Power Plate machine is 'rehab for fit people'

By JEFF STRICKLER
Monday, April 30, 2007

Once you get past all the Hollywood hoopla about the Power Plate _ Madonna absolutely loves hers, as do Courteney Cox Arquette and Heidi Klum _ there's one thing that stands out about the machine for Kristin Procopio _ the thing works.

"It's a great tool," said Procopio, owner of the Studio U Pilates center in south Minneapolis.

Can it stand on its own as the only exercise you need the way some movie stars might have us believe?

"No. It's not the one and only tool. But it's still a wonderful tool."

In concept, at least, the device seems rather simple. A platform vibrates from 30 to 50 times a second while the user _ who can stand, sit or lie on it _ does a series of exercises. But the results claimed by the users are fairly complex. The benefits include everything from strengthening muscles and increasing circulation to accelerating the burning of calories and reducing soreness after workouts.

"When I first heard about it, my reaction was that it sounded too good to be true," Procopio admitted. But after flying to Chicago to work out on the machine herself, she bought one for her studio. Local hospital rehab centers and the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves also have the platform.

But the machine is scarce, and one reason is the cost: At $10,000, it's not the kind of thing that a casual user considers. It also has to be used correctly, which means having it attended by a personal trainer who has gone through the manufacturer's training course. A health club is not going to buy one and simply plop it down next to the stationary bikes.

"I can't throw you on it if you don't know what to do, because you won't get the proper effect," Procopio said. "There are also certain health conditions where you shouldn't use it all. People with new joints, for instance. Or women who are pregnant."

The main benefit of the machine comes from the body's instinctive reaction to the plate's movement, she said.

"If it's vibrating 30 times a second, every muscle you are working is contracting and relaxing 30 times a second, too," she said. "Your body is working to keep its balance. I compare it to trying to stand up on a bus that is driving down a gravelly road."

The ultimate result is more exercise with less overt work.

"I'm a big believer in the theory that you don't work the body to exhaustion," said Procopio, who spent 10 years as a licensed physical therapist before segueing into physical training six years ago. "Because of my background, I'm attuned to how the body works. I believe that at the end of a workout, you should walk out taller and ready to take on the world."

One of Procopio's first clients to sign up for Power Plate workouts was Lisa Bergerson, who said she needed some convincing about the theory, but now is a wholesale believer.

"I was one of those people who worked out until everything hurt," she said. "After this workout, I feel better than when I started."

The only drawback, Procopio said, is that sometimes the workouts actually seem too easy.

"The first day someone uses it, I only let them do three exercises," she said. "This is one case where more is not better. You have to build up slowly. Your body has to get used to it."

One thing that she hopes clients get used to is ridding themselves of the no-pain, no-gain mentality.

"This is rehab for fit people," she said. "This is for people who think that aches and pains are normal after exercise. They're not."