by Lloyd Shaw
Now this is a question I get asked a lot ................... "Why is a Therapy machine not a Training machine and what difference will it make to my results ".
At a quick glance it may seem a little confusing, but if you apply it to the general knowledge you already have about the words Therapy or Training you may finally "get it".
So lets take the word VIBRATION out of the question, as that’s what seems to throw people. We are left with.....
What is Therapy.....?
The idea of physical Therapy is a combination of exercises or a set of movements that are designed to get your body back to a functional state, so you can carry on with your life, work, sport etc. Think about what happens when someone does physical Therapy or Rehab, a Physio or similar practitioner will have a set up that looks very much like a small gym. But unlike a gym its equipment is not large, heavy or bulky. It is usually more delicate in nature and designed for very specific purposes. They may have some free weights and other such equipment that you would normally see in a gym , but much smaller and lighter.
Now this is very important to understand, it is not one piece of equipment that makes it a Physio set-up .The pieces of equipment by themselves mean little if nothing, It is the "combination" of equipment and the Physios application of this equipment makes it effective Therapy.
So much like a Vibration Therapy machine , its going to be a sum of all its parts , but if the overall aspect is its " lighter " ( lighter weight , lighter materials , lighter vibration etc... ) chances are it would be classified as a Therapy device. Note: This equipment by nature and materials are usually allot cheaper to build.
A good example...... A Physio may make you do a bi-cep curl without a weight , or later with a small weight , but never with a big heavy weight. Why, because he is not trying to "train" you, he is trying to rehabilitate your arm to a point where it can lift its own weight if needed and maybe some added weight. He is not trying to grow muscle and bun fat. Also note the bigger weight set would cost more than the smaller weight set to build. It’s the same in Vibration equipment , lighter material = cheaper as a general rule, So a lot of companies accidently end up making Therapy units buy trying to build a cheap training machine.
Results ......?
Now everyone knows you do not go to a Physio to lose weight or do a proper workout. You go their to get fixed up , to get you back to a level you were previously at so you can continue with your life or chosen goals hopefully pain free , most people use it to get back into training. Its all about taking away limitations due to injury . That does not mean you wont lose some weight and get slightly fitter doing Physio work , its just that is not the primary reason for doing it and any such results would be limited. .
What is Training....?
This is where your intention is to push yourself towards an end goal where you know its going to be hard. Most people that train themselves are on a never ending path to be much better than the previous day , not just "as good as new". Your intention is to get fitter , lose body fat , tone up , put on muscle . To go above and beyond.
Again a gym is not a gym by simply having a bench press , no one piece of equipment makes it a serious place to train, it is also a sum of its parts. But all these parts have a common theme , and that is "hard" and "heavy duty" . Its all designed to be an effort to use, and by people who are preferably not injured. Again that does not mean Physio work can not be done in a gym, it can, but its intended purpose is for something more and everyone knows it.
What you already know.......
Now we get back to common sense and general knowledge. If you walked into a Physiotherapist, you would know you are not standing in a gym. Even if a marketer swore to you it was a gym you would know better. It simply would not add up with what you already know about these things.
So when people ask me the question " but what exactly is the difference between a Therapy and a Training unit " , that’s the whole point , there is no "one" exact difference. Just like the Gym and Physio center , its dozens of big and little things that add up to make the difference. You don’t need to be an expert yourself in every piece of equipment , how to build it or how to use it, to get the bigger picture.
So here it is in a nutshell , a simple question that cuts through all the bull .........
" Does the machine look like it belongs in a Gym or a Physiotherapists ? "
Start to ask yourself that and you are well on your way to never being ripped off.
