Take it easy at the gym

New in Dubai – a machine that works your muscles as you just get on it and wait for all of 10 minutes

More often than not when the clock finally grinds to 5.31pm, trudging to the gym for an after-office workout is the last thing on the agenda. But imagine if the usual 90-minutes of blood, sweat and tears was instead replaced with a 10-minute wait – on the spot.

Fancy trading gym workouts?

In this not-enough-hours-in-the-day culture, the bosses at the Madinat Jumeirah may just have the answer.

The Jumeirah hotel is leading the way by installing the first Power Plate machine in its exclusive fitness centre, the Quay Club (open to membership).

The state-of-the-art piece of equipment is capable of training almost every muscle in the body. All you do is get on and stay still. What more could an avid exercise-avoider wish for?

It's the new kid on the block in the world of health and fitness and as usual, Dubai is leading the way across the Middle East.

The Power Plate, which is already used the world over, is a revolutionary product which generates vibrations that are transferred from a platform into the body, training each muscle fibre including the deep muscles.

Powered by celebrities

Celebrities who use the machine include Julia Roberts, Ivana Trump, Jane Fonda, Michael Schumacher and Barbra Streisand.

And the VIP list doesn't end there. The machine is also used by English Premier League football club Arsenal, American basketball team the LA Lakers and Scottish football champions the Glasgow Rangers.

The Power Plate uses Advanced Vibration Technology (AVT) and is backed by more than 40 years of research and on-going scientific studies.

It is one of the most unique fitness and rehabilitation devices on the market today and was originally developed in the Netherlands.

It has applications ranging from elite sports conditioning to training elderly and sedentary individuals.

But wait for the best bit – you only have to "train" (if you can call it that) for 10 minutes!

The dreaded 90-minute slogs, three times a week, can be transformed into a fun, relaxing shake for 10 minutes after work.

In the short training time of only 10 minutes a day, three times a week, Power Plate will allow you to achieve a new level of health, fitness and sports performance.

A recently published study in the American scientific journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise shows that using the Power Plate 10 minutes per day, three days a week, compares to 60 minutes of conventional training with weights in a fitness facility.

It is the strangest feeling.

You step onto the platform and hold the rails before you feel a series of vibrations take over your body.

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Power Plate Middle East is based in Dubai, and plans to open dedicated Power Plate centres across the UAE.

Advanced Vibration Technology exploits the body's innate reflexive response to disruptions in stability in order to stimulate enhanced muscle strength and performance.

The Power Plate produces a vibration through which energy is transferred to the body. This mechanical stimulus produces a stretch reflex that, depending on the frequency, results in rapid and intense muscle contractions 30-50 times per second.

Vibration training on the Power Plate offers a host of benefits such as considerably improving muscle strength, flexibility, range of motion, bone density and stimulating blood circulation.

Reducing pain

Additionally, studies have proven Power Plate's ability to reduce muscle pain and soreness, and expedite the recovery of damaged muscles and tendons.

Just as the leg kicks forward involuntarily when the doctor strikes the lower knee to test reflexes, the body's muscles engage in an involuntary reflexive contraction in response to vibration's disruption in stability.

The body's reaction to this mechanical stimulus is all natural and occurs involuntarily at the neural level.

The Power Plate was invented by Guus van der Meer, a member of the Olympic coaching team in the Netherlands and noted innovator in the field of exercise and athletic training.

Seeking ways to improve conditioning and performance of elite athletes, Van der Meer uncovered research on whole body vibration exercises that had been performed by scientists in Russia and Eastern Europe.

Intrigued, he investigated whole body vibratory-training equipment and evaluated it's suitability for athletes under his supervision.

Dissatisfied with the quality of available vibration training devices, Van der Meer assembled a team of designers, engineers and manufacturers to develop a superior machine.

Finding that only precisely calibrated frequencies and amplitudes could unleash the potential of their unit, and engage the body correctly, they created Advanced Vibration Technology, which is a form of scientifically calibrated Whole Body Vibration.

These calibrations consist of a series of scientifically measured frequency levels that produce quantitative results.

Although originally developed to train elite athletes, it was soon discovered that Power Plate's AVT, and Advanced Body Vibration as it is also known, has nearly unlimited benefits for physical therapy, longevity and anti-aging, sports rehabilitation, beauty and wellness, alternative medicine, fighting osteoporosis and more.

Studies are done year-round on the Power Plate, as new benefits and key applications are validated all the time.

The Power Plate was introduced in the Netherlands in 1999 and today is licensed for distribution in over 24 countries.

Benefits

It can enhance an individual's general well-being and quality of life regardless of age, medical, neurological or physical condition.

Vibration training on the Power Plate is used to substantially: