a good one i have no idea about them and dont want to spend this kind of money on something that wont be any good

The information for the device you linked to just seems to talk about it being used for mainly for massage / relaxation... however the idea that it "melts away body fat" by itself... i'd be concerned by that statement. These devices can be used as one element of an overall fitness plan / regimen but they are not a one stop solution for body fat reduction...

First off, there are a fair few contraindicators (medical issues) that would make the device unsuitable for use by some people with those... definately something to check out before buying / using one...

Frequency (Hz), Amplitude (m) and exposure Time (s) of the vibrations produced are what provide the 'training effect' (e.g. strength, flexibility, recovery/massage) of these devices... so you also have to trust that a version / model produces a safe level of exposure... occupational vibration at unsafe levels is a Health and Safety issue in the workplace where Whole Body or Segmental exposure can cause health concerns...

I'd have used an i.Tonic in the past for post workout recovery and working on flexibility and found it beneficial... have also used it for what they term 'integrated sessions' where you use it to peform an exercise then perform the same exercise off the device with resistance (e.g. a squat) and it can deliver an intensive session...

this artice is an interesting read for anyone who is looking for some well presented information on Whole Body Vibration (WBV) Training:
Good Vibrations - (Chartered Society of Physiotherapy UK)

BobbyOLeary · 17-12-2009 12:40PM

Naos wrote: »

The sooner people stop calling these issues a disease and start accepting responsibility the better.

Calling something a disease doesn't excuse people. My point was that severe obesity that results in a persons inability to exercise IS a disease that requires medical attention.

Of course you can sit there behind a keyboard and just give fat people grief, they'll probably just magically get better. Curing yourself of a disease is not just down to getting some drugs or a surgery. You've got to take responsibility for your recovery and work at it, any doctor will tell you that. But if you just want to abuse fat folk and take my point up completely wrong then you're free to do that too.

Bodysmart · 17-12-2009 05:49PM

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

Obesity and an inability to exercise IS a disease.

Even assuming that “severe obesity” is a disease, then the “cure” is not in the form of any exercise recommendation.

That’s a separate thread discussion by itself and I’d be interested in hearing the opinions about it from others from the forum.

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

Doctors, of a consultant grade, are exceptionally well trained to make sick people better.

I didn’t say they weren’t well-trained to make sick people better. I simply questioned their credentials when it comes to giving fitness and nutrition recommendations, neither of which they study when studying to become doctors or indeed consultants. In the same way, fitness professionals, no matter how qualified they are in their own field, are not qualified to give medical advice or recommendations.

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

You've no idea of this woman's medical situation

Neither do you.

Let’s imagine, however, that she has suffers from the “disease” that is “severe obesity” which you refer to in your posts.

In that case, vibration training would be amongst the very LAST things she should have been recommended.

Here’s why:

The principle by which vibration training works lies in the Newton’s Law of Motion -> the force of an object is equal to its mass multiplied by acceleration (f = m x a)

In vibration training, the mass is the person’s bodyweight and the Power Plate provides the acceleration. This means that the heavier the person is, the tougher it is. This is why the heavily-muscled rugby players we train at BodySmart find our classes so tough. While they are fit and very strong, their bodyweight works against them, making the bodyweight exercises much tougher for them than for their lighter teammates.

Even if you used the lowest acceleration setting on the Powerplate, the bodyweight of a severely obese person, together with the fact that they would most likely be weak and unfit, would result in even the easiest Power Plate exercises being way too difficult for them. It'd be similar to a fitness instructor recommending that same severely obese person do chin-ups, dips and press-ups. Not the right approach

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

Doctors are not trained to make healthy people healthier. It always amazes me when people give out that doctors can't do that. Go to a nutritionist or a S&C coach for that.

If you believe this, do you then believe in that case that the consultant should have referred the patient to a nutritionist or a S&C coach, rather than giving their own fitness recommendation?

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

Oh and personally I think this whole power plate thing is a crock.

Out of curiosity, have you ever even done a Power Plate workout?

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

People (male and female) have gotten exceptionally fit and strong through nothing more than using their bodyweight, barbells and willpower.

People got exceptionally fit and strong in the past before the use of barbells.

[In the exact same way that a barbell is just a tool to be used to increase strength and fitness, so is a Power Plate. It’s not meant to replace anything that’s been used to before, but rather to add to the number of training methods available. Likewise, it’s not meant to replace other recognized methods of training. Many of our members combine their Power Plate training with other methods like regular strength training, 4X4 training and Crossfit.

The most common misconception about Power Plate training is that it's easy. While that might influence people to therefore check it out, nothing could be further from the truth.

Our trainers at BodySmart include Dave Hedges from Wild Geese MMA (http://www.wildgeesema.com) and Dragos Rudisteanu, 7-times National Rowing Champion and Member of the Romanian Olympic Rowing Team. They are two of the fittest guys you’ll ever meet and their classes for advanced athletes are brutally hard. Do one of their workouts and I guarantee you’ll reconsider your opinion about Power Plate training.

Cheers,

Paul

BobbyOLeary · 17-12-2009 06:14PM

Bodysmart wrote: »

The principle by which vibration training works lies in the Newton’s Law of Motion -> the force of an object is equal to its mass multiplied by acceleration (f = m x a)

In vibration training, the mass is the person’s bodyweight and the Power Plate provides the acceleration. This means that the heavier the person is, the tougher it is. This is why the heavily-muscled rugby players we train at BodySmart find our classes so tough. While they are fit and very strong, their bodyweight works against them, making the bodyweight exercises much tougher for them than for their lighter teammates.

Newton's 2nd Law of motion is the basis for a lot of things in the world today. Exercise physics is a bit beyond F=ma though, just a little.

I've nothing against your power plate training, we live in a capitalist economy. If you want to sell something and people are willing to buy it I'm happy for you. What I do have against you is putting across a point when you know nothing of the woman's medical situation. If you don't know what's going on with her then don't comment on it, neither you nor I are trained to. Similarly, bad mouthing something her doctor prescribed for her is simply bad form, both professionally and socially.

Oh and the previous experiences of your trainers mean very little to me, nor should they mean much to anyone. I don't care if someone was an olympic rower or not, that isn't going to convince me that the product they're peddling is good. For a flippant example of my point; George Foreman endorses his lean mean grilling machine. This is an excellent product regardless of whether George Foreman endorses it or not. Similarly, power plates, imo, are a waste of your money regardless of who endorses them. There's some snazzy latin name for that type of logical error when making an argument but I can't for the life of me remember it.

Bodysmart · 17-12-2009 07:31PM

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

Exercise physics is a bit beyond F=ma though, just a little.

Pick up any book on biomechanics and you'll find out the many different applications of how Newton's second law of motion applies to exercise and how its still used today to help athletes make new biomechanical improvements.

Please tell me how exercise physics has moved "a bit beyond" this law. Please back up your sweeping statements with some examples.

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

I've nothing against your power plate training.

Yes, you do ->

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

Oh and personally I think this whole power plate thing is a crock.

I'm perfectly happy with you contradicting me. This is a discussion board after all.

But if you're going to contradict yourself, then that's a different matter altogether!

King of Kings · 17-12-2009 07:52PM

i think they're great for stopping DOMS after a heavy leg session.

but I only found that out by taking the piss - hopping on and seeing if i could manage full throttle for 2 mins.

BobbyOLeary · 17-12-2009 08:04PM

Bodysmart wrote: »

Pick up any book on biomechanics and you'll find out the many different applications of how Newton's second law of motion applies to exercise and how its still used today to help athletes make new biomechanical improvements.

Please tell me how exercise physics has moved "a bit beyond" this law. Please back up your sweeping statements with some examples.

Yes, you do ->

I'm perfectly happy with you contradicting me. This is a discussion board after all.

But if you're going to contradict yourself, then that's a different matter altogether!

My bad, I meant to write "I've nothing against you peddling power plate training".

As for Newton's 2nd Law, yes it's the foundation for exercise physics, hell for physics in general. It's kind of hard to do anything in biomechanics without that old ditty. In the same vein, pick up any book on biomechanics and you'll see that it's a little more complex than just applying F=ma to every problem.

Vibration plate for the girlfriend

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