3 Rules to remember

1. Any Vibration does not = Vibration Training
2. Light Vibration = Therapy
3. Heavy Vibration = Training

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Home use machines and celebrity endorsements, the truth


by Lloyd Shaw

So how do I know what to buy with all the choices out there , do I trust celebrity endorsements?

Now in the spirit of this site we will not be mentioning brand names so you will need to still do some homework re what to buy. But this will cover some of the things to watch out for as you tire kick your way around the net. And some of the strategies used by marketers to rope you in.

My home machine does it all doesn't it ?

This category is the easiest one to get confused over , mainly down to two reasons.

(a) Marketers deliberately blurring the lines between quality of product Vs results.

(b) Playing on your insecurities and isolation.

The home user of new exercise product is an easy target for both the above reasons , with most companies only too willing to pray on peoples lack of knowledge. To make matters worse the same person will not want to hang around gym's where this type of information is discussed freely , and if they are really sensitive about their weight then it may not even be discussed with their friends or family. Leaving the media to be solely responsible for any education process. Great.

Note: The more scientific the theory behind the product the easier it is to confuse the consumer.

Marketers of such products and services rely heavily on sketchy reports of famous people using their product or paying someone to pretend ( it's called acting ) to use their product , the very people you read about in magazines and see looking far more fantastic than anybody has a right too. Which raises your own expectations of what you should look like.

Combine this with the isolated mindset of someone who really does think they are letting themselves down and you have a person almost begging to be taken for a ride.

Essentially the media spend all their time causing you anguish than offer to fix it.

So in steps the "marketers" with their vague promises of getting you the same machine that "so and so" uses , and the attached body , for a good price of course. And the thing is we want it to be true so the old standard of " ask no questions , get no lies " comes into play.

Now most of the time they are not always out rightly lying , your favorite celeb may be doing "Vibration Training" but I can assure you they are not using a model you can afford. And the results on these machines are in direct comparison to the quality of the unit.  How do I know this you say, well firstly I design machines for my company , and secondly I can tell you straight up I know a couple of trainers that personal-train big stars and they have confirmed what machines are used. I just cant repeat it.

Note: None of them are under $12,000 U.S.

The fact is " real" stars keep things very quite. Example: I have an expo soon that is closed to the public , no cameras , no cell phones , invites only. I will be meeting people I am not allowed to talk about. What does  that tell you ?

All that secrecy and combine that with generic terms like " Vibration Training" or " Vibrating Platform" and the scene is set for misdirection of the facts.

Perfectly well known example below....

Madonna looks amazing thanks to $14,000 vibrating plate -by REBECCA CAMBER,
Daily Mail, UK July 2006

"With her heavily muscled arms, you would be forgiven for thinking it is the result of a punishing exercise regime at the gym. But it seems the Queen of Pop's incredible shape is, in part, thanks to the vibrating platform - dubbed the 'miracle' machine. The vibrating platform is said to be responsible for the incredible shapes of not only Madonna, but also stars such as Claudia Schiffer and Natalie Imbruglia. But the "miracle" machine doesn't come cheap - at £6,995 ($14,000 USD) it costs far more than the average annual gym membership. After the muscley 47-year-old Queen of Pop bought the vibrating exercise platform, sales have reportedly soared. And in Harrods, around 20 machines are sold every weekend."

Now this article clearly states how much the stars unit cost her. And she had only picked up the unit that week so her figure could not have been contributed to by that exact  machine ( It was in fact a present for a friend as she already had a unit at home ). But companies will sell you a home machine at a quarter of the price that supposedly does the same thing.
Does that sound right to you ?

I mean I myself pay $12,500 N.Z. to get my smallest entry level unit built for studio use. And I own the factory !! ( no you cant buy one so don't even ask ).

So where does that leave the home user , high and dry you might think, well no luckily this is not the case. You can get good solid results from a decent quality home model. Combine that with a bit of cardio and diet correction and you will be well on your way. No need to bust a gut , just consistent effort is needed.

Here are a few rules of thumb to help you narrow down the field.....

(1) Solid steel ( not cheap steel or plastic ) if possible.

(2) Reputable company , if you don't trust them don't buy it. Google them first. Trust your instincts. Leave dodgy units from dodgy companies alone.

No matter how good the packaging. There will soon be 100 odd companies marketing to you with similar products and claims. Be patient and choice wisely.

(3 )   Ask the seller.....

(a) Where it was made.
(b) Who made it.
(c) What it's made of.
(d) Who designed the program .

If the questions above cant be answered then walk away. This is your health we are talking about and these should be easy questions for anyone not hiding something to answer.

(4) Local warranty back-up. Well known fitness store is best so you have someone real to walk in and talk to.

(5) Be realistic about your goals. Say if you are purchasing a unit that cost only a few thousand for weight loss ( as opposed to a $14,000 U.S. unit, then things may move very slowly. Do not get frustrated, just stick to a good safe program every second day and it will happen. Think about this , you are trying to reverse how many years of abuse ? It is not going to happen overnight is it ? So relax and just enjoy the thought you are actually doing something for yourself which is half the battle right ?

(6) It will have a limited lifespan.

Worst comes to worst you can always post a question on this site but try and make the question about certain characteristics of the machine rather than the brand name , or

(A) It may sound like marketing

(b) A few units are sold under a constantly changing name to confuse consumers . A description is far better to work on.

Happy hunting folks and hope you get what you are looking for, which remember is what you pay for.

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