While some skeptics may disregard the whole body vibration machines such as the Power Plate as simply a “fitness fad”, celebrities like Madonna and Shaquille O’Neal have used the machine as an added low impact [style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; color: #006699! important; font-family: verdana; position: static"]exercise to increase the effectiveness of their workouts. Machines such as the Power Plate are appealing for a number of reasons. The sessions are shorter than most other machines, it takes up very little space, and it is not hard on your joints like running. But many still wonder, “What is whole body vibration and how does it work?”

While the technology behind machines like the Power Plate may seem like a recent discovery, whole body vibration dates back to the time of the ancient Greeks who used it to speed up the healing process of injuries. A piece of cloth was wrapped around the injured body part on one end and tied to a flexible saw at the other, which would provide the vibrations. Though simple in its design, the ancient Greek method was similar to the [style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; color: #006699! important; font-family: verdana; position: static"]Health and Beauty Belt Massagers that have been around for decades. Famed physician and inventor John Harvey Kellogg also used mechanical vibrations in the late 19th century to treat patients with a variety of disorders.

The first to utilize whole body vibration in its most modern application was Russian scientist Vladimir Nazarov, using what he referred to as “Biomechanical Stimulation.” By using vibrations to stimulate movement of the muscles, the Russian Space Program found that they could keep their cosmonauts in space longer without worrying about the adverse affects it would have on their bones and muscles. Later, ballet dancers discovered that whole body vibration allowed them to recover from minor muscle injuries quicker. They also noticed increased muscle strength and jump height, leading many of Russia’s top Olympic athletes to adopt the same method of training. The integration of whole body vibration into their training program is credited with the success of the Russian Olympic team during the 1970s and 1980s.

Whole Body Vibration exercises muscles by creating instability in the user’s body. With each vibration, the muscles in the body are forced to perform reflexive, contracting muscle actions anywhere from 25 to 50 times per second. The contractions must work in multiple dimensions because vibrating plate machines oscillate on all three planes, much like the human body is designed to do. The end result is a tough workout in a fraction of the usual time, and a noticeable increase in overall strength and power.

Philc


Those were for practice.  Michigan players wear custom fit mouthpieces cast by the dental school.

WOLVERINE4EVER64


 i don't like all the red weights, they should paint them blue..

Philc


Those were for practice.  Michigan players wear custom fit mouthpieces cast by the dental school.

MaizeRageWolverine

Philc


Those were for practice.  Michigan players wear custom fit mouthpieces cast by the dental school.

Wow!  That's incredibly interesting.  So much for the old rubber ones you put in boiling water and mold it to your teeth.