In addition, Whole Body Vibration employs the law of motion to improve functional force.  Increases in strength, stability and power in the human body are a result of exercise in which either more mass or more acceleration is applied.  Most exercise and training programs use more mass, Whole Body Vibration instead uses more acceleration.

The effects of vibration depend on the properties of the muscle itself.  The response of the TVR is influenced by the frequency of vibration, whether the muscle is relaxed or contracted, the level of pre-contraction of the muscle, the position of the body (static) or association with movement (in terms of where a muscle is shortening or lengthening), as well as the combined effect of all the muscles surrounding the joint.  The vibration is not only perceived by neuromuscular spindles but also by the skin, the joints, and secondary nerve endings.

Dr. Biermann’s work was further developed in the 1970’s by Vladimir Nazarov, a Russian scientist, who began experimenting with the use of vibration on athletes. Nazarov observed a substantial increase in the flexibility and strength of the athletes studied after the application of vibration.  Nazarov is credited with developing Biomechanical Stimulation which uses vibration stimulation directly on muscles or tendons.

Shortly thereafter, the Russian Space Program began using the localized vibration training to prevent bone density changes in their cosmonauts.  They recognized that this new exercise had the potential to provide suitable countermeasures for preventing bone and muscle loss caused by exposure to zero gravity environments (outer space).  Whole Body Vibration was later used to enhance the performance of Soviet athletes during their exercise training.

Until the dissolution of the Soviet Union, WBV was only really known about and used by the Soviets.  During the 1990’s, WBV began to leak into the West. By the turn of the century, vibration platforms with various types of displacement were available on the market as the technology was gaining attention.

The industry is growing at an incredible rate and new developments in applications for and benefits of WBV are being discovered constantly.  Today NASA, The Russian Space Institute, and the European Space Agency are experimenting with various types ofvibration systems in an effort to further develop the technology and gain the ultimate benefits from vibration stimulus.

The Energize Your Life initiative will be implemented primarily through the second half of 2011, with the initial phase coming on-line in May with the introduction of all-new support materials for specialty fitness retailers, all of which feature the new tagline “Energize Your Life”. This will soon be followed by significant web updates, a targeted media outreach campaign, the introduction of a specialty dealer newsletter focused on education and sales training, and multiple dealer promotional programs (including several that will help dealers utilize social media as a tool for driving store traffic). By late Q3 and Q4, PowerVibe’s specialty dealer programs and even retail sales training will carry the Energize Your Life theme.

For the full press release go here

Vertical vibration devices offer low amplitudes, usually 2-6mm for training and less than 2mm for therapy, with high frequencies, most commonly 20-50Hz.

Pivotal vibration, produced by reciprocating vertical displacements on the left and right side of a fulcrum, increasing the lateral accelerations.  Pivotal vibration devices offer larger amplitudes, usually 10-14mm for training and less than 10mm for therapy, with lower frequencies, most commonly 5-30 Hz.

Despite the larger amplitudes of pivotal vibration systems, the vibration (acceleration) transmitted to the head is significantly less than in vertical vibration systems.

Biomechanical parameters included in Whole Body Vibration are: body position; amplitude; frequency; magnitude; and duration.  The effects of WBV depend on the parameters being used:

• Body Position – the position of the users’ body on a platform.  This determines the amount of stimulus and area of the body in which the vibration is focused.
• Amplitude – the extent of the oscillatory motion (distance traveled), peak-to-peak vertical displacement in millimeters.
• Frequency – the number of impulses delivered per second (repetition rate of the cycles of oscillation), measured in hertz (HZ).
• Magnitude – the acceleration of the movement, in g’s (where 1 g is the acceleration due to the Earth’s gravitational field or 9.81 m/s2) commonly referred to a g-forces.
• Duration-the total amount of time that a person spends on the platform, in seconds or minutes.

Considering the numerous combinations of variables possible, it is apparent that there are a wide variety of WBV platforms and training possibilities available.  Furthermore, with the ability to differently position the body as well as using some external loads, such as resistance bands or free weights, there are a lot of training possibilities.