3 Rules to remember
1. Any Vibration does not = Vibration Training
2. Light Vibration = Therapy
3. Heavy Vibration = Training
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The Safety Program Explained
In 2004 when I first designed the safety program I fully understood it would not be appreciated for some years. Below are the main reasons behind the program and hopefully gets everybody thinking about the multiple things a program has to take into account.
Static not Dynamic ......
The moment I tested the first machine I knew better machines would be developed, and I knew I would be developing them. With it peaking at 6.24Gs I saw massive room for improvement and knew I was only looking at part of a machine. But as with lifting heavier weights at the gym, range of motion, form and restricted poses comes into play. I knew if we were going to surpass the present machines design and power, and develop true High Energy Lineal machines, the same mindset of safety first must be maintained. If I was going to be pushing this science I had better have some foresight.
Now at first I played with the notion of people doing static and/or 1 third range of motion ( 60 degrees to 120 degrees ) dynamic workouts. Because I did appreciate the cardio aspect of movement, even though I knew it took a chunk out of " pure" involuntary reflex training as I understood it. But trials showed no-one could restrict their movements as everyone swung way too low or came up way too high. And these people were already personal trainers or athletes so the average consumer had zero chance of understanding a Safety Dynamic workout.
When I released the first High Energy Lineal machines I banned all dynamic poses and concentrated on "pure" involuntary reflex formulas. Relaxed and static at precise angles.
I still believe this long term will prove to be, for the average person, the safest form of High Energy Lineal Vibration Training.
The Poses .......................
This decision was so fundamentally simplistic in nature that I sometimes forget even professionals forget the basics at times. All the poses are based on "King Exercise" principles. Which essentially is a limited number of poses that are known to engage multiple muscle groups, in a "primary" through to "supporting" muscle group pattern. This is natural and unforced and how the human body is designed to take extremely heavy loads or impacts for fractions of a second.
Now just to make this clear, we are talking about 6-12 times your own mass. Unlike anything you will experience on a daily basis. So it seemed logical to use well known and tested poses, that use as many muscles in each pose as possible, rather than go for what I saw as much riskier "isolation" set of poses and hope the hell nothing breaks. Remember we are dealing with new technology and its introduction to the consumer here.
So if we must move forward in one region of the science, we must remain cautious in another.
The Order Of the Poses..............
The order of the poses was a balance of a few things.
Proving ground..... This is where exercises are done in a particular order to show up strengths and weaknesses that allow your trainer to know what direction to go in.
Eg..... The first pose is a basic squat and is a movement anyone who stands up, or sits down, can or should be able to replicate. It is a very simple pose but takes some discipline, body awareness and strength to hold correctly even though there is a handle bar for balance. If a person is unable to even get in the position within the first 8 seconds before the machine turns on, then the trainer automatically knows that assisted squats ( with side handle bars to take weight through the arms ) is going to be needed. If this can not be done then a sitting position is recommended.
Imagine if the first pose was the super squat. Zero support, which means a slight failure and the person falls. The poses are simply done in such an order that any issue will be picked up very quickly by a trainer before any mishaps.
Note: This subject is massive and almost needs an entire book to explain every possible scenario. But this is where my studio owners and other associates contact me directly for further advice.
Warming up......... Now again people fail to register that clients jump on these machines cold, not warmed up, so even though you strictly do not need to warm up to do Vibration Training there are certain areas of the body you should always be careful of, and one of these is the back. It is the number 1 body part for ACC claims, nothing else even comes close. So to not take that massively into consideration when planning a program would be ignorant and a disaster waiting to happen.
Eg. Pose 1 is a squat, your back muscles get a small workout. Next the push-up, again no strain in the back just a warm-up. By the time you get to the end of your tri-cep dip, you have just warmed up your whole body and gotten a massage on the lower back. Its is only then I get you to directly work your back, and straight after that what is the next pose? A stretch to take out any pressure we may have created.
Fighting Obesity / Cardio Safe.........
Getting someone who is truly obese to engage in exercise is already hard enough. The static limited pose program has a few things over other programs. It does not appear daunting to those who are not already fit, and its static nature means there is little pre-conception as to what it is going to be like. Over weight people may find it harder than others but they are able to hold on, unlike dynamic based exercises where they would just fail to complete a movement. This avoids embarrassment and prompts a sense of achievement.
The fact only a small cardio response is elicited during the program means that it is safe for people with mild heart conditions. Even the smallest amount of dynamic movement changes the cardio response and raises blood pressure. This whole side to the safety program is dear to my heart, as it is the very reason I got involved in this industry in the first place. I truly believe Vibration Training is going to play a major role in fighting global obesity.
It is called a "Safety" Program for more reasons than one.
Fiscally responsible .........
Again right from day one, this program was designed for what was going to happen, not what was happening at the time. There is such as thing as a "tipping point" for the type of thing we are doing, when in a flash Vibration Training will go mainstream and everybody will want to train this way. When doing the math's I realized if each customer stayed on the machine for longer than necessary to get great results, due to the program or machine being inefficient, no-one would be able to get the numbers through to make a profit.
(1) The machines had to be high quality High Energy Lineal.
(2) The program needed to not waste a single vibration in an ineffective pose.
(3) The program needed to be 90% teachable to the average consumer, or the ratio of staff to customers would again stop any studio turning a profit.
(4) The set structure means you can tell where someone is in their program at a glance. This is important when running multiple machines in a large room.
The only way some studios are keeping open at present is by charging outlandish prices, to make up for their inefficiency. But trust me their days are numbered.
The 10 min workout ............
For the average person this is very important selling point and reason for doing Vibration Training in the first place. Look what happened with Power Plates head studio in my country, they constantly received customer complaints that their advertised "10 minute workout" actually took 45 mins. Why ? Because I was the one that came up with the 10 min slogan and it was entirely based on High Energy Lineal ( not Medium Energy Plastic machines ) and the attached safety program. They lacked the tools to give anyone a workout in 10 mins, and seeing as that is the most repeated phrase in our industry, that is going to be a big problem for anyone in their boat when this thing gets big.
Proof: All their customers left and went down the road to a studio actually offering what it was advertising.
My Arrogance.........
Of course the entire program and everything I have predicted to date is based on a few things most people may not agree with.
(1) My High Energy Lineal theory is the future of Vibration Training.
(2) My machines will be copied by most manufacturers eventually.
(3) The 8 second delay will become standard.
(4) The average price of a session should be approx. $10 ( not just for the wealthy )
(5) This is going to be the biggest thing the fitness industry has seen. And we need a base program to launch it off and the "tipping point" will not come until that is organized.
I hope this article cleared up a few questions and the reasoning behind the Safety Program, and encourages you ( if you have not already ) to consider making it your standard program.
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