Leisure Industry Week (LIW) returned to Birmingham on 30 September to 2 October and Power Plate® showcased its latest integrated fitness concept, bringing fresh opportunities to trainers. Director of education at Performance Health Systems and member of the ViPR™ global education team, Steve Powell shares with FitPro a specifically created ViPR programme that demonstrates the philosophy of Loaded Movement Training combined with vibration training.
The Power Plate and ViPR format
Power Plate stimulates the body’s proprioceptive system (position sense) many times a second, eliciting very specific and purposeful reflex reactions in the body, described as ‘reflexive stabilisation’ to a dynamic environment. The tri-planar movement of the platform’s surface is a harmonic vibration wave that optimises the stimulus to the nervous system and not only increases muscle activation through a rapid reflex response but can also enhance motor learning and efficiency due to the repetitive nature of the stimulus.
Another way to think about this is that Power Plate becomes a different ‘environment’ on which to train and challenge the body, and this is where integrating with ViPR makes it a very unique training environment.
ViPR and the Loaded Movement Training concept is all about tilting, shifting and lifting ViPR in all angulations to challenge the body as an interconnected whole. As such, ViPR is often described as a ‘top down’ influence on the body, taking advantage of external forces such as gravity, ground reaction force (GRF), mass and momentum. When combined directly with Power Plate, which essentially is manipulating the ground (GRF) and increasing muscle activation, we are able to authentically and safely replicate how the body moves and responds to our natural environment in every-day life and sport.
The philosophy of Loaded Movement Training is a perfect fit with whole-body vibration training as, in order to optimise the benefits of Power Plate, individuals should perform movement-based, dynamic exercises within their own individual thresholds and ViPR is a fantastic tool to facilitate this.
The company has also attracted international attention for bioDensity™, the osteogenic loading system which provides a non-pharmaceutical approach to bone and muscle loss and has been scientifically linked to dramatic bone growth among populations ranging from high-performance athletes to health-compromised seniors.
For additional information and substantiating science on bioDensity as a safe, effective, comfortable and convenient approach to increasing bone mass, visit biodensity.com. The site also includes a list of wellness centres, medical groups and doctors’ offices around the world where bioDensity can be found.
Fitpro’s managing editor Fiona McAuslan and editorial assistant Olivia Hubbard take on the integrated fitness challenge.
An integrated ViPR and Power Plate workout
In this programme, we have specifically created a superset format to the workout, where an exercise using ViPR and Power Plate together will be followed by a locomotive pattern with ViPR on the ground. This integrated fitness workout should provide a great foundation for putting together endless supersets and movement combinations using both tools for all ages and abilities.
| Environment | Exercise | Duration | Power Plate settings |
| Movement preparation | |||
| Power Plate | Two-leg hamstring with multi-directional ViPR tilt | 30-45 seconds | 30 Hz Low |
| Power Plate | Squat with alternating foot positions and anterior ViPR tilt | 30-45 seconds | 30 Hz Low |
| Workout | Four supersets with maximum 30 seconds’ recovery after each pair of exercises | ||
| Power Plate | Squat thread the legs | 30-45 seconds | 30-35 Hz Low |
| Ground | Lateral shuffle with ViPR tilt | 30-45 seconds | 30-35 Hz Low |
| Power Plate | ViPR box pattern | 30-45 seconds | 30-35 Hz Low |
| Ground | Sagittal shuffle with ViPR tilt, lunge to squat | 30-45 seconds | 30-35 Hz Low |
| Power Plate | ViPR shovelling drill | 30-45 seconds each side | 30-35 Hz Low |
| Power Plate | Anterior step with ViPR uppercut | 30-45 seconds | 30-35 Hz Low |
| Power Plate | ViPR cylinder lift | 30-45 seconds | 30-35 Hz Low |
| Ground | ViPR ice-skaters | 30-45 seconds | 30-35 Hz Low |
| Recovery and regeneration | |||
| Ground | ViPR transverse plane lunge with thread the legs | 30-45 seconds | |
| Power Plate | Quad massage | 60 seconds | 35-40 Hz Low or High |
| Power Plate | Calf massage | 60 seconds | 35-40 Hz Low or High |
For more information, expert comment, images or the opportunity to try any of the Performance Health Systems products, contact:
www.powerplate.com / +44 20 7317 5000
