Powerplate
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Kylie's got one, so has Madonna and Natalie Imbruglia, not to mention the Arsenal football team, but what is it and why all the fuss?
The Powerplate is the latest 'must-have' piece of fitness equipment and the great news is that it promises to cut your workout time in half. A mere 15 minutes of the Powerplate is the equivalent to an hour in the gym. However, it doesn't come cheap. The top of the range Pro 5 Model costs £6,999, while the cheapest version on the market is £2,599. It works out a fair bit more than most gym memberships, but I'm desperate to give it a go. Thankfully, I don't have to shell out as classes are springing up in gyms like David Lloyd, The Third Space and even Harrods, which has its very own dedicated Powerplate studio.
Feeling like a 'lady-who-lunches' I head to Harrods for the first of four sessions, pausing only to panic about my tracksuit bottoms and trainers as I remember the rather strict dress policy. Successfully managing to dodge the doormen, I make my way up to the top floor for my first lesson (classes at Harrods are for up to four people).
Wearing my tracksuit bottoms and tee-shirt I'm shown into the studio and introduced to the Powerplate, a vibrating platform on which you perform a series of strength exercises. You can increase or decrease the level of the vibrations depending on your fitness levels. I start on the lowest level and it feels weird!
Standing on the platform in my socks (so you get the most out of the vibrations), I perform a series of squats, lunges, pull-ups, tricep dips, sit-ups and lateral abdominal work in the form of a side plank (ouch!) for one minute each. Well, that's how long I'm supposed to do them for. In reality some of the harder moves like the 'plank' - using your stomach muscles and arms to hold a push-up position - I only manage for a rather poor 30 seconds before my body turns to jelly and I flop pathetically to the floor.
My trainer smiles encouragingly. I ask her how long it takes before it starts to get easier. She says after coming three times a week for a few weeks I would notice a difference, but then she'd increase the vibrations to make it harder. To see real benefits she also said that I should be doing some form of cardio exercise two or three times a week such as jogging, cycling or even walking as the Powerplate is mainly resistance training.
The vibrations make the exercises so much harder that my arms are trembling from the push-ups and the plank. By the end of the 25-minute session my muscles are screaming at me to stop.
Thankfully, the session finishes with a couple of 'massages'. I lie down and put my legs then arms on the machine and the trainer presses down on them. This is more relaxing than it sounds, although I'm not sure how much good this actually does, but it's a relief to lie down! As I leave the studio I'm instructed to drink plenty of water and take a warm bath to help ease my aching muscles.
I tell myself 'next week will be easier', but next week comes and it seems even harder. My trainer admits that I seemed to be doing fine so she increased the vibrations. I'm concentrating too hard on performing the exercises to argue.
Four sessions in and it's still not getting any easier, but I'm noticing more definition in my arms and my core certainly feels stronger. There's definitely something in it.
Powerplate at Harrods costs £25 for 25 minutes. To book a session at Harrods call 0207 893 8518. To find out more about Powerplate visit www.power-plateuk.com
Top tip: Attend three classes a week for a month as well as doing some cardio and your body tone will visibly improve.
Buffing potential: ****
Worth the money: ***
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