Shake Shake Shake and Exercise!! (Other Exercise and Classes)

Member Name: diamond_sparkles

Product:	Other Exercise and Classes
Date:	14/09/09 (37 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Can provide full body workout if used correctly

Disadvantages: Can also be quite boring after some time

Like I mentioned in my previous reviews, I really love working out. I don't think that there is something on earth that can really make you liberate yourself to your every sense and be rewarded with the high and restful feeling after a particular tough workout. This being said, i have to admit that sometimes life is really too busy for me to really be able to indulge in some energetic, time-consuming workouts. That is why I bought the Power Plate fitness machine. When my sister first told me about this particular machine, she told me that this is the miraculous machine where you just have to stand on it and let the machine do all the work.


Of course, I belong to the old school where exercise means sweating and tiring myself till I drop dead, and I was hence quite skeptic about it. But I went over to her place to give the machine a try, and boy, I was shocked! For those who are not familiar with it, the Power Plate is a vibrating machine. You stand on it, hold the handles, choose the speed and it starts vibrating like crazy, hence pushing your body in incredibly rapid left-right motions.


There are various brands and agencies that sell these vibrating plates and the speed will mainly depend on the brand. My machine goes up to 30, and trust me when I say that the first time I tried 30, I literally could sense my eyeballs move! I would recommend anyone to start slow and gradually build their way up, and of course, it would not hurt to consult a professional fitness coach before starting any workout! The agency that sold the machine to my sister claimed that 10 minutes on it was equal to one hour of gym but I sadly discovered that this was far from being true!


This does not, however, mean that this is not an efficient fitness machine. I have been using mine for five months now and I can really see the difference. The thing is that many experts, my gym instructor included, say that just standing on the machine does not work at all. In order for it to work, I was told that I have to actually perform certain exercises on it- sit ups, lunges, torso twists, squats, and my brother bravely manages to do some push ups on it! I have to say that I spent one month lazily standing on the machine and letting it sway me from side to side and I did manage to tone up, but very, very slightly.


In fact, I would say that standing on the machine was not unlike horseback riding to me. I figured out that if horseback riding can burn approximately two hundred calories per hour, one hour on the machine could maybe make me burn the same amount of calories. The sad truth, however, was that even if it does burn two hundred calories per hour, it gets intensely boring to just stand on a machine for sixty minutes.


When I finally decided to follow the instructions of my gym coach and perform some gentle stretches on the machine, I was really amazed by how quicker I toned up, in comparison to just standing on it. And it does get a lot less boring! My machine is of a different brand than my sister's and mine personally does not give wide enough space to perform some more complicated stretching exercises, but my sister's machine is wide enough, and has two rubber cords attached to the stands for extra exercises.


These machines, I believe, are relatively new on the market and are somewhat expensive. I managed to get mine at a discounted price thanks to a friend of mine but I would recommend them to anyone who has a hectic schedule. Merely standing on the machine will not work wonders but on these days where you happen to be really, really busy, standing on it for twenty minutes will actually get your body moving a little bit. Of course, it is more recommended to actually work out on it!


I believe that the power plates are available on ebay or amazon.uk, but I would personally recommend you to buy these from real, tangible shops where you can test it and asks all your questions before investing.


Thanks for reading!


(note: I am no doctor or fitness instructor and my review and recommendation are solely based on my own personal experience. Please consult medical/fitness training advice before starting any new workout)

Summary: Rather work out on it than just stand up