The Power Plate (with all due respect, I can’t stop laughing)

September 7, 2006 – 12:53 pm

by Rigel

The Power Plate is a machine that looks like “a doctor’s office scale on steroids” and can supposedly help people lose weight in just 10 minutes a day 3 times a week by standing on its vibrating plates.

Amazingly, there is some scientific research to back it up. We’ve all heard of the “fat burning belts” that you strapped on that were supposed to get rid of a beer belly while you sat on the couch. The Power Plate is based on the same principle only on a much larger scale- targeting the entire body instead of one small area.

Although there is some evidence to support the health benefits (weight loss as well as improvements in arthritis, osteoporosis, and other ailments) Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise, was quoted as saying “This is not a magic bullet that helps people lose weight without doing anything. If you are a healthy individual, wbv training should be a supplement to a sensible diet and exercise program.”

I don’t doubt that there may be some benefit to using this machine, but it really just strikes me as hilarious. I have this vision in my head of a gym, with several of these machines lined up in a row, and a bunch of jiggling wiggling hopefuls trying to focus on the TV while vibrating or trying to watch the little red vibrating numbers on the calorie dial. I just hope they have a dress code.