FitSugar

Celebs Like to Shake It

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:50:58 PDT

At first, the Power Plate seems like another gimmicky weight-loss product, but its website features endorsements from fit celebs like Madonna, Courteney Cox, and Hilary Swank. On top of that, it's used by over 60 college and pro sports teams, and the Police brought one with them on their reunion tour. That's some serious ~~celeb~~ street cred.

The secret behind the Power Plate is its vibrating plates. The manufacturer claims that if you stand on it for 10 minutes a day, three times a week, you'll lose weight, tone your body, and improve bone density. To really maximize the benefits of the machine, it's encouraged that you do the same exercises you would do on the floor - sit-ups, for example - on the Power Plate.

Cougar Town actress Cox says the Power Plate was essential in shaping her up for her new role: "The Power Plate machine has dramatically changed my workout. I know that every muscle in my body is being ignited in ways that you can't do with traditional training."

To see a video of Cox's trainer Michelle Lovett demonstrating the Power Plate,

Vibration Workouts: Some Benefit Claims on Shaky Ground

FitSugar — Thu, 31 May 2007 10:15:00 PDT

I have never tried a Power Plate, but something about it just reminds me of those vibrating belt machines from the 1950s. You know, where you put the vibrating belt around your bum and it was supposed to jiggle all the fat off.

Basically, there are two major players in vibrational exercise these days, one being the Power Plate, which is a small standing platform that vibrates really fast with a handle (it kind of looks like a floor polisher or a vacuum cleaner on steroids). The other Whole Body Vibration, made by Soloflex, is an over sized vibrating skateboard with no handles. You can pretty much do any move on these machines, from squats to yoga poses, from push-ups to standing hammer curls. The workout is closer to weightlifting than aerobics, like strength, core and balance training all rolled into one.

The list of claimed benefits from this type of workout is rather long: improves flexibility and strength, reduces pain and stress, builds muscle and reverses osteoporosis, but the most praised benefit by far is the decrease in workout time. Getting all shook up while doing alternating lunges really taxes your muscles. NASA is even investigating vibrational strength training as a means of reducing muscle atrophy and bone loss that accompany long trips in space.

Interested in the downside of this kind of workout? Then

read more However, some researchers are not completely sold on these vibration workouts. The major concern being that high-amplitude vibration can be dangerous over time since it sends jarring waves throughout the body. This jarring motion could create low back pain, cartilage damage, blurred vision from retinal tears, hearing loss and even brain damage (gray matter being shaken too hard in the skull). Soloflex even recommends using the device only 30 minutes a day. More than that and you exceed industry standards for safe vibrations in the workplace. I never thought I would hear OSHA rules applied to fitness machines. Keeping all this in mind, I still want to try a vibrational work out, do you? Let me know in the comments below.

No Joke: The Shake Weight Works Muscles 66 Percent Harder

Self — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:36:37 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar!

It's the stuff of dreams for raunchy Saturday Night Live comedy writers, but the Shake Weight might be worth more than just a few laughs.

In case you haven't heard of the Shake Weight, it is, according to its makers, the "revolutionary new way to shape and tone your arms, shoulders and chest." Basically, it's a 2.5 pound dumbbell with springs on either end, and instead of merely lifting, you, yes, shake it. Exercise physiologist Amy Dixon, group fitness manager for Equinox in Santa Monica, Calif., isn't surprised the Shake Weights are selling so well - according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), in its first year on the market, more than 2 million Shake Weights were sold and they have since surpassed the 4.5 million mark. "People are always looking for the new hot product and the quick fix," Dixon says. "This product promises fast results and has a marketing campaign that promotes the idea of 'sexiness' - if you want sexy arms like the people on the commercials, you need a Shake Weight!"

But will it really give us sexy arms? Wanting to test out some of the claims made by the Shake Weight informercials - primarily that the Shake Weight can "increase your upper-body muscle activity by up to 300 percent compared to some traditional weights" - ACE commissioned a team of exercise scientists from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. The researchers compared the degree of muscle activation when using the Shake Weight to using a traditional dumbbell of equal weight, and they came up with some interesting results.

So, does the Shake Weight actually work? Find out after the break.

Take a Look at the 2010 CEW Award Winners!

BellaSugar — Mon, 24 May 2010 06:00:00 PDT

On Friday, members from the prestigious Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW), along with some very excited beauty brand reps, got together to find out the winners of the annual Beauty Awards. Celebrities like Whitney Port, Kim Kardashian, and Selita Ebanks were on hand to dish out the awards, along with host Mario Cantone. To win a CEW award is pretty prestigious stuff, so to find out what products received top honors, just keep reading.