Acceleration
Training™ with Power Plate® machines creates instability in the human body, as
with each vibration the body is forced to perform reflexive muscle actions,
multiple times per second. Furthermore, these contractions must work in
multiple dimensions as the Power Plate® machines actually oscillate in all
three planes, exactly as the human body is designed to do. The net result is an
incredible improvement in force production, or strength and power.
The
principle by which Power Plate® machines work lies in the law of motion, stated
by Sir Isaac Newton: that the force of an object is equal to its mass
multiplied by acceleration, or f = m x a. What this means is that one can
improve functional force (stability, strength or power) by either applying more
mass or more acceleration to the body. Many forms of training and conditioning
use mass - as seen in methods with weight machines, free weights, etc. Power
Plate® machines, instead, use the second half of this equation, by applying
acceleration to the body, while keeping mass, i.e. your body weight, the same.
This
is a real breakthrough in training and conditioning as we can now optimally
“load” the human frame while minimizing high impact, high load, and high stress
factors. Gravity is the force that adds
load to the human body every second of every day for every movement we perform.
Through Acceleration Training™ exercise, Power Plate® machines make the body
feel as though it “weighs” more every time acceleration forces increase.
The
result is that you work against a far greater influence or “load” of gravity in
every movement you perform. This is the essence of all strength and
conditioning programs and Power Plate® machines simply use a different part of
the same equation to achieve this! In fact, the amazing outcomes seen with
Acceleration Training™ exercise respect the same biological and physiological
laws of the body as witnessed in other forms of training. The difference is
merely the nature of the stimulus applied (i.e. acceleration), and not the
human response.