Sometimes in this job you come across something that sounds too good to be true. So in that pipe dream, glass half full kind of way you try to prove that it is, in the hope that you'll be wrong and reap all the benefits. So far, I appear to be winning. I'd been vaguely dieting, and had lost a few pounds but then hit the "now I need to exercise" plateau. So I decided to start small, and gadgety.
Power Plating is supposed to be THE toning technique for the short of time (and possibly inclination). A 25-minute session is the equivalent of an hour of weight training because all poses and reps are carried out on a large vibrating platform. Here comes the science bit...
Because of the combination of taut, vibrating muscles and the extra work you need to do to stay upright, 60 seconds of poses like holding a squat, slowly lunging, or doing bicep curls with a strap is much tougher on your body. The average session moves through 10 - 15 poses, some held for 30 seconds, others for the full minute, targetting legs in particular but also upper body strength, bingo wings, ab flab and more.
But does it work? Being a poor editor, and not willing to give up too many lunchbreaks a week, I'd opted for one session a week over eleven weeks. Here are my thoughts at the half-way stage...
Week One: My introduction. The instructor, who looks like a young Steve Jobs, asks about my back injury and calmly talks us through a number of poses. It feels distinctly odd, my glasses juddering on my nose and chest swaying so alarmingly I feel like warning the woman next to me that she may get a concussion. Still, I get used to it, although walking away from the centre I appear to have had a flag pole inserted in my rear, or so you might think from my stiff walking gait.
The "no sweating" rule only seems to apply once you've really got used to it, but it's really only a mild schvitz. I'm left energised and pleasantly tired. But... oy, the pain. It doesn't kick in til the next afternoon, but bloody hell. I'm "reliably" informed that the more I put myself through this, the less it'll ache. I can only assume that it must work if it's this painful.
Week Two: This session's female instructor really puts us through our paces - no slacking allowed. This time the soreness starts almost immediately, but more mildly, and is less noticeable the next day. My fellow jigglers range from superfit young professionals to a 60-year-old woman who has shattered virtually every joint in her body at some point through showjumping and motorcycling (she's pretty cool and has become completely evangelical about Power Plate, claiming it's made her Pilates classes a walk in the park after only 4 weeks of thrice-weekly sessions).
Week Three: I skipped a week due to illness, so it's tougher on the ol' legs this week. However, this time, very little soreness and the poker / ass walk has diminished greatly. Our male instructor is definitely softer on us.... but... why are there no men in any of these classes?! I've dropped 3lbs in the last three weeks, though, which given that my diet is still identical, means I must have broken the plateau with exercise (just this and walking). And I'm more or less a size 14 on top now, too. Bodes well.
Week Four: My God, that woman scares me. I don't mind being worked harder, especially as I'm only doing it once a week, but she keeps giving me really disparaging looks. And she's never once asked me about my health so she, unlike the male trainer, doesn't know I have metal and plastic pins in my back. She keeps to twenty minutes but an hour's walking up and down hills in Highgate yesterday had nothing on this. Despite gorging on apple pie and ice cream on a press trip and indulging in flu-abaiting, erm, chocolate biscuits, I've lost another 2lbs.
Week Five: Good news: Young Steve Jobs is back. Bad news: Scary Woman has evidently given him a few tips. Still, he helpfully gives options for those of us who are more feeble to try a slightly more manageable pose when necessary, and quickly leaps in to help a woman with back problems into a more back-friendly posture. There is some jiggery-arse-pokery going on afterwards - I'm walking incredibly upright with still-juddering buttocks. No weight loss, but that's due to 14lbs of chocolate cake eaten whilst celebrating this weekend. A woman maybe ten years older than me (guess) but twice as fit was straining today as well, so it's not just me, honest.
The verdict: Well, so far, so impressive; this gadget really does work. It does not replace cardio, so don't expect to turn into an 80s fitness video host overnight unless you're really dedicated, and the recommendation is up to three sessions a week. It is quite dependent on the instructor - you'll generally work harder for the more sympathetic ones. Plus it's probably not worth doing at home because the machines cost five grand, your posture might be damaging you and you wouldn't know it and spending that much on something you'll look at and get round to using "next week" is only going to kill you faster.
Weight loss overall: 5lbs (an average of 1lb a week)
Size loss: From standard, (i.e. M&S) 16 to 14 up top and 14-16 hips. Bra change from 36DD to 34E.
Good Vibes run half-hourly sessions for £20 (reduced to £15 for packs of ten or more).
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