Working here at Active Forever, I get to play with see the benefits of all kinds of medical equipment and devices. So once I saw a crazy machine that shakes you around, I was all over it. Only later did I learn the benefits it could provide. The crazy machine I am talking about was a vibration platform. There are a couple different types of vibration machines on the market, but there isn’t much information about them. Here I am going to provide you with my firsthand experience with a couple of different machines. Before we get to that, we first need to understand what these platforms do and how they work.Not all vibration machines are created equally
Vibration technology has come a long way in such a short time. There are two main types of vibration platforms, lineal and pivotal. Lineal, sometimes called vertical, means that the platform you are standing on moves straight up and down. Lifting and dropping the whole body with each rotation. This can cause a very unpleasant jarring motion that just doesn’t feel great on the body. While it’s a very short trip up and down, it doesn’t feel natural, and depending on how you are positioned on the machine, it can almost be painful. Pivotal platforms are newer to the market and, in my opinion, better. Instead of shaking the body up and down, the platform rocks from left to right. This lifts only one side of the body at a time and gives you more of a fluid “walking” motion. This makes for a much more comfortable, low impact workout.[more]
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The first vibration machine I set foot on was a lineal platform. Being my first experience with one of these things, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I don’t know a better way to describe it, but I could really feel it in my face, I thought my eyes were going to rattle out of my head. The platform, moving vertically, was pretty intense, and I couldn’t take it past a certain speed. I definitely felt the blood flowing after that, but I’m not sure if the head rush was worth it. A few weeks later, I had the privilege of attending an in-service provided by MedVibe. They brought two machines in, the NitroFit Personal, and the NitroFit Deluxe. Immediately after turning the machine on, I noticed a huge difference. It wasn’t nearly as jarring, and I felt like I was much more sturdy standing on the rocking platform. I also had the chance to go through an entire 10 minute workout provided with the machine, and I was exhausted afterwards. Standard exercises like pushups became much more intense. Combine that with the adjustable resistance bands that can provide up to 100lbs of resistance for each arm and I was sold. I could really feel the workout in my muscles, and even though I was worn out, I felt really good afterwards. There were more features on these things than I knew what to do with. Built-in workout programs, pulse sensors in the handle bars, a body fat reading program, timers, and a huge LCD screen to see it all on. One of the best features though, wheels on the bottom so you can move it easily when you’re not using it. |
I later found out that the lineal machine I jumped on first was an over $4,500 piece of equipment. I don’t think I would ever be able to justify spending that much on a vibration machine. Then saw the price of the NitroFit Units, $999.95 for their basic one and $2,499.95 for their Deluxe; A much more reasonable price. I would probably just go with the personal one myself, and recommend the Deluxe to gyms or pro athletes.
If you’re in the area, come down to our Scottsdale location and you can try both the NitroFit Personal and the NitroFit Deluxe for yourself!
