Thursday, 14 April 2011

My little experiment with power plates...



So I was asked by a fellow tweeter what I thought about power plates, and the honest truth was that they were asking about something I had never tried nor ever contemplated trying. This wasn’t for any particular reason I just usually beast myself into oblivion anyway and never thought about incorporating them into my workouts. Anyhu, when my fellow tweeter asked the question, I took it upon myself to make a little experiment out of this blog and give you the lowdown, through the loss of my Power Plates virginity, what I really thought!
The general theory behind the power plates is that the vibrations help to give the muscles a high speed workout, by encouraging them to contract and relax, while you complete your resistance, core and stretching routines.
My overall verdict: Yes I may use the power plates again from time to time.
The Power Plate Pro’s:
1.       For all you regular gym users, they’re a good way of mixing it up and using your body in different ways. Remember when it comes to fat burn and fitness, variety is crucial so that your muscles don’t become used to what you are doing.
2.       It feels funny.
3.       For those that aren’t used to using certain muscles (the majority of the population has forgotten how to use their glutes i.e. Your bum), it is a great way to reactivate muscles and get you used to the sensation of how those muscles feel when they are working out. Therefore, when you embrace the magnificent world that is free weights, you know exactly how those muscles should be feeling if you are doing a particular exercise on those muscles right.
4.       Again it’s a way of mixing it up, making the gym a bit more exciting and less tedious.
The Power Plate Con’s:
1.       I have seen many an advert, and heard many a conversation along the lines of “Power Plates are amazing, all you have to do is stand on them and they help you lose weight”. My response to this: “Na, don’t be stupid”. Exercise is still exercise and there are no quick fix, long term approaches to looking and feeling good. In order to get the most benefits out of Power Plates you need to have a well thought out, and structured programme to use.
2.       They made me feel a bit funky and I felt like I was literally buzzing for a while after.
3.       Power Plates alone will not help you drop body fat and tone up. Like all exercise it’s about having a good well balanced diet, lots of cardio and resistance training (some of which can be done on the Power Plates to add variety and new challenges to your workouts).
What I did on the Power Plates:
1.       A variety of squats including: sumo squats, prison squats and squat pulses.
2.       Calf Raises
3.       Tricep Dips
Overall I felt like I got a good mini workout as they were some good old school exercises that your body easily gets used to; so it made them a bit more challenging. However, as I have only ever used the Power Plates once I cannot comment on how effective I think they will be in the long run.
Power Plates ahoy!

1 comment:

  1. Simply by stepping on the bands and holding the handles in your hand you can bend that the waist keeping your legs straight and perform good mornings for your lower back or simply bend at the knees for some traditional deadlift exercises. Both provide an excellent core workout.

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