Just follow this guide , so the brand does not matter. ( because some brands have both types of units. And put stickers on anything they can buy from China )

Read this to clarify.....

 http://www.vibration-training-advice.com/consumer-guide-and-safety-program/articles-61---70/no-such-thing-as-a-bad-machine   

Since there is no lineal machine here that I want since it seems like the DKN is the only option that is decent but not for me because of my weight.  That leaves pivotals and it seems that the new Gravity Revolution is the way to go for the same reason.  Now it seems I need to test something to give me a sense whether I  will like that.  

1.  What type of machine am I looking for...pivotal or linear. i.e.  Would a Hypervibe, PowerPlate or 3GCardio be best.  Id just bit the bullet and order the new Gravity Revolution now except I keep getting told I need to test...smiley face.  

2.  Since Im not testng a specific machine but the type of machine, is the best way to test it to stand on it in one of the poses and make sure it feels okay...

Have a great evening.

Then run the machine at the same level with you on it. It it feels or sounds like it has lost power, you know it is straining and it will not give the best results.

Lloyd, I so appreciate your input and you calling Gravity Revolution.  I have a message in to them asking regarding cost.  Looks like my next step is to test a Hypervibe and a 3GCardio.  Would the new Gravity Revolution feel more like the 3GCardio. Id love it if you would give me instructions on testing a machine...in this case to see what type I like rather than the specific machine.  

 First off.... " .  Would it be profitable to try the Hypervibe just to see how a pivotal feels and the 3GCardio to see how a lineal feels "

(6) Sorry...... I never retail my unit. Too big and powerful not to be used without supervision.         

Im in a pickle . . . the only products sold exercise stores in Minneapolis are Power Plate and 3GCardio.  Even in Chicago which is 9 hours away there seems to be a dearth of products sold and therefore no where to go to try out a machine.  There is a possibility of being able to try a hypervibe that is in a "medical" office and the Power Plate and 3GCardio in a store.  

My options for purchase are

1.  CV9 associated with CardioTech Australia with website cardiotechvibration.com The motor is 400W

2. CV9 from Spice Wellness in Canada where it says that The Canadian CV9 was reengineered to reach a true 28 Hz and has Weight Adjust Sensitivity, everything else is the same as the Australian 22 Hz model.  This makes me a bit nervous. The motor is listed as 900W

3. Gravity Revolution from Spice Wellness in Canada

4.  DKN XG10 from www.dknusa.com

5. Power Plate Commercial models from Minneapolis store

6. 3GCardio from Minneapolis store

Here are my questions

1.  Would the DKN XG10 with KN 3.2 lose its effectiveness since I am very obese . . .275 lbs and short ..and thus make a pivotal better for me

2.  Would it be profitable to try the Hypervibe just to see how a pivotal feels and the 3GCardio to see how a lineal feels

3.  Youve mentioned results on a pivotal machine will plateau.  What might that that look like for me.  Di mentioned that she finds the CV9 suitable for building fitness and strength.  Considering my weight, what might results look like for me 

4.  Does the weight of machine make a difference since I am so overweight Gravity Revolution is 60 Kg in weight compared to the 51.5 kg

5.  Ive read a lot on this site and LOVE it.  But the hold of Power Plate in the US and the recommendation by Mercola and its use by pro athletic teams makes me think that people are getting results from it and perhaps I should go that route.  EEK  

6. Any way to buy a Vibratrain and ship it to me 

Thank you for all your help

Also my comment regarding the DKN XG10 was about someone wanting a copy of my Lineal units, or something close. But there is nothing US based even close. .... The DKN series are the only practical option.      

I forgot to mention that I have some edema in my legs.

I live in a small town in the US and am looking for a recommendation.  My husband and I are on opposite ends of the spectrum for health.  Our driving reason is my health ... knees hurt the more I walk so I sit a LOT, short, 275 lbs.  He is 6 feet, slim and athletic with a spot in lower back that hurts.  We can spend substantially more than 4000 dollars to get a lasting machine that would work well for both of us.  Due to our location, Im interested in something that will not need repairs or is easy for a machine savvy person to fix.  

Ive noted that you recommended the DKN XG10 but in another spot you said there were no good lineal options in the US.  Another option might be the CV9 or Gravity REsoloution from Spice Wellness.  

What are your thoughts...What would you consider the pros  cons of the unit or units you recommend.  Thank you sooo much.

ps No symbols will type and I could not cut and past from Word or Notepad. 

 KER

I support both forms of this technology . Always have, always will. But I never support misleading marketing.  

We use it in the am, and pm theres nothing better. I can now bend down to line up a put. Open your mind.

Note: It is such a shame. Because the Therapy Applications are fantastic.

 Tony...

If you have had it years. It will be their old model. The one we endorsed. ( we just didn't endorse their ethics )

To Josh, I have had a Hypervibe machine for many years. Works perfectly. Just to let you know. 

For the prices they are asking. I would highly suggest you look at other brands that have a good reputation in Vibration Training. Not some company that sells toys and other stuff. This is your health we are talking about.

The list of Power Plate Studios that have now closed permanently. With rumors of broken machines just beyond the warranty date and simply too expensive to repair being the main cause.

Not everybody responds to the higher fqs on Pivotal's like the "experts" say. 

Hi, my wife has had a Cardiotech VT12 for a number of years and was very happy with the results she gained from using it. We recently upgraded the to Cardiotech CV9 and have had nothing but disappointment with it. The item is advertised as the latest and greatest but in practice is does not seem to do anything for her at all. We have spent a lot of time using the machine and with no results, no muscle soreness and not even any feeling of the muscles working. 

To test my theory about the item not working my muscles Ispent 30 minutes on the CV9 in various exercises and felt no muscle activation. I then went to our old machine a few days later and did the same workout and within seconds of commencing the first exercise I could feel my muscles activate. I am very disappointed with the machine and Cardiotech have made all types of excuses for the lack of muscle activation andor soreness and the lack of results. 

Have you conducted any reviewtesting of the Cardiotech CV9 and if so do you have any thoughts on the quality of the item.

 Lloyd seems your prediction with hypervibe and Murray Seaton was on the money.Vindicates the blacklist.

Got these off their own facebook page.

Worst company ever, they take your money and run. I paid $3495 for a G17-Pro machine for my personal training business in July 2015 because it's "ideal for clinical use, pro level conditioning, strength and power." It broke down completely after only 5 months and Hypervibe could not or would not send a service technician out despite several phone calls/emails (it would be exorbitant cost - I'm in Brisbane and they're on Sunshine Coast??!!) After that I just wanted my $3495 back which they just keep talking around, accusing me of breaking the machine, saying they've never had one break before. Funny their NZ rep said they DO break and in that case they always perform a service call. So fed up I've reported them to QLD Office of Fair Trading and even they can't seem to get an answer; I will have to take legal action now to get a refund per Australian consumer LAW. This has been going on since 7 December 2015. No Customer Service and no technical backup - do NOT waste your money.

This company basically takes your money and runs. I bought the Hypervibe G10 mini (which is NOT portable and weighs a hefty 24kg, the 'mini' in the title is very misleading).
Hypervibe sent me a defective machine. There was no display panel, it only vibrated at the one speed on which it was impossible to even stand on. It shook my furniture and floors, it was dangerous. I have been chasing my $995 since it was delivered on the 24th of December 2015, and have spent a lot of my time calling and emailing back and forth. Customer Service is extremely bad. Hypervibe delivered a faulty product, by consumer law I am entitled to a full refund. My bank details were given a week ago and the $995 has not been refunded. Hypervibe keeps stalling and 'intending' to pay. I have no choice but to involve my solicitor. Do yourself a favour and don't waste your time or money dealing with this dodgy company.

Note: I contacted this company some time ago to clarify some questions I had, but got no reply.

Considering www.lifetimevibe.com  appreciate input on this and how it fares with the other machines on your lists. Thank you.

I am doing some research into vibration machines when I stumbled on this site. I had virtually decided to purchase the HyperVibe Mini .  We are in Australia. can you tell me if this machine has this " "faulty power plate.    Thanks Shona

Thanks, it’s good to read this history over again. The lack of ethics and the cover-ups make for sad reading

BUT

I know and have proven for myself and with many clients how well REAL Vibration Training On REAL machines with a REAL, safety first, Program works

(REAL Machines - properly designed and manufactured and working correctly to specifications)

It’s still “Consumer Beware”, there are still people out there calling themselves EXPERTS who, as shown in the articles above, are really FAKE EXPERTS.

Editor’s Note:  John T. Weatherly has helped with conditioning programs and research at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. John is also a frequent commenter and contributor on the Russells’ Blog. Today’s article is the second in John's series on vibration plates. These plates vibrate like a truck on a highway, allegedly making you fitter. Weatherly exposes the unreliable studies that the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and others have published on vibration platforms, and the corporate relationships that helped cover up the bad science.

In Part 1 I demonstrated that NSCA and others have published many unreliable research studies on vibration platforms. For example, many studies on Power Plate models did not even test the platforms under loaded conditions to see if they performed as the manufacturers claimed. The research was so bad the International Society of Musculoskeletal and Neuronal Interactions had to publish a paper in 2010 on how to conduct and report WBV studies.

The NSCA's website still lists Power Plate in its "Corporate Alliance" section: http://bit.ly/1DAoT8G

Power Plate is a corporate ally of the NSCA and also a partner with EXOS (formerly Athletes' Performance).

The NSCA claims on their website,

As the worldwide authority on strength and conditioning, we support and disseminate research-based knowledge and its practical application to improve athletic performance and fitness.

Really? Why would the NSCA publish numerous unreliable and invalid vibration studies? Was it they just didn't know any better and made honest mistakes? Or, did the NSCA cover up information on purpose and publish the studies anyway?

You are about to read a sordid account about some of my experiences with the exercise industry.

We're not sure what's going on here.

My Background With Vibration

From 2003-2005, I consulted with an exercise company on rotary inertia and vibration. In 2004, I actually met with an ex-Soviet scientist to discuss his work on vibration. This is how I became involved with vibration. During this same time period (2003-2005), I wrote and communicated with Mark Verstegen (President and Founder of Athletes' Performance, which is now EXOS).

I remember one email in particular with Mark. He said he thought vibration was HUGE and that the CNS and fiber type influenced responses to different frequencies and amplitudes. I believe Mark and Athletes' Performance (AP) were the first facility in the US to develop a corporate partner relationship with Power Plate in late 2002.

A few years later, after I had briefly represented another company in the vibration industry (I haven't had a thing to do with vibration companies for at least seven years), I met an individual in New Zealand online named Lloyd Shaw that knew more about actual vibration equipment than anybody I had come in contact with. Keep in mind, I had communicated with an ex-Soviet scientist along with other scientists such as Dr. Patrick Jacobs who was with the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the time, and had communicated with somebody recognized as one of the top performance specialists in the world (Mark Verstegen). Lloyd knew more about the actual vibration equipment than any of these other people. Lloyd and I have corresponded ever since.

Lloyd Shaw educated me on the history of Power Plate:

1) In 1999 a group of Dutch and German engineers built a more ergonomic and nicer looking model of Dr. Bosco's Nemes platform for the retail market.

2) Research and engineering tests were promising but work needed to be done to increase the plate size and power.

3) Power Plate split in 2003 with one partner going to China to get cheap knock-off platforms made.

4) In 2004, Lloyd Shaw, an ex New Zealand Navy Weapons Electrical Mechanic and Mortician, was hired as Power Plate's Product Manager.

5) Lloyd Shaw failed Power Plate's new Chinese-made model on all tests. The biggest issue with the Chinese units was they provided random (non-lineal) vibration and dropped all advertised specifications with various loads over 20 Kg on the plates.

6) Lloyd Shaw ordered a recall of the Chinese Power Plate units.

7) Power Plate’s higher ups ignored the recall and sold the machines to the public. Power Plate only advertised the unloaded specifications (not loaded) to people.

8) Power Plate tried to place an injunction on the engineering reports, which included issues with plastic replacing the older steel construction. Faulty electronics and overall design errors meant the machines could never perform to the same level as the original, well-tested, steel machine.

9) Power Plate hired a group of academics to divert attention away from these issues and use the engineering reports, awards and research from the older real machine to sell the new Chinese model.

For more information, check out these links:

http://www.vibration-training-advice.com/the-industry-the-theory-and-trainers-tips/articles-11---20-2/fake-specs-the-true-timeline-of-discovery

http://www.vibration-training-advice.com/consumer-guide-and-safety-program/articles-51---60/the-power-plate-scam-part-1

http://www.vibration-training-advice.com/consumer-guide-and-safety-program/articles-71---80/the-power-plate-scammers-part-2

http://www.vibration-training-advice.com/uploads/pdfs/Evidence-3.pdf

http://www.vibration-training-advice.com/uploads/pdfs/Evidence-2.pdf

Power Plate's Fake Scientific & Medical Advisory Board

Former ACSM President Dr. Steven Blair: http://bit.ly/1ASk1L0

Power Plate listed individuals on their website that were on Power Plate's Scientific & Medical Advisory Board. They listed Mark Verstegen, even though Mark's company was a corporate partner with Power Plate. Power Plate also listed Dr. Steven Blair, a former President of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). They listed Dr. David Nieman (a former VP of the ACSM) as heading the Power Plate Research Center at Appalachian State. Power Plate marketers were so dumb they listed Nieman as a PhD, even though he's a doctor of public health (DPH). In fact, Power Plate corrected this after I mentioned it online.

Think about this. You have an individual on your board of experts and you can't even list his doctoral degree correctly. But that's not the worst of it. Another person Power Plate listed among these experts was Dr. Marco Cardinale.

The problem with Dr. Cardinale is he didn't know Power Plate was listing him as one of their experts on the Power Plate Scientific & Medical Advisory Board on their website! Lloyd Shaw contacted Dr. Cardinale and Cardinale said he didn't know about it. So, Power Plate issued an apology to Dr. Cardinale and removed his name from the list of experts on the Power Plate Scientific & Medical Advisory Board. Power Plate also dropped Dr. Steven Blair off the list of experts on the Power Plate Scientific & Medical Advisory Board, for some other reason.

However, the list still included two people that I had interacted with. One was Mark Verstegen. The other was Dr. David Nieman. It was quite interesting that Power Plate stated on its website that Dr. Nieman headed the Power Plate Research Center at Appalachian State. Years earlier, I had helped Dr. Nieman with data collection for a study or two on immune system responses to exercise.

Athletes' Performance Launched Core Performance

Around this same time period, Athletes' Performance (AP) was broadening its market from athletes to the general population with the Core Performance brand. They launched coreperformance.com and I went on the discussion forum. Several people started vibration and Power Plate threads that the moderators eventually shut down.

I commented but didn't start any of the discussions. Mark Verstegen and AP decided to bring Scott Hopson on the forum to answer vibration questions. They billed Scott as Power Plate and AP's "worldwide educator" on vibration. AP erased almost all of this but what happened is Scott was brought on to answer questions, I asked questions, Scott disappeared, and I was kicked off the forum! Here's one exchange with Scott Hopson that AP wasn't able to erase.

At this point any communication between Mark or AP staff and me ended. I found out just asking questions about Power Plate could get a person on Mark and AP's banned list!

Another pleased Power Plate customer: http://bit.ly/1LSbJFV

The Fake Power Plate Research Center at Appalachian State

I thought it was a conflict of interest for Mark Verstegen to be on Power Plate's Scientific & Medical Advisory Board when they were corporate partners. However, for a university and a research scientist to do the same thing would be even worse in my view!

A scientist friend of mine had mentioned in a phone conversation he thought Dr. Jeff McBride was really the person in charge of the Power Plate Research Center at Appalachian State. This same individual mentioned he thought what happened is Dr. Nieman agreed to let Power Plate use his name and Appalachian State's name on their website in order to get funding from Power Plate.

I decided to play dumb and call the Power Plate Research Center at Appalachian State. I talked to a university operator and was told there wasn't a listing for the Power Plate Research Center. This seemed odd that a research center at a university didn't have a phone number listed in the university directory. So, I called Dr. Jeff McBride and talked with him. Dr. McBride had written a short review on Vibration Training and Athletic Performance for the NSCA.

I asked Dr. McBride why Power Plate was saying on their website there was a Power Plate Research Center at Appalachian State? Dr. McBride said:

They gave us some money!

McBride said he had been involved with a Power Plate study. Dr. Nieman had conducted a Power Plate study. I believe one other Power Plate study had been done at Appalachian State at the time for a total of three Power Plate studies at the Power Plate Research Center headed by Dr. Nieman at Appalachian State. Dr. McBride said they didn't have any studies currently going on and none planned for the future. He also said companies like Power Plate come to researchers like him wanting to prove their equipment works. Dr. McBride told me he thought it was a fad. My immediate thought was, how can there be a Power Plate Research Center at Appalachian State if there's nothing going on, nothing planned for the future, not any phone number, and Dr. McBride thinks it's a fad? The date of my phone conversation with Dr. Jeff McBride was July 20, 2009.

Over the next few months, I occasionally checked Power Plate's website. Power Plate still said Dr. David Nieman headed the Power Plate Research Center at Appalachian State on their site. Of course, Power Plate still listed Mark Verstegen and Dr. Nieman on the Power Plate Scientific & Medical Advisory Board.

The Dodgy Drs. Nieman and Gaskill

I decided to contact Dr. Nieman directly about this. Dr. Nieman is highly thought of for his work on exercise and the immune system. He's received many research grants and awards. In 2013, the American College of Sports Medicine awarded Dr. Nieman “the prestigious Citation Award for his extensive work in health and exercise sciences.”

Dr. Nieman receives an ACSM award: http://healthsciences.appstate.edu/news-events/519

One would think it would be easy to get a simple yes or no about the existence of a Power Plate Research Center headed by Dr. David Nieman from Dr. Nieman himself. You'd also think a person of Dr. Nieman's stature and accomplishments would freely answer other questions about Power Plate. And heck, I even helped collect data for a study or two of his a long time ago. You'd think he'd answer simple questions in a straightforward manner from a person like me.

I called Dr. Nieman's office, left messages, called the department secretary, called an office he had in another town, sent emails. I received no answer from Dr. Nieman. On the emails I included Mark Verstegen, Lloyd Shaw, Dr. Steve Fleck (current NSCA President), and Dr. William Kraemer (Editor-in-Chief of JSCR) to name a few of the recipients. I wanted to know if Mark and Dr. Nieman, since they were both on the Power Plate Scientific & Medical Advisory Board, had ever communicated about vibration? I knew Mark wouldn't answer but was hoping somebody like Dr. Nieman would. I did not get any response.

These are people with whom I've interacted. I've mentioned Mark and Dr. Nieman but I used to stay in Dr. Fleck's house some when I was his intern with the USOC many years ago. I actually read Dr. Kraemer's doctoral dissertation (it was on endogenous opioids, Peptide F which Kraemer discovered, and exercise) at Fleck's house. I've met Kraemer multiple times and corresponded with him about vibration. Dr. Fleck, when I was around him, was a very blunt, upfront type. I like people like that because you know where things stand and what's going on. And now, Dr. Fleck has become a chameleon that changes colors.

Nobody will answer my questions about vibration research.

The whole Power Plate ordeal not only smelled like a rat, but it was a rat! With no response from Dr. Nieman, I contacted Dr. Paul Gaskill, the Department Chair. I spoke with Dr. Gaskill on the phone and also sent emails again including Drs. Fleck and Kraemer along with Lloyd Shaw among the recipients. At first, Dr. Gaskill said he wasn't sure if there was a Power Plate Research Center. Can you believe how absurd this was? The Head of the Department doesn't know if there's a Power Plate Research Center in existence in his department.

Dr. Gaskill said he would get to the bottom of this by meeting with Drs. Nieman and McBride and get back to me. It took continuous prodding on my part from 1/19/2010 to 2/26/2010 to finally get a response from Dr. Gaskill. Dr. Gaskill finally said there was nothing currently going on at the Power Plate Research Center at Appalachian State headed by Dr. Nieman but Dr. Nieman would be taking a Power Plate to the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill for a study in the fall.

Now, just think about this a moment folks. These are research scientists (Drs. Nieman and McBride) and the Department Head (Dr. Gaskill) at a university and they avoided answering simple questions about their publicly asserted research.

Drs. Fleck and Kraemer

William Kraemer of the NSCA's Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

I thought people like Drs. Fleck and Kraemer would do something. They knew about the fake Power Plate Scientific and Medical Advisory Board. They knew how Mark Verstegen and Athletes' Performance had banned me for simply asking questions about Power Plate on coreperformance.com. Of course, Dr. Fleck wasn't NSCA President at that time but Dr. Kraemer was Editor-in-Chief of the NSCA’s Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Kraemer and Fleck did nothing! Dr. Kraemer even said in this 2011 New York Times article he didn't know much about prescribing vibration exercise. The article stated:

“We don’t know a lot about prescribing it,” Dr. Kraemer said. “There’s the rub.”

And yet it is being used many times without an understanding of how to do it best or what the long-term training effects will be.

“Research,” Dr. Kraemer said, “is trying to catch up.”

Heck, the NSCA still has Power Plate as a corporate ally in spite of all of this, and even though Power Plate is being liquidated and is under administration.

Power Plate is currently a part of Performance Health Systems, LLC.

Richard Beddie and REPS in New Zealand

Even with Lloyd Shaw in NZ exposing Power Plate scams and liquidating Power Plate, Richard Beddie's REPS lists Power Plate seminars for continuing education credits.

Beddie approves of Power Plate after all the bad research and Power Plate scams, but he wants CrossFit L1 Trainers to pay REPS to stop getting critical press? Prior articles on this blog have pointed out that Beddie’s behavior is tantamount to extortion.

Richard Beddie of REPS New Zealand has a relationship with Power Plate.

Giant Web of Deceit

I have demonstrated in these two articles that exercise scientists conducted numerous studies on Power Plate models without testing the platforms under loaded conditions. Somehow peer reviewed journals such as the NSCA’s JSCR published these unreliable and invalid studies. Both the NSCA and EXOS (formerly Athletes' Performance) are and have been corporate partners with Power Plate. Richard Beddie's REPS is also connected with Power Plate for continuing education credits. Furthermore, this series has revealed a fake Power Plate Scientific and Medical Advisory Board and a fake Power Plate Research Center at Appalachian State headed by ACSM fellow and former VP of the ACSM, Dr. David Nieman. The supposed authorities of exercise science could have stood up and stopped this scam. They did nothing. This includes NSCA President Dr. Steve Fleck and NSCA’s JSCR Editor-in-Chief Dr. William Kraemer.

But, what should we expect from an industry that gives presentations showing researchers how to lie and cover-up?

All decent, honest people should be repulsed by this behavior and organizations like the NSCA that tolerate it. They cannot be trusted.

Image by Dr. Lon Kilgore.

About the Author: John T. Weatherly has undergraduate and graduate degrees in exercise science. He was a research assistant to the former Head of Sports Physiology for the US Olympic Committee (USOC) and has helped with conditioning programs for athletes in Olympic sports as well as professional baseball, college football, and an NBA player. In the 90’s, John published and reviewed articles for the NSCA and was an NSCA media contact on the sport of baseball. He helped initiate the first study on a rotary inertia exercise device at the University of Southern California (USC) and has consulted with the exercise industry on various topics, including vibration.

Editor's Note:  John T. Weatherly has helped with conditioning programs and research at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. John is also a frequent commenter, and now contributor, on the Russells' Blog. Today's topic is vibration plates. These plates vibrate like a truck on a highway, supposedly making you fitter. See the video below. Weatherly exposes the unreliable studies that NSCA and others have published on vibration platforms.

On The Take With Power Plate?  Part 1

The idea of using a certain dose of vibration in therapy for various conditions has been around a long time. In 2003, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) published a review article by Cardinale and Bosco covering the use of vibration as an exercise modality (2).   Vibration is thought to work similar to plyometrics. For example see this video.

For detailed potential mechanisms see Cardinale and Bosco (2) or Donaldson and Ross (4). While vibration can be delivered to the body in various ways (i.e., superimposed on a pulley cable), the review by Drs. Cardinale and Bosco seemed to spur research and commercial interest in the use of vibration platforms or plates. This has been termed whole body vibration (WBV). Scores of WBV studies have been published since 2003. Additionally, WBV platforms are now found in commercial, athletic, rehabilitation, and even military settings (i.e., see powerplate.com). But, what does this WBV research actually say?

To answer the above question, we need to understand there are different types and brands of WBV platforms (4,8). Some move side to side like a teeter-totter (i.e., Galileo), others vertically (i.e., Nemes or the original steel Power Plate), and are even advertised as being tri-planar now (i.e., newer and lighter weight Power Plate). The material the platforms are made of can vary considerably from steel (original Power Plate) to plastic. Regardless of the type or brand, WBV platforms move a certain distance up and down (amplitude) and at a certain frequency or speed. Amplitude is measured in millimeters (mm) while frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz) (8).

Vibration plate image via Castleton Chiropractic: http://www.castletonchiropracticclinic.com/vibration-plates/

WBV Research

Imagine you were a researcher doing a study on a WBV platform. Your untrained subjects range in body weight from 110 to 300 lbs. You are going to train the subjects three times a week for 8 weeks on this WBV platform at a frequency of 40 Hz and 2 mm amplitude. The results of the WBV group will be compared to a sedentary control group at the end of the study. The manufacturer of the WBV platform you are using tells you the platform is accurate for a wide range of loads but you have not seen any independent testing of this particular brand and model of WBV platform in your review of the WBV literature. This seems odd to you as there is information on other devices used to track movements (i.e., 10). See "Validity and reliability of GPS for measuring instantaneous velocity during acceleration, deceleration, and constant motion."

Are you, as a research scientist, going to do a pilot study and test the WBV platform yourself? Or, perhaps you could have independent engineering tests done on the platform to make sure it works as advertised for a wide range of loads? That would take a lot of time and possibly money to do this though. If you don't do either of these and there's no information in the scientific literature about this particular brand and model of platform, you really won't know if all the subjects in your study are exercising on the WBV platform at a frequency of 40 Hz and amplitude of 2mm. Those WBV platform people sure seem nice. Heck, they may have given you the platform and funds to do the study in the first place. What are you, as a research scientist, going to do?

Reliability and Validity

Any university researcher knows what reliability and validity mean. Reliability, in our example, is the consistency of the WBV platform(s). Imagine stepping on your bathroom scale and weighing 200 lbs only to find out your weight on the same scale is 100 lbs the next day (not reliable!). Validity is simply measuring what we intend to measure. Whenever a device such as a WBV platform is used to collect data we need to be sure the WBV platform performs as it is supposed to so we are measuring what we want to measure. Otherwise, the data collection methods are erroneous and the data analyzed will be invalid.

Power Plate claims to have "redefined" fitness: http://bit.ly/1CQA8vG

Research Papers - The Methods Section

So, how do we know if WBV researchers did pilot studies themselves or had independent engineering tests done on the WBV platforms used in their studies? They should state this in the methods section of their peer reviewed journal articles. If other researchers have tested the exact same brand and model of platform and found it reliable and valid, that should be cited. Research papers have four main sections: introduction, methods, results, and discussion. If the methods section does not explain procedures clearly (such as testing WBV platforms under different loads), then the study can't be replicated and confirmed by other researchers. The data is invalid if nobody tested the WBV platforms under various loads because nobody would know if the data obtained was reliable and valid (just trusting what the manufacturer said).

Studies on Power Plate's Own Site

I downloaded and read the methods section for all 41 studies on Power Plate's site. I didn't see ANY that reported pilot testing or having independent engineering tests performed on the Power Plate WBV platforms used in their studies.

Out of the 41 studies on Power Plate's own site, I found Roelants (8) et al. and Delecluse (3) et al. measured accelerations of the platform with an accelerometer. Interestingly, these two studies were published in 2004 and 2003. They appear to have been conducted on the older steel Power Plate platforms and not the plastic or light weight models Power Plate has marketed recently. See, "Amplitude is Everything."

Lowell et al. stated the portable platform used in their study had a limited amplitude (5). Marin et al. reported measurements with a 70 kg load on the platform (6). This Marin et al.(6) study is the only one I found on Power Plate's site that even mentioned a measurement with a load prior to doing a study. I wonder why Marin et al. (6) chose a 70 kg load instead of 100 kg or other heavier load?

One group of researchers (1, p.238) states:

"A key reason for inconsistencies in scientific data regarding the effects of WBV may be that protocols vary from study to study. Different frequencies and amplitudes have been applied to different populations with varying recovery periods. Each of these parameters has the potential to impart biological response to vibration training and, therefore, the effects of vibration training on strength and power performance."

Ironically, Adams et al. (1) didn't mention the platforms themselves. This is peculiar.

We're not sure what's going on here: http://bit.ly/16MEyFI

How bad has the WBV Research Been?

The WBV research has been so bad that the International Society of Musculoskeletal and Neuronal Interactions had to publish a paper in 2010 on how to conduct WBV studies. Rauch et al. (7, p.193) state:

"A scientific study can lead to scientific progress only if the resulting study report can be understood by others. This requires a common language and consistent use of well-defined terminology. It is also critical that the methodologies of the study is described accurately and with sufficient detail for others to replicate the study."

It's shocking to think of all the invalid studies that have contaminated the WBV literature. Here are actual quotes of Power Plate researcher David Bazett-Jones, provided by Vibra-Train's Lloyd Shaw:

As far as having engineering reports done on the machines, I would argue that it is the ethical responsibility of the manufacturer to do the testing and report the results. The blame is not on the researchers but the manufacturers.

As far as my (Power Plate) study in 2005, we only measured the accelerations (which were different than the manufacturer's claimed accelerations). This was done without an individual standing on the plate.

I also feel that there are some researchers (myself included) that would like to perform product testing so that consumers can be informed of the specs.

We are testing it loaded and unloaded. Believe it or not, you are not the only one who has wondered if the Power Plate, being made of a softer material than steel, affects the vibration characteristics.

I agree that all plates should be tested before (and while, to go above and beyond) they are being used for a research study.....I can only wish that I had thought of this prior to doing the study.

I am more concerned about the errors/limitations of my research than you are. This was years of planning, testing, and analyzing that I put into this project. I could not account for limitations in the study that I was not aware of at the time.

Where is the Peer Review Process?

Out of 41 studies on Power Plate's own site, only one mentioned testing the platform under load (70 kg) and that was the only load tested (6). Are we to believe all these researchers and journal reviewers simply missed the elephant standing in the middle of the room? See this video by Lloyd Shaw.

These are supposed to be intelligent and highly trained researchers, right? The 41 studies on Power Plate's own site represent several journals but the NSCA's Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (JSCR) is represented well. I counted 12 studies from JSCR out of the total of 41 studies.

This contamination of the literature has allowed marketers and salespeople to take advantage of the situation amidst all the confusion. For example see this video, contrasted with "Vibration Training: The Truth."

I have had people on different continents (one a well-known researcher) tell me some Power Plate models lost specifications at 80-85 Kg loads and really bogged down at 100 Kg and above. The Australian Institute of Sport has also reported this in a pilot study (4).

Were all these studies just honest mistakes that slipped by? Or, could there be other more sinister factors involved? Power Plate is and has been a corporate partner with the NSCA and EXOS.

About the Author: John T. Weatherly has undergraduate and graduate degrees in exercise science. He was a research assistant to the former Head of Sports Physiology for the US Olympic Committee (USOC) and has helped with conditioning programs for athletes in Olympic sports as well as professional baseball, college football, and an NBA player. In the  90's, John published and reviewed articles for the NSCA and was an NSCA media contact on the sport of baseball. He helped initiate the first study on a rotary inertia exercise device at the University of Southern California (USC) and has consulted with the exercise industry on various topics, including vibration.

References

1) Adams, JB, Edwards, D, Serviette, D et al. Optimal frequency, displacement, duration, and recovery patterns to maximize power output following acute whole body vibration. J Strength Cond Res (23) (1): 237-45, 2009.

2) Cardinale, M and C Bosco. The use of vibration as an exercise intervention. Exer. Sport Sci Rev (31) (1): 3-7, 2003.

3) Delecluse, C, Roelants, M, and SM Vershueren. Strength increase after whole body vibration compared with resistance training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. (35) (6):1033-1041, 2003.

4) Donaldson, C and A Ross. Whole body vibration - useful or useless for athletes. Power Point.

5) Lowell, R, Midgley, A., Barrett S, et al. Effects of different half-time strategies on second half soccer-specific speed, power, and dynamic strength. Scand J Med Sci Sports:1-9, 2011.

6) Marin, PJ, Herrero, AJ, Sainz, N et al. Effects of different magnitudes of whole body vibration on arm muscular performance. J Strength Cond Res (24) (9):2506-2511, 2010.

7) Rauch, F, Sievanen, H, Boonen, S, et al. Reporting whole-body vibration intervention studies: Recommendations of the International Society of Musculoskeletal and Neuronal Interactions. J Musculoskelet. Neuronal Interact (10) (3):193-198, 2010.

8) Roelants, M, Delecluse, C, and SM Vershueren. Whole body - vibration training increases knee -extension strength and speed of movement in older women. Journal of the American Geriatric Society (52):901-908, 2004.

9) Varley, M, Fairweather, I, and R Aughey. Validity and reliability of GPS for measuring instantaneous velocity during acceleration, deceleration, and constant motion. Journal of Sport Sciences (30) (2):121-127, 2012.

 Cavi-Lipo / Appearance Clinics news.

Seems an Australian company The Australian Skin Clinic is planning to expand rapidly into N.Z. by joining forces with another company. Their new clinics in N.Z. will be called The Cosmetic Clinic 

With our Symbiosis Slimming studios doing so well, I have been looking at expanding into partnerships with companies doing appearance medicine etc....  with Kiwi companies being quite snobby about what we do, maybe the Australians will be more open to symbiotic relationships.   

I’ve spoken with Lloyd Shaw. He says, as long as your husband (and you) follow the Safety program linked here you will do well. You must read all the instructions and follow them, not just looking at the pictures. Exact angles are important. If your husband’s knees feel a little irritated after the session at first that’s a therapy/healing situation. Do not compromise.

Instructions:

http://www.vibration-training-advice.com/consumer-guide-and-safety-program/lineal-and-pivotal-safety-programs/pivotal-program

Poster:

http://www.vibration-training-advice.com/uploads/pdfs/Pivotal-Safe-Strength-Poster.pdf

My husband is having some issues with his knees.  Otherwise it would be weight loss and improved fitness.