Crazy fitness?

People are becoming curious about the whole body vibrational (wbv) exercise  platform. Back in the days of the USSR, the Soviet space program did have some spin-offs.  Russian physiologists developed this vibrating platform for their cosmonauts as a means of reducing muscle wasting and bone density loss during and after prolonged weightless conditions.

Many kinesiologists consider it a powerful whole body vitalizer.

The theory behind this is much the same as the theory behind exercise in general; understand the body as an adaptive mechanism. This kind of vibration challenges the body with a continuously multi-directional vibrating movement, and the body compensates with adjustment to maintain stability. The natural reflex to stabilize the body occurs at the cellular, muscular, and neurological levels.

At the muscular level, basic muscular physiology is stimulated to increase the efficiency of muscular contraction, including muscle fibre ability to control proper cross-bridging and appropriate muscle cell chemical exchange. Fast-twitch muscles are targeted. At the neurological level,  electrical signals from the nerves to the muscular system are being adapted to provide a sharper and clearer signal so that the muscular system functions more effectively.

Exercising on the whole body vibration machine thus offers offers the cellular, muscular, and neurological  physiological benefits of challenging physical conditions. Many Other sporting activities obviously trigger the same primal functional instinct. 

Ten minutes a day is enough to provide some worthwhile health benefits.  Athletes can use the vibrational platform to increase strength, agility, and flexibility.

Seniors with low mobility can use it to gradually build stamina. Vibrational platform exercise has been shown to be helpful with increasing bone density and mitigating the onset of osteoporosis.