We’ve had many first-timers at the Vibra-Train studio where I work. I’m wondering if people are looking forward to summer and know that now is the time to improve their fitness and strength; and look great.

Last week’s customers all had questions about Vibration Training or they had specific desires, several wanting to only work out their upper body, telling me that they did a lot of running and that was all they thought they needed for their legs.

These customers are “the best” – they haven’t just come along because they’ve seen an TV advert for Vibration Training or an article in a magazine and come to try us out for a few visits, kind of like trying the latest flavour of icecream and then off to try some other fitness facility – they’ve come because they’ve already done some research or talked to a friend who’s getting great results – these are serious, long-term, new customers and they want their questions answered.

Those who are regularly walking or running need to understand how different Vibration Training is; how training on high-force, lineal machines builds muscle and is considered a form of resistance training whereas running is for cardio fitness. They soon realise that despite frequent running they must follow the full Safety Program to get the results.  If they vibration train regularly two or three times a week they soon be telling me how much easier their running is becoming because they’ll have increased their overall fitness; those who sprint get faster and those who walk or run longer distances find they have more stamina and don’t tire so soon.  An advantage runners and regular walkers have over other “newbies” is that their leg muscles are strong so they manage the squat positions very well.

I also enjoy travel – usually this is just a quick weekend away; an “escape” from home and work and all the stresses of daily life.  A two or three day weekend out of town is excellent for relaxation, for trying new activities, going to a show, or sightseeing.

Last weekend I was in Sydney where I went to a show, “West Side Story”, and did some shopping.  It wasn’t really a rest travelling from Auckland early Saturday and back Sunday night but it was a very much needed break.

So where do Vibration Machines feature in my short weekends away?

There’s the increased fitness and strength to power me through up to 24 hours from when I get up at 3am until I get to bed in Sydney the following night.  With a two hour time difference and lots to do and see I can be active for a very long time with my only rests being the waiting time at Auckland International Airport and onboard the aircraft for three hours.  Once I arrive it’s all go!

The Vibration Training benefit I appreciate the most when I travel is that of increased circulation. I try to train immediately before I travel, at least the afternoon before.  Then I can sit for long periods of time without discomfort in my legs and my risk of d.v.t. is decreased.  I try to stand up at least once during a 3 1/2 hour flight but having a window seat can prevent this; it’s easier to stay put than clamber over two other people to stand.

If I have travelled over three hours by car or aircraft my first stop apon arrival is the local Vibra-Train or VibroGym Vibration Training Studio.  There I work through the Safety Program which again gets my blood circulation stimulated and my mind alert and ready to go (Shopping !)

Unfortunately The Vibra-Train studio in Sydney is too far out of town to visit on a weekend trip and there’s no alternative.  I hope that one day we’ll see High-Force, Lineal Vibration Machines available for use at Airports with Instructors to guide travellers through the session.  Premium Speed Pivotal machines would also be useful as they can be used to mimic the natural walking gait and relieve the backache that comes with long periods of immobility.

So here’s a business idea that someone might want to run with – a Vibration Training Studio within an airport complex – There’s certainly enough people about to make it commercially viable if the owners do the setup right and provide suitably experienced Instructors to work with customers.

Yes, you’ve read the title right.

Others have seen adverts on TV, on internet or in magazines.  Some come in commenting that they have bought “as seen on TV” fitness equipment before and it now sits in the spare room or a corner of the lounge unused except as an extra clothes hanger.  I assure them, we don’t sell home machines; we have very powerful commercial grade platforms in our studios where they will receive completely supervised training.

Sometimes people come in to try a studio machine before they consider buying a home model they’ve seen elsewhere.  I am able to give them a “no-sales talk ” free, trial session and also tell them of websites and people to talk to about their choice of home machine or continued studio sessions.

Where does “Lazy Women” come into this?

Some newcomers who have read about vibration training in magazines or on internet and specifically about PowerPlate brand have seen advertising which says, ” a revolution in health, anti-aging and beauty, a new way to receive health, strength and physical well-being, a wakeup call for your body and soul, 30 vibrations a second”  or “I lost 4 dress sizes in just 21 days”. It sounds so easy and many of these new customers are looking for a quick fix, no effort, easy answer to their lack of fitness or weight woes and they are genuinely shocked at how hard it is to hold perfect position on Vibra-Train machines for 60 seconds, not the wimpy 30 seconds on low force, plastic machines that some other companies offer.

There’s good reason for the program to be intense and hard work.

Vibra-Train machines are high force lineal platforms that cause a strong muscle response.  It must be this way to give the results that people want to see; toning, fitness, muscle build that supports the bones, fat-loss, and more.

We don’t have an option for people who want it easy!

So, why have I labelled this post ” Lazy Women” ?

A suprisingly high number of newcomers this Spring expect vibration training to be easy and simply dont continue coming when pushed to hold positions correctly.  Some complain that it’s too hard and continue expecting an easier option even after the physiology of  strength and muscle build is explained to them.  Maybe they were misled by false advertising of some other vibration companies but the biggest reason is pure laziness. Some women are mentally as well as physically weak and no amount of cajoling or presenting them with the truth that their lack of activity is going to seriously endanger their lives, makes a scrap of difference.  I can’t help these people.

In Vibration Training as in all fitness and sports – No Pain, No Gain – is the truth and it’s those who work hard that see great results.

Vibra-Train, Vibration Training Studios are in Auckland and throughout New Zealand.  Also in Perth and Townsville in Australia, and Bedfordshire, U.K.
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Starting six months ago, soon after I began working for Vibra-Train, this customer initially had exciting results.  She had a specific goal; fat-loss and toning, with increased overall strength and she found that vibration training, specifically using Vibra-Train lineal machines, really worked for her.  I looked forward to her studio visits and helping her train hard.

We’d chat about nutrition somedays and I often had to encourage her to eat more, not less, and help her understand that weightloss would not occur in a starvation situation, there being a huge difference in how the human body copes with calorie deficit compared with real calorie deficiency which was what she was doing and so causing her body to protect itself  by laying down fat stores rather than releasing fat to be used as part of her workout energy source.  All too often her energy “batteries” were empty.  But as we progressed this customer, who I’ll call Sue, gained strength, lost fat and a few dress sizes.  She told me how she was wearing designer jeans that she’d kept due to their cost but hadn’t been able to fit for three years.

A vacation with lots of eating-out and the long, hard winter in New Zealand bumped up Sue’s weight a little and she was expecting vibration training, which she’d kept on with three times a week except during her vacation time, to deal with it and get her back on-track and slimmed down for summer.  She wanted a body that would look amazing on the beach and she’d was working well toward it, restricting her calorie intake and occaisionally taking a walk.

So what was going wrong ???

Sue had progressed so well in her ability to do the program that she did it alone while I instructed less able or newer customers.  She was supervised though, as are all our customers, and I corrected her positions occaisionally.  I also noticed that she’d dropped down to the level 2 machines whereas

she’d been using a higher level, and she was doing only the basic program, which is enough for most people, but as she’d pushed herself harder earlier in the year and was holding perfect positions we’d advanced to a higher force machine and also added in a few repeat positions to give her an edge on faster fitness and toning.  Sue had told me the highest level machine (Level 5 Sports model) gave her some pain in an old injury so she prefered the lesser force, levels 2 or 3.

Sue was adamant that vibration training was not working anymore for her.  I talked with Lloyd about her concerns and he reminded me that, for women, hormones play a part in setting our body shape and also asked if Sue was “mixing up” her training by varying the level of machines she was using rather than the same all the time.

I got Sue to do a Body Composition Analysis on our studio BCA machine and, while most results were acceptable, her body fat percentage was high and her resting metabolic rate was low.  Somehow we needed to give her metabolism a “kick-start”.

Sue is now pushing herself very much harder in her training sessions.  She’s using a level 5 Sports machine, not the one that aggravated her old shoulder injury but one that has a very smooth feel, high force with low amplitude.  She’s doubled up on the time spent on some positions, from 60 seconds to 120 seconds.  She’s looking at her diet, and I still advise her to eat more not less as I’m sure that’s the biggest factor in her lack of progress; it’s not how much she eats but learning to eat foods that will give muscle growth and burn calories.  Sue has also started doing water aerobics and so added cardio exercise to her fitness routine.

For Sue, vibration training is definitely playing a part in improving her strength and fitness, she readily says this.  It’s giving her the stamina to take on other activities and now that she’s increased the effort she’s putting into her training I’m confident she will see the results she wants.

It’s important to note that while results are individual I can guarantee muscle growth if a person makes the effort to seriously train three times a week (it can’t work for lazy people!).  Strong muscles support the bones and give great shape to the body, while also increasing the rate of calorie use.  Unless sabotaged by an inadequate diet or overindulgence the body shape changes; slim people gain a healthy look while larger people slim down.  The only other variable is the quality of the vibration machine and with the ones at the studio where I work, there’s no question as they’re the best!

Regardless of the reasons for coming to Vibra-Train there’s a secondary motive that makes a difference to results attained.  That motive is basically how much the person is prepared to push themselves (how much effort they will make) and how compliant they are to instructions.

As I’ve written in previous articles getting into and remaining in Perfect Position is non-negotiable.  We have ways to make it simpler for customers who really have difficulty and for those who just wont do it right, they also have to take those options.  The alternative positions, if you can call them that as really they are not alternative by customer choice but by necessity, are mostly used when a customer has an injury or disability.  In most instances they don’t make the particular position easier they just add to stability and ability to hold Perfect Position, such as by using side handlebars the arms are able to take some of the pressure off the legs and hips when doing a Squat Position.

Some customers have a mindset that sees them come in for their sessions and then do everything possible to make it easy or do as little as they can.  They obviously believe that vibration training is beneficial to them but they make minimal effort.  Just getting to the studio seems to fulfil their desire for training.  This may sound a little unfair but I see this happen most days of the week.  I can relate to it too as I sometimes feel like this when I go to the Gym, making the effort to get there, then after a short session on the exercycle and maybe a few weights machines I head to the sauna rather than complete my workout.  It’s not like this everytime though as I like to push myself to extreme limit and again I see this at the Vibra-Train studio as customers have days they really want to train and other days they feel lethargic.  This is normal; none of us feel in top form mentally and physically every day.

I see differences in motivation though.  There’s the type of  person who always takes short cuts and tries to cheat by pulling out of position as soon as it “hurts” and there’s the type that pushes through, stronger willed, knowing that the short period of intense muscle contraction or pain is, just that, short; only lasting maybe 30 seconds and usually less.  These people see amazing results in a short time period and continue to make gains.  The others do get results but it takes longer and they are more likely to settle for less, until the day comes when they talk to an instructor and ask why they have stopped improving, or they stop coming in because “it just isn’t working for them” and they go off to try another way to “get maximum gain for minimal effort”.

Vibration Training is hard work.  The results are worth the effort!

This is a comonly asked question.  In fact it’s often one of the first questions people ask when they come for their first Vibra-Train session.

The answer depends on a few factors.

The first and main determining factor is the machine that will be used.  Then next is the program.  But let’s step back a little; It’s important to ask the customer what results they want to see.  Only then can I give an honest answer.  A very overweight guy who wants to see a six-pack by next week is simply dreaming!  Likewise the runner who’s worn her body down with overtraining and wants to regain fitness before her next event, two weeks hence.  She will see some improvement but there’s no miracle cure.

Now back to the machine being used. For muscle growth to take place the customer must use a high energy, lineal machine.  Other results are possible on lower level machines and these include  fitness gains and some weightloss. Sometimes movement is added in to the program when using a machine that has less intense force than the ones at Vibra-Train where I work.  The program for my own training uses relaxed, static (non-movement) position only.  It is short and intense, consisting of mostly 60 second positions that work out the whole body, and it’s exactly the same program of exercises that all Vibra-Train customers use.

The next factor that makes or breaks it for customers is being in perfect position.  This is non-negotiable so the widest part of muscle is targetted in each position but still customers complain and try to cheat. 

Vibra-Train has a mantra, “But it’s hard will not be taken as a valid excuse for being out of position”.

Vibration Training is hard, there’s no question about that.  Those that cant or wont hold perfect position have other options; they can use the vibra machine with side handlebars to help support their squat position in exactly 110 degrees or is they are unable to do this they can sit in a chair (or wheelchair) and place their feet on the side of the machine, where again their knee angle is 110 degrees.   There are no grey areas on this, a person is either in position or not.  Of course starting in right position is one thing but maintaining it is another as the body does try to pull away from the machine.  Lowering down each 15 seconds of the squat maintains that position and in other positions there are ways to slowly and deliberately correct if necessary.

Ensuring customers stay in perfect position is why it’s so important to have an Instructor on the floor at all times supervising the sessions.  This supervision ranges from one-on-one instruction to watching over experienced customers or running a group class so Instructors have to be alert at all times.  Just as the customer has to be aware so does the instructor, remembering that 40 correct movements each second can easily become 40 incorrect  movements with just a slight change of body position, i.e not following the rules.

Now I’ve covered the basics for getting results, how soon they show depends on these factors and to state a time I’ll say three weeks.  If a customer puts in the effort needed and the machine and program are right then results start to show in the third week.  These include body toning (the person looks firmer and if overweight they often notice their pants waistband is looser) and they feel better/healthier overall.  Muscle growth has started and strength increases are already taking place.  This is a very short time, in my opinion, to start seeing results from any fitness program and while I might have been skeptical when I began working as an Instructor, I’ve now seen these changes in so many newcomers that I can almost promise people that if they put in the effort, they’ll see the results, fast!

So what about the cost of exercise;

the cost of being in a sports team, the cost of the gym, of the vibration training studio?  When I worked in a gym and the membership price was increased a significant number of people cancelled their membership.  So now, when everyone is affected by higher prices but with little or no wage increases, or their own business isn’t making as much money, what to do about the cost of exercise?

Firstly, the decision needs to be made – to continue or not?  Weighing up the health and fitness benefits of exercise with the costs involved and also time management; finding the time to exercise on a regular basis.  Once that decision is made and a person has committed to some form of regular exercise it’s important to look at the cost.

Vibration Training in a studio format is generally low cost and very time efficient. It’s hard work and demanding on the body but  only for a very short time period of around 15 minutes and the benefits are huge.

Prices vary somewhat and can depend on what services are offered but many studios offer one-on-one or small group training with an instructor for just $7-10 U.S.  This represents very good value and when training two or three times a week it’s much less than working out with a Personal Trainer at the gym.  In New Zealand the price for a Vibra-Train studio session is just $10 with concession cards and a weekly access fee system available to make the price even less.  The customer is in full control of their spend as we have no memberships and operate on the basis of just turning up at the studio as the quick time frame and multiple machines mean there’s rarely, if ever, a wait.

Another option I saw recently in a local advertising brochure is a Hire Machine  (it was BodyGreen brand in this advert) for N.Z.$40,  (U.S.$26), per week.  I quickly saw that at three times a week (and you can’t train more often than this on a regular basis without detriment) this is $10 higher than the highest price for studio based training with an Instructor. Add in more charges for delivery and later for pickup,

I know which option I’d choose!

It’s quite a common question and some books and websites encourage people to exercise before eating breakfast with the reasoning that their bodies will find the fuel needed from fat stores and so encourage toning and weightloss.

The problem with this is that the fat within cells is not a readily available fuel.  If no food has been eaten plasma glucose is rapidly used up and the body then moves to its secondary fuel source, glycogen, stored in the liver and muscles.  The process of coverting triclycerides from fat takes longer.

There’s strong opinion on both sides about going for a morning walk or easy run before eating because, basically, as long as you take it slowly you might be okay but when it comes to resistance exercise and vibration training there’s no argument about it –

You Must Eat before your session!

Vibration Training causes you to burn up loads of energy within each 60 second position on the machine.  Muscle contraction of this magnitude, using 100% of muscle fibres, needs fuel and it’s all too easy to become hypoglycaemic in an instant at any time during the program.  Some people feel a little dizzy or nauseous, others cope with the program with no apparent difficulty and then having thoroughly depleted their body’s supply of blood glucose symptoms hit them hard and fast with insufficient oxygen reaching the brain and they pass out.

This morning my first two customers at 6.30am were mother and son.  For the son on his fourth session he knew the rules – eat before coming in – but he hadn’t conveyed this to his mother and I made the mistake of forgetting to ask.

The mother was healthy and strong and had no trouble working through the program until she dropped straight into hypoglycaemia and fainted.  Even the sports drink I had on hand was insufficient to stop the brain fog she continued to experience afterwards.

It’s my responsibility as an instructor to ensure customers have eaten adequately before their session and today I failed in this – a lesson I hope I have now learnt well!

The cold has not stopped regular customers from coming in though and even the elderly priest who comes in twice a week has driven across town to do his Vibra-Train session. I’ve noticed a big improvement in his abilities over the past three months. Not only is holding better position when using the Vibra-Train machine, his mental capacity has improved and he’s brighter, and now remembers the order of the program. I make sure he’s in perfect position for each of the 60 second poses and then at the end of the program he holds a 3 minute “ski-the-slopes” position. The wall chart states 2 minutes for this final position and many people only manage 1 minute but our infamous studio priest puts many of the younger, stronger customers to shame by holding excellent position throughout a whole 180 seconds.

Father D. is a man of average to solid build, in his 80’s and he’s an inspiration to other studio customers. At an age when some would be resting all day he still attends to parish duties and keeps fit with regular vibration training sessions. He’s also proof that vibration training on high energy lineal machines is effective for all ages. He never misses his sessions.

Guys can have moody days too but it does seem very common for females.  As we are usually the ones who nurture and care for others we have learnt to feel emotion in ways that guys don’t have a clue about.  Females of all ages can be affected by their hormonal cycle, tiredness from broken sleep as they care for their children on call 24 hours of the day, worries of all sorts right down the basic what shall we have for dinner or how will I fit in everything I have to do today.  Add in very cold and sometimes wet weather over the past two or three weeks and it’s easy to feel just a little down.

Can exercise help?

Studies have shown that yes, exercise does lift the mood, due in part to the increase in mood enhancing neurotransmitters in the brain.  Vibration Training brings about an increase in serotonin, a neurotransmitter that has a big effect on mood and also regulates sensory perception, body temperature and more.  When serotonin levels rise even the onset of sleep is easier.  Low levels have been indicated in muscle stiffness and weakness and may be involved in fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome.

A recent study led by Dr Jeremy Sibold, lead researcher and assistant professor of rehabilitation and movement science at the University of Vermont, Burlington, showed that not only does immediate mood elevation occur after exercsie but this effect remains for at least 12 hours.  Customers tell me they feel so much better after their Vibra-Train session and that the next morning they wake up feeling alert.  Even knowing this they complain that it’s hard work, and we all smile;

Hard Work but with Great Results!

(Exercise Study Comment Source: American College of Sports Medicine)