Gravity Fx Fitness

Vibration training along with resistance exercises can provide increased bone mass to help prevent osteoporosis in women. A study published in 2004 in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research showed an increase in bone density at the hip, along with increased muscle strength and postural control in post-menopausal women.

Various studies have shown the ability of vibration training to build or maintain bone mass.  The study mentioned used a Power Plate vibration platform.

This type of training is not widely used in the United States but is more common in Europe.  Various sports teams and strength coaches have used these devices in the warm up and rehab of their athletes.

The platforms create reflex muscle contractions of between 25-50 times per second, depending on the frequency setting.  These multiple contractions can increase circulation, flexibility and enhance balance, while causing a positive hormonal release which can assist your metabolism to burn more fat.

It should go without saying, that you need to do resistance training in order to maintain bone density as you get older.  Use it or lose it applies to this, as well as muscle strength, which usually declines with age but even more so for those with sedentary lifestyles.

I’ve seen a positive change in bone mass while training a woman in her mid to late 60’s – my mother.  At age 63 she had a bone density test done and it said she had osteopenia, which is slight loss of bone mass.  She was given a prescription to help with this but she wasn’t able to tolerate it and stopped taking it after 10 days.

About two years later I started training her on the Power Plate, putting her in various static squat positions and doing bodyweight strength training off the platform, such as step ups and hip lifts (bridges) on a mat.   We did this twice a week for 4 months and she took her bone density test again.

This time her score had increased and I was slightly surprised that this occurred with this amount of training.  She stopped training and two years later her score had dropped again for the bone density test, which is not surprising.

Presently she has resumed training with me, doing the same type of workouts along with some time in the warm water pool to ease stress on her achy knees.  She has dropped 18 pounds in two months, which is pretty good at 68 years old.

She has a friend who recently tripped and broke her hip while carrying some items up a flight of stairs.  This woman is similar in age to my mother and not overweight.

The doctors told her that she could have stepped wrong off a curb and broken her hip, because her bone mass was so slight.  She didn’t just break a bone, she sheared it right off, leading to a hip replacement.

As someone who doesn’t have the best balance, has fallen before and has somewhat limited mobility, I am very happy with the progress my mother has made in the area of weight loss and she definitely needs to keep up with her exercise in order to minimize the risk of breaking her own hip in the future.

Different facilities around the country such as the Stand Strong clinics have adopted vibration training for this very reason – fall prevention.  Vibration platforms cause an increased accelerative force of gravity to go through the body.

For example, at 30 hertz in the low setting, there is 1.8 G occurring during the muscle contractions, which is almost double the force during normal bodyweight exercises.

They also help with balance by providing a slightly unstable surface to challenge your nervous system.  There are handles to hold for those who need additional stability.  Minimizing use of the handles will obviously translate to better balance training.

Single leg positions are also used for increased balance and strength training when appropriate for the individual.   Power Plate information.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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I recently injured my elbow due to my own ignorance (stupidity) and have learned a few valuable lessons.

Basically, I ignored my body’s own pain signals until it was too late and had no choice but to stop what I was doing and make some changes.  In my quest to be “lean and mean” at the age of 44, I tried pushing through pain, which is never a good thing!

Yes, you may definitely have to push your body past its comfort zone to achieve great physical feats, but the adage “no pain, no gain” is a bunch of crap that usually leaves you with loads of injuries down the road.

Specifically, two weeks ago, my right elbow was throbbing after I got done playing basketball for the first time in 10 or 12 years.  I don’t like taking anything if I don’t absolutely have to, but I ended up taking some Advil to reduce swelling and inflammation.

I’ve used icepacks and soaked it in a large pan of ice and water quite a bit, too.  I’ve had restricted movement at my shoulder and shoulderblade for a while, with some nasty triggerpoints in my levator scapula and rhomboids (upper and inner areas of shoulderblade).

My pecs and lats have also been tight and contained some triggerpoints (tight bands of muscle) that haven’t responded to self-massage with a massage ball or tennis ball.  These items plus a rolling massage tool like the Stick may be great for maintenance work, but don’t always replace the hands of a skilled massage therapist.

The result of the tightness and movement dysfunction (misalignment) in these areas puts unnecessary stress on my elbow and I also have some tight bands of muscle in my triceps.  Instead of taking the time to get some quality soft tissue work, I tried to work through it – BIG mistake!

I’ve been doing weighted pushups with a sandbag on my back and single arm kettlebell presses to try and increase my upper body size and strength.  My elbow didn’t want to fully straighten so I just ignored the discomfort and shortened the movement.

Playing basketball and all the overhead movements involved was the last straw.  Two weeks later, the elbow feels much better but is definitely not 100%.  Yesterday I did some upper body strength work and partial pushups with my bodyweight is all I can do for the pushing movements, except for static pushups on the Power Plate.

Its not quite ready for much eccentric work, but the vibration platform allows some static work without causing pain – keeping the stress to the elbow minimal but still providing some maintenance strengthening to occur.  The increased blood flow probably aids the healing process, also.

This minimal joint stress would probably benefit athletes during their competitive season – helping them maintain strength when combined with some resistance training.  So I talked to a massage therapist the other day who does some quality deep tissue work and we are going to exchange services.

The stretching I received at a recent continuing ed course helped quite a bit as well, but if I don’t get the proper massage work done, my problems will only get worse over time and keep me from achieving my goals of a lean, athletic physique.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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So you’re wondering how exactly vibration training can help you lose fat?

Simple, the vibrations create reflexive muscle contractions of about 30 contractions per second.  That’s a whole lot of contractions! You also use exercise positions that involve several muscles at the same time, allowing you to work almost all of your muscles in a single session.

This allows you to get more work done in a shorter amount of time – which is the secret to getting fit for those who have busy lives and not a lot of time to exercise.

In most all strength (resistance) training, you are exercising your muscles  (using dumbbells, weight machines, bodyweight exercises) against the resistance of gravity, the exception is when using elastic resistance bands.

Whole body vibration platforms such as the Power Plate, increases the force of gravity through your body while your muscles are contracting.  This stimulates your metabolism, increases bone density, and increases the circulation of testosterone and natural growth hormone, which plays a large part in maintaining lean muscle tissue.

Lean muscle tissue usually decreases with age, if you don’t do some type of resistance training.  Less muscle = slower metabolism!  So obviously you need to do some resistance training to keep from gaining weight.

I like to combine vibration training with different dumbbell exercises, sandbags, and flex band resistance bands.  So I will do a circuit, alternating from one upper body exercise to another, going from a pushing exercise to a pulling exercise.

I may do these in a circuit with lower body exercises to work all my muscles in one session, creating a fast, efficient workout that keeps my heart rate elevated the entire time.

This type of workout is the key to losing weight if you don’t have a lot of time to exercise.  Intense resistance training can boost your metabolism for up to 24 hours after you are done exercising!

Get moving!

Brian

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In light of Oprah’s much publicized weight gain, maybe she should follow the lead of fellow celebs like Madonna and Martha Stewart.

What am I referring to…….using whole body vibration training for a fast and efficient workout.  These vibration platforms, such as the Power Plate, are used by Heidi Klum, Hillary Swank, George Clooney, and Clint Eastwood, among others.

Already big in Europe, this cutting edge training device allows you to get a full body workout in 30 minutes or less.  They are being used in rehab and wellness clinics, healthclubs, and in athletic training centers, including use by professional and college athletes.

Ultimately, most of us, including Oprah have busy lives and limited amounts of time to exercise – which makes it difficult for most to stick with an exercise routine that requires several hours a week to get results.

These platforms send vibrations through your muscles, creating reflex muscle contractions that occur around 30 times per second, depending on the frequency setting.  These muscle contractions can increase strength and bone mass, as well as increasing your levels of fat burning hormones and increasing your circulation in the process.

Basically, these time efficient machines produce a number of fitness and wellness “effects.”

I’ve had mine for over a year and combine it with the use of dumbbells, resistance bands (flex bands), sandbags, and bodyweight exercises.  It can help with your flexibility and is a great warmup tool.  Clint Eastwood likes to use his before playing golf.

In fact, it is being used by several pro golfers and currently is available in the fitness van on the PGA tour.

But with a nation of aging Baby Boomers and ever expanding waist lines, its use as a fat loss and wellness tool may be its greatest potential.  For those who despise exercise, it offers the ability to get in a quick workout so that they can get on with life and doing things they enjoy.

I enjoy training and get restless if I don’t get enough movement in my day.  I realize however, that not everyone else shares my love of exercise, yet they still need the health and fitness benefits that are part of an active lifestyle.

For these people, vibration training might be the solution.

Get moving!

Brian

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