Pensioner/Retired

I AM A PENSIONER/RETIRED IS VIBRATION TRAINING (VT) SAFE FOR ME?

VT is not only safe for those in retirement age but also extremely beneficial. In one clinical study performed on very old nursing home patients the results were not only safe but also startlingly beneficial to the quality of life:

• 143% improvement in physical function

• 41%improvement in pain

• 60% increase in vitality

• 23% increase in general health

• 57% improvement in quality of walking as assessed by the Tinetti test

• 77% improvement in equilibrium (compared with a 1% worsening in the control patients)

• 39% decrease in the required time to get up and go (compared to a 14% worsening in the control patients by the end of the study)

   

  CONTRA-INDICATIONS OF VIBRATION TRAINING. THESE INJURIES ARE THE RESULT OF HOURS OF VIBRATION AND OCCUR OVER 10-20- YEAR PERIOD. THIS DOES NOT MEAN VT IS HARMFUL. VT INVOLVES SHORT DURATION TRAINING SESSIONS AND THERE HAS NOT BEEN A CASE WHERE THERE WAS ANY INJURY RECORDED IN ANY CLINICAL TRIAL TO DATE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR SIDE-TO-SIDE OSCILLATING VIBRATION PLATFORMS BECAUSE THIS PLATFORM SIMULATES HUMAN GAIT (WALK). IN HUMAN GAIT ALL VIBRATIONS INVOLVED IN HIGH IMPACT EXERCISES LIKE RUNNING AND JUMPING ARE CUSHIONED IN A NATURAL MANNER BY THE LEGS, PELVIS, LOWER BACK AND WAIST. THE SAME TYPE OF CUSHIONING CANNOT BE CLAIMED BY LINEAR (UP/DOWN) PLATFORMS.

   

  WHAT FREQUENCY SHOULD I USE? IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU WANT TO DO:

   

  • To improve balance and co-ordination use 5-7Hz. Also used at the beginning of rehab of joints, tendons and ligaments followed by 26-28 Hz for strength.

     

  • To increase circulation, stimulate the lymphatic system and general relaxation 10-12Hz.

     

  • General muscle functioning, strength and tone as well as fat reduction 14-16 Hz. Use high amplitude (place your feet at the extreme edges of the platform) for a harder contraction.

     

  • Osteogenesis 14-30 Hz and place the feet at the extreme edges of the platform as you progress

     

  • Extreme speeds of 25-60 are recommended for amplifying muscle power and speeding up fat reduction. A strict progression of speed and amplitude should be followed for optimum results.