HyperVibe whole body vibration

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The fundamental principle of vibration TRAINING is to cause rapid muscle contractions from the mechanical movement of a vibrating platform, via what is called a stretch reflex. Creating this reflex is not the only factor, we also need to have sufficient gravitational loading (G Force) to produce a TRAINING effect to develop muscle.

When using a machine that produces these 2 key factors, it is simply a matter of performing a series of simple exercises on the vibrating platform, usually within a 10 minute period.

It is the same reflex that causes a knee jerk reaction when your doctor strikes your knee that causes your muscles to contract during WBV. When a muscle is stretched rapidly, a signal will be sent to the spinal cord causing the stretched muscle to contract. There is a catch though, the vibration stimulus needs to be fast enough, just as the doctor needs to strike the knee fast enough to cause a knee jerk reaction. If the doctor strikes slowly there is no reflex. Similarly when using the HyperVibe, you need to get to a minimum12 HZ to initiate this reflex.

On a WBV machine, we measure the speed of the stimulus via frequency measured in Hertz (Hz). Frequencies below 12Hz are not fast enough to activate the stretch reflex, and for most people at 25Hz the reflex causes the muscles to contract as fast as they possibly can, so frequencies above 25Hz do not cause the muscles to contract any faster.

These reflex muscle contractions target not only our voluntary muscles, but also involuntary muscles such as the pelvic floor. Reflex muscle contractions also fire the muscle much more efficiently than voluntary muscle contractions that occur via conventional weight training. Finally, because the muscle contractions that occur as a result of the stretch reflex fire the muscles up to around 25 times per second, and fire the muscle more efficiently, your muscles will fatigue much quicker and a full body workout can be achieved in less than 10 minutes. The benefits that result from this kind of muscle activation include: 

• Improved muscle strength and power - increase jump height, limb strength, and functional capacity.
• Increased muscle tone - Increase muscle mass giving better definition, shape, and appearance.
• Increased co-ordination - Stronger muscles use fewer fibers for the same task and therefore are easier to control.
• Improved bone density - Muscle pulling on bone builds bone, weight-bearing exercise builds denser, stronger bones.

Using a machine in a frequency setting below 12Hz will have little if any effect on the benefits listed above. When using a machine below 12 Hz (the majority of machines available are below this), the stretch reflex will not be activated and a user can expect the following benefits. 

• Relaxed muscles - The massage effect helps you to unwind, recover & relax.
• Increased flexibility - Improves range of motion in muscles and joints giving better mobility, reducing stiffness and tightness.
• Improved balance - Improve proprioception and core stability

The resistance required to develop strength and build lean muscle on a WBV machine, is a combination of our body weight and the G force produced by platform. Generally speaking, a G force of over 8G’s is necessary for muscle development, whilst less than 4G’s is sufficient for the elderly and rehabilitation, and on the other hand, athletes may train with up to 20G’s. The amount of G force a user is exposed to, is the result of the frequency (Hz) and amplitude settings. The G force output will be changed when either of these two settings are adjusted. The easiest way to understand G force, is to think of it as the load your muscles are resisting against, when lifting weights we add more weight to increase the resistance, when vibration training we add more G force to increase the resistance.