From Russia with Love
In the 1960's the Russian space program faced a challenge: how to keep their cosmonauts in space for longer so that they could get a better return on their investment getting them there in the first place. Cosmonauts were known to lose 1-2% of bone mass for every month in space, as well as muscle. [1, 2]
As with most innovations, necessity produced an elegant solution: the Whole Body Vibration (WBV) plate.
Soviet scientists discovered that by training their cosmonauts on vibrating platforms in the months prior to flight, they could build up a 'bank' of bone density which their cosmonauts could use up while in space.
All this allowed them to stay in space longer, staying in the flow of space experiments and establishing new records for continuous days in space.
Can Russian space technology help you stay in work flow while boosting your health and mental performance? With an increasing number of at home versions of WBV plates normally seen in gyms, you can now get the benefit of WBV at the office.
Space Flow = Work Flow
By just moving from your desk to standing on top of one of these WBV plates for 60 seconds at a time, you'll engage up to 95% of your fast and super-fast muscle fibers, increasing your overall muscle mass. [3] A Dutch study also shows that those who use WBV increase their alertness, cognition and neurogenesis - in other words, get smarter. [4] In addition, you'll trigger a cascade of positive changes within your body, including:
- improving bone density [5]
- increasing testosterone and human growth hormone [6]
- decreasing cortisol, the stress hormone [6]
- improving insulin sensitivity, which makes you less likely to get diabetes [7, 8]
- decreasing stiffness in your arteries [9]
- increasing fat loss, especially of visceral fat, the fat stored around the internal organs that is linked to heart disease, cancer & dementia - in this respect it is more effective than strength training or aerobics [10]
- increasing overall circulation and lymph drainage [11, 12]
- reducing cellulite [13]
WBV training is used by elite athletes to strengthen muscle and bone, but also by patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis [14, 15, 16] to reduce pain while increasing muscle. In the UK, most of the MS Societies have their own vibration plates for use by patients.
30 Minutes of Exercise in 150 Seconds
Studies indicate that you should not stay on the plate continuously for more than a few minutes - in fact, doing so for 7 minutes actually elevated cortisol and reduced jump height. The sweet spot seems to be doing two sets of five 1-minute on / 1-minute off's that are separated by 6 minutes rest (total time commitment: 24 minutes). [17]
However, the MS Society physio with whom I spoke in Bristol last month told me that 30 seconds spent on the vibration plate was equivalent to 6 minutes of exercise in the gym - so if you're aiming for 30 minutes in the gym, just 2 minutes, 30 seconds on the vibration plate, could get you to your goal.
Where Can I Try WBV?
The PowerPlate is probably the most well known of the WBV devices, but there are many others, including at home versions, such at the Personal PowerPlate (US$1,495 or £1,350 in the UK) and the Bulletproof Vibe (US$1,495). Many UK gyms also have vibration plates: Nuffield and Virgin Gyms all have them and the LEAR Gyms have TrueVibe.
Now you know the secret to getting fit without leaving the office or breaking flow, there are no more excuses to stay fit and stay in flow, without losing time going to the gym.
References
[1]Space Bones, Oct 1, 2001; https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2001/ast01oct_1
[2] Preventing Bone Loss in Space Flight with Prophylactic Use of Bisphosphonate: Health Promotion of the Elderly by Space Medicine Technologies, Feb 29, 2012; https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/benefits/bone_loss.html
[3] Benefits of whole-body vibration training on arterial function and muscle strength in young overweight/obese women. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28077859
[4] Good Vibrations – Effects of Whole Body Vibration on Attention in Healthy Individuals and Individuals with ADHD. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0090747
[5] Effect of 6-Month Whole Body Vibration Training on Hip Density, Muscle Strength, and Postural Control in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1359/JBMR.0301245/full
[6] Hormonal responses to whole-body vibration in men. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10774867?access_num=10774867&link_type=MED&dopt=Abstract
[7] Whole Body Vibration Improves Insulin Resistance in db/db Mice: Amelioration of Lipid Accumulation and Oxidative Stress. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26945578
[8] Whole-Body Vibration Mimics the Metabolic Effects of Exercise in Male Leptin Receptor–Deficient Mice. https://academic.oup.com/endo/article/158/5/1160/3070534
[9] Effects of whole body vibration training on body composition, skeletal muscle strength, and cardiovascular health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4697776/
[10] Effect of long-term whole body vibration training on visceral adipose tissue: a preliminary report. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20484941
[11] The Power Plate- A Revolution in Fitness, Wellness, and Healing. http://www.vibratech.co.il/_Uploads/dbsAttachedFiles/163.-A-Revolution-in-Fitness-Wellness-and-Healing(3).pdf
[12] Whole-Body Vibration and Blood Flow and Muscle Oxygenation: A Meta-Analysis. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4560014/
[13] Whole Body Vibration Helps Reduce Cellulite: Research Shows Exercising on a Whole Body Vibration Platform Helps Eliminate the Appearance of Cellulite. https://powerplate.com/education-training/research/whole-body-vibration-helps-reduce-cellulite
[14] Therapeutic Effect of Whole Body Vibration on Chronic Knee Osteoarthritis. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3764345/
[15] In Patients with Established RA, Positive Effects of a Randomised Three Month WBV Therapy Intervention on Functional Ability, Bone Mineral Density and Fatigue Are Sustained for up to Six Months. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27073832
[16] Effects of long-term whole-body vibration training on mobility in patients with multiple sclerosis: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26421830
[17] Using Whole Body Vibration in Physical Therapy and Sport E-Book. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GTTLuzrRreAC&pg=PA70&lpg=PA70&dq=WBVT+hormones&source=bl&ots=L5Xx4stP5C&sig=4EaemUl_AW_XXch4Qv0wBCgrB5w&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=snippet&q=cortisol&f=false
Photo credit: Clem Onojeghuo at Unsplash