Is this good for me ? The answer is yes, it is called Hyper-Circulation and a lot more is going on than you expect.
Usually moving blood around the body is thought of as the hearts job. But considering Vibration Training is not really a cardio workout, and your heart rate barely increases, why do peoples circulation go nuts during their workout. And by nuts I mean instant suntan bright red and super itchiness. Just like a long distance runners legs. I mean you are not even moving so there should be only a small increase in blood flow.
You muscles become little hearts....
The Venous System is a series of small and large veins with valves built into them, to allow blood to only flow in one direction towards the heart. Some of these veins are embedded inside your muscles which means that when the muscle is compressed, the blood in the veins if forced to move around the body. This is why its important for people to get up and walk around occasionally on flights, because the action of your heart is not enough to stop your blood from settling in one place and creating a clot, it needs the muscles in your legs to contract to stop that from happening.
During Vibration Training your muscles are not only contracting at a much higher rate than the fastest runner, but with a lot more pressure than you could exert yourself. Every muscle quite simply becoming a little heart pumping your blood around your body. So in a traditional "King Exercise Pose" as used in the safety program
http://www.vibra-train.com/exercises-bullet.html you may be using 20 or so muscles at a time. That's a massive increase in circulation.
So why does my skin go red and itch ? Well the finer vascular system in your skin is not used to this kind of action, and will contain a lot more blockages or clots than you realize. Even in a very healthy person. When the blood tries to rush through the skin it gets held back by these little blockages and causes the blood to collect in the skin. The "back pressure" gives the same sensation as an itchy-bite and make your skin go bright red. Irritating but actually good, because every time you do this you are actually flushing out the skin and you will eventually get rid of those blockages, at which time your skin will stop itching during your workouts.
Vibration Training also thins your blood .......
Another effect on the blood that is not well known is it helps keep your blood thin, which in turn helps with circulation. How this works is very simple. Vibration Training does not allow the cells in your blood called Platelets, which have sticky surfaces, to stick together and form clots. It helps keep the blood at a nice regular viscosity rate ( thickness ) . This increases the speed at which the blood can be pumped around the body and it may get into areas that it normally might find hard to flow through, so you can get itchy in some pretty strange places. Like your ears, nose and eyes. The places with really, really fine veins.
Is having thin blood good for you ? Yes. It helps you keep an even blood pressure and can even help prevent heart attacks and strokes. Something I believe will become a big thing in the future once the medical industry starts looking at this form of training properly.
Swollen hands......
Some people experience swelling in the hands the first time they do Vibration Training. This has nothing to do with blood flow but instead a very similar increase in the flow of
lymphatic fluid. This also gets pumped around your body by mainly muscle action and it can also get very easily clogged up. In fact I would say everybody except maybe the very young have a slightly slow and clogged up lymphatic system. This system is even finer than the vascular system and can take some time to clear any back pressure. It wont be as itchy as the rush of blood issue, but it can freak some people out. It will go down by itself in a few hrs and if you are prone to this, take off any rings you have on next time you train.
The good news is only takes about 10 sessions to clear out any blockages and it wont happen again as long as you keep training regularly. And keeping this system active and flowing helps with your immune system so you want it to be cleared out.
Why do only my hands swell ? Well your arms unlike your legs will not be used to any pressure unlike say your legs which already receive a relatively good pump each time you go for a walk. Your hands will be completely unprepared for such an intensive experience. And no, no-ones arms have fallen off yet so it is perfectly safe.
So all in all, red skin, itchy ears and swollen hands is not such a bad thing.
At least you know something is being moved around right ?
