flabelos/powerplate vibration training thingy? any experiences?

[superv1xen]

tried posting this in chat the other week but it sank like a stone, no one knew anything about it :o

so thought i would try it in here, i have bought a course of sessions and i am 4 sessions into it, i think i am looking slightly more toned but not sure if its wishful thinking! the one i am using is called Flabelos but i have also heard them called Powerplate too.

basically you stand on a plate thingy which vibrates and moves around and you have to hold on and keep your balance. ten minutes on it is meant to be the equivalent of 1 hours workout. it seems too good to be true.

my friend recommended it, she has been doing it every day for about a month and swears by it, she says she has lost inches.

so i was wondering has anyone else tried it and if so, what kind of results have you had?

[allpassionspent]

Our local gym has 4 Powerplates and they are very popular.
I've been vibrating weekly for a few months now :) Do 30 mins at a time with some leg waving, dumb bell heaving, elastic band twanging etc to help things along. I think it's made a difference. It's also improved my balance - can now stand on one leg for more than 5 secs (useful when trying to get wellingtons off in a hurry)

[cheesesarnie]

alot of my friends used to do it.a few of them got cystitus.gp said it was connected!
ive not done it but before infections they all swore by it

[superv1xen]

cheesesarnie - how the hell did it give them cystitis?

[cheesesarnie]

no idea.all info on tinternet says it can be used to cure it.i'll text friend to see what go said.

[fiorentina]

I've changed gym but at my old gym they were popular with ladies who came to the gym in a full face of make up and seemed to use them to stand on and chat instead of exercise rather than as an addition to any other gym work. I do appreciate that comment sounds quite bitchy/judgey.

I used them for toning exercises in conjunction with using other machines at the gym and found them useful and probably beneficial that way. If you think they are working for you then that's the main thing.

[mosschops30]

Of course its too good to be true. How can standing on a vibrating plate be the same as a 1 hr workout (unless your workout consists of just standing there)
Its good for using in conjunction with certain exercises (lunges, tricep dips).
But if you think your gonna stand there a few times and shed 2 stone you'll be really disappointed.
Also the cystitis link is bollocks

[superv1xen]

i think the theory is it works your core as you are off balance. and because you are holding on to keep your balance and not fall off your muscles are tense and working .....hmmmm does sound like bollocks doesnt it :o

i don't want to lose weight anyway i am very slim, small size 8 but not toned, i just want to tone up with no effort dammit

[ChuckYouFarlie]

how does it cause cystitis??? Does all the shaking make your bladder sloosh about too much?

[DoubleDegreeStudent]

They do work for muscle tone! Fiorentina there's a powerplate studio near me that actually advertises them by saying that they are great because you don't need to change and you don't get sweaty...

A good thing to do on powerplates are the arm exercises (don't know if this flabelos thing has them) - there are ropes on the base and you hold the handles and do a bicep curl and hold it in place and your arms go. The best is to use them for doing a plank like <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=powerplate+plank&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1024&bih=509&tbm=isch&tbnid=dAbcMtajiAT3kM:&imgrefurl=www.julieseymour.co.uk/health-fitness-blog/2008/11/9/power-platepart-2.html&docid=XV2q9LSLziGMAM&w=345&h=350&ei=HfdYTuz8B4y98gPI6JClDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=149&vpy=80&dur=1313&hovh=226&hovw=223&tx=134&ty=114&page=1&tbnh=155&tbnw=153&start=0&ndsp=8&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">this.

I think you can lose inches on them just by toning up, but I don't think they work brilliantly for actual weight loss, if that makes sense...

[superv1xen]

doubledegree how do you know they work?

[DoubleDegreeStudent]

Not as such... I had a personal trainer for a bit [not a stealth boast, the gym messed membership up and it was an apology emoticon] and he did explain, but I was concentrating on not looking like a total tit at the time. I think it's something to do with the vibrations being destabilising, so your muscles have to work harder to do the same amount of work. So if you do a plank on a floor mat it uses x, y and z muscles but doing the same thing on a wobbly platform uses x, y and z muscles three times as much. Maybe. Sorry, that isn't much help...

My gym has a useful flick chart on the powerplates which shows the exercises you can do and which muscles they use. The first time I used one I did a normal session and then had ten minutes on the powerplate - the next day the muscles I had used powerplating were very achey (when normally they wouldn't be).

[bigkidsdidit]

I used to go to classes twice a week before I got pregnant and then too broke with childcare costs. I loved them! No they won't make you super fit alone but fab for toning I think combined with cardio. After about six weeks I had rock hard abs, anyway!

[CamillaSalander]

Just have a go. Your muscles will tell you whether they work or not. After a very short workout you can feel it.

[superv1xen]

oh i have had a go camilla i have had four sessions and as i say, i THINK i am more toned but not sure if its just hopeful wishful thinking :o

well i think i am going to carry on with it anyway. will report back after say, a month of using it and let you all know.....bet you all can't wait.... :o

[CamillaSalander]

I might be scared to see someone sooooo hard. I intend to keep it up this autumn, so yes, do post with impressive results - will keep me going...

[SerenaT28]

I know this is an old thread but I wondered if anyone had an update on the results on one of these machines?

I've been looking into getting one at home but the prices are so different- i'm overwhelmed!

Apparently Power plates and Flabelos are completely different things- Power Plates vibrate you in a buzzing way and Flabelos jiggle you from side to side. Gyms use power plates and salons use Flabelos. Flabelos you just stand and let the machine wobble you but with a power plate you carry out exercises on them.

I've seen a really similar machine to the Flabelos but for like a third of the price... I'm seriously tempted!

[24HourPARDyPerson]

That's funny about the cystitis link. I used a power plate before and wanted to get back to it. But I had a difficult birth 9 months ago and some ongoing pelvic floor issues, so I wonder would it be best to stay away?

[Viperidae]

My friend has one at her house so uses it twice a day and has really changed shape since she got it. She is quite a bit slimmer (could be due to the divorce diet too) but is much more toned and just a different shape somehow.

I offered to "babysit" the machine when she sells her house but she, very unreasonably, is insisting on only moving to somewhere that will accommodate it.

[mirry2]

I use the powerplate regularly and it really makes me sweat so I don't understand people whp say it is exercise without the sweating. I haven't noticed it doing me any good but I'm using it in combination with other machines so difficult to know

[suburbandweller]

I have this one and really like it - I looked at quite a few before buying this one based on the good reviews. You do need to use it regularly and I think it works best as part of a more general exercise regime, but the guide with it reckons using it alone about twice a day will work for weight loss. I use it for 10 mins at the start and 10 mins at the end of a workout, three times a week. I think it's making a real difference to my cellulite, which increased massively through pregnancy. I love the fact that you can use it without getting sweaty and without needing to turn the tv up to maximum volume!

[4lbsOfShiteInA2lbBag]

I did a few months of Powerplate training when I began a weight loss regime. 4-5 sessions a week (15 minutes at a time) with a 'trainer' who developed a programme of exercises incorporating aerobic exercise and weights. And I did sweat...buckets! I did lose weight but I was also being careful about what I ate so it wouldn't have all been down to the powerplate training. I found it a really good kickstart to exercise but after a few months I felt like I'd got as much as I could from it and joined a gym instead.

[dexter73]

I use a vibrogym powerplate at the gym. I certainly get sweaty when I use it and I do ache afterwards. I find it very good for toning. It isn't a substitute for a cardio workout. I don't know how much the ones people use at home cost but the one at my gym cost over £8000!

[JuliaScurr]

Good for MS as you don't need to move in order to exercise muscles, bit like Slendertone

[SerenaT28]

I'm taking the plunge and am going to get this one www.jtxfitness.com/vibration-plates/jtx-new-pro-10-vibrating-exercise-plate.html ... have read reviews that it's exactly the same as a power plate so will let you know how I get on. From what I understand (after weeks of research!) the tri-plane machines are the ones at David Lloyd and LA Fitness. Have been told I should be doing cardio too so will have to start saving for a treadmill next! Maybe next year...
Would still love to hear from anyone who's had success with a power plate/ tri plane vibration plate. I promise to remember to come back and update in a few weeks... when I look like Miranda Kerr!

[SerenaT28]

I promised I'd come back and report my findings!

Well, I got the JTX Pro 10 next day delivery in the silver (on 0% finance too). It looks, and is, amazing!

I've been using it every other day as recommended by the girl on the phone and I've already noticed my thighs, abs and bum have toned up! I can't say I'm losing 10lbs a week but I have definitely toned up and, it might be my imagination, but I feel like my horrible cellulite has gone a little bit too!... maybe I'll come back in 6 months and let you know how it went as it's pretty early days. But so far, I'm really, really happy! I went to David Lloyd as a guest with my sister and we went on the power plates and my sis couldn't believe it when I told her I had bought a better one at home for a 10th of the price! haha

Anyway, I hope this helps someone. There seems to be so little out there about these machines on the web.

S x