Durban – by Nick Tatham. Durban – A major attribute that the Power Plate equipment possesses is its ability to be diverse and to provide whoever uses it with a platform for training and recovery whether they are professional athletes or recreational sportsmen and women.
The equipment is used by many international sports people and teams throughout the world and the team at Prime Human Performance Institute in Durban is also making use of the Power Plate to get the best out of their elite athletes as well as regular clients.
2018 FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon hopeful Jenna Ward has been gradually worked onto the Power Plate and her trainer, and one of the head Biokineticists at Prime, Jaryd Rudolph enjoys the versatility of the Power Plate.
“You can use the Power Plate for so many different exercises and sports,” Rudolph said. “From mobility to release exercises and warming up for sessions, it provides the perfect platform for athletes to prepare and recover from their competitions.
“I use Power Plate with paddlers, golfers and also marathon runners, so it can help anyone.”
Recently, Prime HPI hosted a number of Power Plate Workshops that encouraged medical practitioners from around the country to attend and gain a better understanding on how the equipment works and how to maximise the effectiveness of it.
“I have known and used the Power Plate for quite a long time but the courses that were hosted at Prime helped us understand the capabilities of the machine and to help in us using it to get the best results for our athletes and clients.
Ward, women’s 2017 Two Oceans Marathon runner up Jenna Challenor, and a number of golfers have been using the Power Plate as part of their training sessions, it has become an integral part of training.
“I now use the Power Plate as part of every training session,” 2016 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championship K2 silver medallist Jenna Ward mentioned.
“Having been put on the machine by my trainer Jaryd, I am now seeing the positive impact that it is having on my training and races, as well as in my recovery.”
Durban – by Dave Macleod. As part of the Legacy programme that stemmed from the recent International Conference on Elite Sport held in Durban in August, global vibration technology leaders, Power Plate, donated state-of-the-art equipment to sport High Performance Centres in Mtubatuba and Newcastle, as identified by the KZN Department of Sport and Recreation.
Power Plate is an in-demand piece of equipment by international athletes at sporting events around the world, to help athletes prepare their bodies better for training and competition, reduce risk of injury, and speed up recovery.
The innovative Football For Life project in Mtubatuba took delivery of two Power Plate units to support the broad range sporting and lifestyle programme run by Swedish trainer Anna Nyman, who supports a large network of local youths with sweeping sport conditioning, lifestyle, empowerment, and wellness programmes.
From left: Football for Life Programme Manager Anna Nyman, Power Plate Representative Erica Minter, Competition Director at SAFA Nathi Mthethwa, Director of Prime HPI Brendon Goodenough, Councillor Bukhosini, Jay Mannikam, Technical Director in the region for SAFA Johnson Mpanza at the Power Plate Legacy handover at the Football for Life Academy in Mtubatuba on Thursday.
“I went to the Power Plate workshops that were hosted at the Prime Human Performance Institute during the recent International Forum on Elite Sport,” said Programme Manager Nyman.
“The Power Plate is quite new to me and we are using the machine for injury prevention for the players, through warm up and core stability exercises.
“The team are very excited to be using the machine and I am sure we will see the benefits of it in the not too distant future.”
A day later the Newcastle High School, that has been designated by the Department of Sport as a regional Sports Focus school, was the recipient of two Power Plate machines that will become integral to the High Performance Centre that is being established at the school.
The town’s mayor Councillor Musa Ngubane was delighted that the Newcastle sport node had been singled out as a recipient for the donation of equipment.
“Newcastle is a sport hotspot,” said Ngubane. “Newcastle and the Amajuba District has got talent. We are working hard at giving opportunities to local sportsmen and women, and trying to keep them here rather than lose them to Durban.”
School principal Manuel Govender said the long term plans for the school’s High Performance Centre was part of their holistic plan for their learners.
From left: Principal of Newcastle High School Manuel Govender, Power Plate Representative Erica Minter, Mayor of Newcastle Councillor Musa Ngubane at the Power Plate Legacy handover at the Newcastle High School on Friday
“Ever since this school was identified as Sport Focus School we decided to take it to a whole new level.
“We are identifying learners from rural areas that do not have the ability to go to a gym to refine their ability in their sport. We want to become that facility.”
He added that investment in their High Performance facility had shown immediate results.
“The impact has been huge,” said Govender. “We have seen marked improvement in our athletes’ conditioning and the results they are achieving, leading to their selections for the regional Amajuba District teams.
Power Plate representative Erica Minter said that the legacy programme was a key component of reaching into disadvantaged communities in territories where advanced technology for elite sport development was not affordable or easily accessible.
“Power Plate can do so much for so many people. It can be life-changing on so many different levels.
“In areas where youngsters might not necessarily be able to reach their full sporting potential, it is really rewarding to be able to facilitate this.
“We have a great partnership in place with the local government and the Prime Sport Development Trust to ensure that the machines get used optimally to help young athletes achieve their full potential,” she added.
Durban – The Prime Human Performance Institute has added the updated Power Plate Pro7 unit to its state-of-the-art sport conditioning, training and injury rehabilitation facility at the Moses Mabhida stadium.
After concluding the partnership with Performance Health Systems to supply the latest Power Plate Pro7 unit and work together on a number of mutually beneficial projects in the coming months, Prime HPI managing director Brendon Goodenough said the addition of the Power Plate upgrade was part of their drive to bring the best technology to their athletes’ training and recovery programmes.
“We have advocated the use of Power Plate technology for some time now, and we are excited to have the latest Power Plate upgrade available at Prime,” said Goodenough.
“The Power Plate Pro7 effectively allows an athlete to prepare faster, perform better and recover quicker,” said Erica Minter of Performance Health Systems.
The vibrations from the new expanded Power Plate platform accelerate motor learning by forcing reflexive subconscious neuromuscular action, triggering involuntary muscle reactions 25 to 50 times per second.
Triathlete Mhlengi Gwala at work on the Power Plate Pro7 unit at Prime Human Performance Institute, with (from left) Erica Minter of Performance Health Systems, Prime HPI director Brendon Goodenough and Ayanda Dlungwane, the administrator of the Elite Athlete Development Programme (pic: Gameplan Media)
“That does a fantastic job at muscle activation,” said Dennis Jackson, Prime HPI director and biokineticist.
“We use it extensively for movement preparation before an athlete goes into a training session.
“That’s in line with the latest research that shows that proper movement preparation prior to a session enhances mobility and reduces the risk of injury,” said Jackson.
“The Power Plate is excellent at strengthening of specific muscle groups, like quads and hamstrings,” said Jackson.
He added that the Power Plate was also a key element used in injury rehabilitation and recovery, as it stimulates circulation for post workout recovery and planned regeneration days.
“It is very useful, particularly where an injury is still too painful to allow full mobility. It allows us to work at strengthening the muscles without risking injury,” he said.
The unit is regularly used by elite athletes working with Prime HPI under the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport and recreation’s Elite Athlete Development Programme.
With the increase in the size of elderly populations in the world, osteoporosis and sarcopenia (the loss of muscle mass and strength) are important public health issues.
Postmenopausal osteoporosis treatment has typically focused on screening, diagnosis, and early therapy. Treatment of osteoporosis is a long-term process and typically involves the prescription of drugs with potential adverse effects. This kind of treatment may not be 100% preventive of its development and consequences. Lifestyle factors that are within a person’s control are important to treatment and prevention, and these include nutrition, smoking, alcohol intake, and movement/exercise.
The rapid decline in bone density at menopause is attributable to lower hormonal levels, and this is a very important time to start taking action for your bones to prevent osteoporosis in your later years.
Although exercises are widely used to enhance muscle strength and flexibility and to prevent bone loss, there are conflicting results when measuring the effect on bone loss of different types of exercises. Walking and jogging, while popular, do always show uniform results, and can be potentially harmful for people with impaired balance and flexibility, and jogging is certainly not the most popular exercise of choice for post-menopausal women, what with reduced pelvic floor muscle strength and potential incontinence issues. (See our Power Plate Healthy Mums Programme for a programme designed especially for restoring pelvic floor and core strength).
Safety of physical activity is an important consideration in the management of osteoporosis, due to the increased risk of falls, since quite often the fact that people in this age group already have compromised strength and balance.
Research shows Power Plate can help…
Scientific literature reviews consider Whole body vibration within a specific range of appropriate parameters, including frequency, amplitude, and peak-to-peak distance, to be a safe form of physical activity. The mechanical vibration from whole body vibration can influence a number of body processes and systems to help prevent the decline, to increase, or maintain bone mass.
Osteocytes are mechanoreceptors within the bone and respond to the EMG activity of the muscle responding to the vibrations. There is an increase in circulation and the fluid dynamics within the bone, as a result of forces applied by muscle to bone during physical activity. There is also mechanical strain applied directly and indirectly through the hydrostatic elements within the bone. The bending/deforming of bone by the action of the muscle contractions induced by the vibration also produce electrical charges, which in turn stimulate bone formation. Whole body vibration also has an anabolic effect on soft tissues, muscle and bone and with increases in growth hormone, parathyroid hormone and testosterone, muscle loss and osteoporosis can be limited.
Long term consistency is key…
Across extensive literature reviews of the effect of whole body vibration and post-menopausal osteoporosis, the best outcomes were found when
frequency range was between 12Hz and 40 Hz
amplitude was between 1 mm and 12 mm
G force was between 0.3 g and 6.4 g
the person participated in 2 to 3 sessions per week
the duration of the intervention was a minimum of 6 months
CHICAGO – September 21, 2017: Power Plate® today announced it has obtained NEAT™ certification for its entire product line. NEAT™ is an acronym for Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, developed by Mayo Clinic. Devices that meet certification criteria may showcase the NEAT™ trademark.
NEAT™ focuses on the daily calories an individual burns while doing normal, non exercise related activities. NEAT™ certification requires an Institutional Review Board (IRB) study with more than 20 participants that results in at least a 10 percent increase in calorie burn versus a baseline.
Leading obesity expert James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., and the Mayo Clinic Active Life Research Team spent a decade conducting medical research on nutrition, physical activity and behavior related to weight management and obesity prevention. Their research concluded that a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic is the decrease in energy expenditure resulting from a lack of movement in daily life.
The research found that increasing NEAT™ in daily life can result in overall improvements in health, reduced obesity risk factors and weight loss.
“Even though people recognize the effects of being overweight, the obesity epidemic continues to grow. It is a challenging public health issue,” said Lee Hillman, CEO of Performance Health Systems, owner and manufacturer of Power Plate. “NEAT™ certification is important to us and our customers because it indicates we are contributing to improving people’s health.”
About Power Plate
Power Plate is owned, manufactured and distributed by Northbrook, Ill.-based Performance Health Systems LLC, a global company that delivers advanced technology solutions through its health and wellness equipment. Power Plate is the global leader in vibration technology to help you prepare faster, perform better, and recover quicker. It makes you feel better by stimulating natural reflexes, increasing muscle activation, and improving circulation. Power Plate enhances any movement, simple or complex, typically performed on the ground.
About NEAT™
The science behind NEAT™ indicates that the cumulative effect of non exercise activity is significant. Activities such as walking to meetings, pacing while on the phone, cleaning the house, cooking, and climbing stairs are all part of non exercise activity that result in burning calories during daily living. NEAT™ does not include the calories burned during intense periods of exercise such as long-distance biking, running, jogging or aerobics.
Certification testing must reoccur every three years or whenever significant changes are made to the product. Certification does not mean that Mayo Clinic endorses the product but rather it proves the product meets specific criteria.
To learn more about NEAT™ and the certification process, visit mayoclinic.org/neat/certification. Mayo Clinic and Dr. Levine have a financial interest in the technology referenced in this news release. Revenue Mayo receives is used to support its not-for-profit mission in patient care, education, and research.
The Power Plate® Healthy Mums Programme has been launched to help mums restore core strength and lose “mummy tummy”. Power Plate and Burrell Education have introduced a specialised, video-led, home-based programme for mothers to restore core and pelvic floor function.
Jenny Burrell
Power Plate has collaborated with top international post-natal recovery specialist Jenny Burrell, to bring you the Power Plate Healthy Mums Programme, specially designed for every mother who’s short of time but wants and needs an effective, time-efficient fitness and wellness programme that will get her strong, fit and toned, from the inside out – in less time!
Jenny has been working in the field of pregnancy, post-natal fitness and wellbeing for nearly two decades, as well as helping hundreds of busy women regain awesome health and fitness after having babies. She has educated thousands of fitness and wellness professionals and has taught her systems for this very special population worldwide.
The thinking behind it
The Power Plate Healthy Mums Programme was created because we all know that mums are BUSY, and fitting in an effective workout, nourishing food, some stretching and a little relaxation can all be challenging within a normal day.
This programme helps mothers work ‘smarter and not harder’ by following a simple, enjoyable ‘movement’ and nutrition programme that also emphasises the value in having a little lie-down too. It incorporates sessions that will improve pelvic floor and total core strength, help reduce back pain, reduce incontinence, and not only mean mums look great, but are stronger from the inside out.
Testimonials
Nicole Santos, business development manager for the New Zealand distributors of Power Plate, and mother of twins, says: “For months my baby bump was a source of joy and happiness. Once I was finally united with my two little boys, it was time to deal with the changes I experienced in my body. I found that nutrition together with the Power Plate Healthy Mums programme has given me a way to beat the bump and work towards getting my pre-baby body back. My improved core and pelvic floor strength has given me back so much confidence. And it fits perfectly into my hectic days!”
The Power Plate Healthy Mums Programme can be purchased online right hereor from specialised retailers, including Life Eastridge Pharmacy (Mission Bay), Eastside Studio (Parnell), Unichem Faulkner’s Pharmacy (Tauranga), Total Body (Gisborne) and Fit Fit Fit (Grey Lynn).
The equipment is used by many international sports people and teams throughout the world and the team at Prime Human Performance Institute in Durban is also making use of the Power Plate to get the best out of their elite athletes as well as regular clients.
After concluding the partnership with Performance Health Systems to supply the latest Power Plate Pro7 unit and work together on a number of mutually beneficial projects in the coming months, Prime HPI managing director Brendon Goodenough said the addition of the Power Plate upgrade was part of their drive to bring the best technology to their athletes’ training and recovery programmes.
NEAT™ focuses on the daily calories an individual burns while doing normal, non exercise related activities. NEAT™ certification requires an Institutional Review Board (IRB) study with more than 20 participants that results in at least a 10 percent increase in calorie burn versus a baseline.
This programme helps mothers work ‘smarter and not harder’ by following a simple, enjoyable ‘movement’ and nutrition programme that also emphasises the value in having a little lie-down too. It incorporates sessions that will improve pelvic floor and total core strength, help reduce back pain, reduce incontinence, and not only mean mums look great, but are stronger from the inside out.
The Power Plate Healthy Mums Programme can be