By Di Heap, July 2009
One Client's Experience with Vibration Training
In my role as an instructor at Vibra-Train, I’m working with some customers who have found vibration training to be the perfect answer to their general fitness needs. It’s not an easy or instant change but a program that requires effort and commitment. The results I’m seeing are life-changing.
One of my customers has agreed to share her story:
Carol first came in to check out vibration training ten weeks ago. Her main goal was weight-loss. She wanted to look great and she had a definite time frame in mind as she was travelling to U.S.A. at the end of June to visit family and have a vacation. Her trip would involve long distances of travel by plane and car, along with staying in various hotels and homes, and eating out at restaurants and parties.
Already having a nutrition plan in place, Carol asked if vibration training could get her to the weight and fitness goals she wanted. In our studio we usually have a Body Composition Analysis machine which gives a printout showing muscle-fat diagnosis, the percentage of each, and rates this against best results, along with other measurements and an overall fitness score. This gives a starting position but it was out at another branch so Carol simply recorded her starting weight.
We talked about her understanding of weight-loss so that she understood that she should not expect to step on the scales after a week and have lost weight. Starting a program of vibration training causes the body to use fat for energy and being a type of resistance training it increases the body’s metabolic rate so the rate of fat burn continues long after the session’s over and into the next day. At the same time the person builds muscle, so weight-loss does not take place right away. It’s fat-loss that’s the important factor!
I told Carol to look at her body shape in the mirror first thing the next morning, and again in three weeks' time, and she would see changes taking place. I reminded her again not to rely on weight change, and she was amused to know that it was even possible that she’d gain a kilogram or two of muscle mass before losing weight. She said she already knew that the female hormonal cycle can bring about fluid retention and at certain times this shows as an increase in weight. We agreed; there’s so much more to results than just a figure on a scale!
Her First Session....
The first position, a basic squat held for 60 seconds, on the lineal platform moving at 43Hz brought about moans of how hard it was. Moans were replaced by laughter as we continued through the session. I explained how the first visit is almost an assault on the brain as well as the body as vibration training is so different to all other exercise formats. Despite mixed feelings after her first session, Carol was determined to keep on training. The studio location was close to her workplace and the session times only 15 minutes so she could come in before work and she soon became accustomed to the vibration sensation and relaxed more, which immediately stopped the strange sensation of vibration in the head that some newcomers find annoying.
Carol never missed a session. She came in three times every week and pushed herself hard to keep in perfect position throughout the program. She progressed so well that she was moved from the level 2 platform onto the level 3 which challenged her even further.
Carol flew out from Auckland on Tuesday for her vacation. She looked amazing just as she’s hoped, and she worked hard to attain this. At her last session before leaving, she gave me a copy of the weight-loss tracking chart she’d been keeping. Along with feeling stronger, looking great (which a colleague of hers commented when he came in today for a session), Carol has lost 4kg (almost 9lbs) of weight. Her chart shows a slow, consistent weight loss starting after three weeks of vibration training, which was exactly as we’d told her. In fact, the amount she first lost seemed excessive and I encouraged her to eat more and to allow her training to produce the results, increasing muscle mass and shaping her body while decreasing fat. She was not after “weight-loss at all costs,” which she could have achieved with diet alone.
The mirror tells the story better than words and while I can’t show a picture of Carol, I can tell you she looks great. She is much slimmer in her waist and hips and very happy with her results. After her break she’ll be back to vibration training with a new fat-loss and fitness goal to attain.
The Truth......
Vibration training is hard work but it takes only 10-15 minutes for a session two or three times a week. You do have to get off the couch to drive to a studio (or go on the way to work as Carol did). You’ll achieve great results of increased fitness and toning if you put in the effort.
