G-Force Calculator
Summary
With a suitable machine and correct technique Whole Body Vibration can stimulate the body in a variety of unique and beneficial ways not possible with other forms of exercise. Research confirms that a number of direct effects on the body are possible:
- STIMULATION OF MUSCLE & OTHER REFLEXES
- AN INCREASE IN GRAVITATIONAL LOAD
- MOBILISATION OF JOINTS & MUSCLES
- RAPID HEATING OF JOINTS & MUSCLES
The type of machine and the settings used determine the degree to which you experience those effects, if at all.
FACT: Not all Whole Body Vibration machines can generate these effects on the body to a significant degree, in fact, most cannot. Read the rest of this page to find out why.
A Hypervibe machine is one of very few machines with the right combination of power and features needed to generate these effects on your body in a significant way.
The key to Whole Body Vibration effectiveness is G-force. A review of the research literature indicates that insufficient G-force is the #1 reason for disappointing outcomes in many if not most cases.
The Basics
Riding A Wave Of Energy
When you stand or place other parts of your body on Hypervibe's moving platform, the repetitive upward movement of the platform sends pulses of kinetic energy up through your body. You control the strength of these energy waves using the machine's control panel.
As each wave moves up through your body some of the energy is absorbed by the tissues of your body and is converted to heat. Muscles and joints feel and operate better when they are warm. Whole Body Vibration has been proven to create a warming effect in muscles and joints faster and easier than other types of exercise.
The upwards movement of the platform also causes movement in the joints of your body which has a mobilising effect and causes the muscles and tissues surrounding the joints to stretch and vibrate.
Reflex Activation
Your brain is constantly monitoring the position of your joints and will increase muscle activation in an attempt to stabilise your posture when there is a risk of you becoming unbalanced.
Further, if the stretching and vibration of tissues is sufficient, microscopic sensors inside your body detect these changes and quickly activate reflexes that cause the muscles to contract, keeping joints and soft tissues protected from excessive movement. The strength of muscle contraction depends on the strength of the energy pulse coming up from the platform and the health of your nerves and muscles.
Warmed Up and Ready
Repetitive pulses of sufficient energy cause rhythmic muscle contractions. As the contracting muscles burn energy this becomes an additional source of heat. In a short time, the cumulative effect of warming and mobilising the joints and muslces as well as the increase in circulation caused by muscle pumping leaves you with a pleasant feeling, makes movement easier and prepares the body for working optimally.
Frequency, Amplitude and Gravitational Load
Frequency
The Frequency of vibration is a measure of how many times the platform moves up and down each second. A Hypervibe has a minimum frequency of 6Hz (six times a second) and a maximum of 28Hz.
NOTE: Many Whole Body Vibration Machines do not display the frequency of vibration and for those that do it can often be inaccurate and a lot lower than expected. Download the FREE REPORT to see the real output of 18 vibration machines as tested by an independent engineer.
Higher frequencies generate a faster platform movement and deliver more energy to your body however your muscles respond best to frequencies within a certain range. For example, the weight of existing research shows that muscle stretch reflex activity peaks around 30Hz. At frequencies above 30Hz, the stretch reflex becomes less active or even inactive leading to no further stretch-reflex-mediated increases in muscle activity.
Similarly, when the frequency is below 12-15Hz the platform may still trigger the reflexes that cause muscles contractions however the amount of energy generated by the platform is too small to cause a high degree of muscle activation.
Amplitude
Amplitude is a measure of how high the platform moves above its horizontal resting place. The total distance a platform moves up and down is called its peak-to-peak Amplitude or its Displacement. A Hypervibe machine has a peak-to-peak Amplitude of 11 millimetres.
Larger amplitudes cause a greater amount of movement of muscles and joints and generate a stronger response from the organs controlling muscle reflexes. If however, the amplitude became so large that it caused you to bounce up and down off the platform, the exercise would become ineffective.
Small amplitudes are more comfortable for doing upper body work on the platform however they will reduce the stimulation to your body and for lower body work could render the exercise ineffective. You should exercise with the largest amplitude you feel comfortable with.
Gravitational Load (G-force)
The upward movement of the platform causes the body to accelerate upwards. Imagine the example of standing in an elevator. If the elevator was to move downwards at high speed it would make you feel light, almost like floating. If however it suddenly slowed to a stop and immediately moved upwards with rapidly increasing speed it would feel like your body just became a lot heavier and you would have to push down with your legs to keep yourself upright.
With a high frequency (eg. 28Hz) to create rapid movement and a high amplitude (eg. 11mm) to create a sufficient amount of movement, Whole Body Vibration creates an effect similar to the elevator moving upwards, it's as if your body just became a lot heavier. You feel this acceleration as a force on your body, a force called G-force which is adding to the force of gravity pulling you toward the Earth.
Because of this additional gravitational load, your muscles have to work harder to keep you upright. When a Whole Body Vibration machine can generate a high degree of G-force using frequencies close to 30Hz you get the additional effect of stretch reflex muscle activation resulting in your muscles working hard without you actually having to try; the machine is doing the work for you.
NOTE: Most Whole Body Vibration Machines are not capable of generating high G-forces. When 17 Whole Body Vibration machines were tested by an independent engineering laboratory, the average G-force was found to be 4G, barely more stimulating than simply getting out of bed. A Hypervibe machine can safely generate in excess of 17G. Download the FREE REPORT to see the real output of all 18 machines.
If you have been out of condition for some time or are recovering from an injury or poor health, you may need to limit the intensity of your Whole Body Vibration exercise to begin with. Using lower frequencies will limit the G-force.
G-force is the most important factor when it comes to stimulating the body to improve with Whole Body Vibration. If you want maximum results with minimum time and effort your aim should be to use the highest G-forces you feel comfortable with for 5-10 minutes each session.
"Humans Thrive With Enough Gravity But Perish Without It!"
The human body thrives when under sufficient gravity but perishes under low gravity. Think of what happens to Astronauts in the zero-gravity of space. According to Dr. Per Tesch of Sweden's Karolinska Institute, Astronauts lose muscle at a rate of 2% per week and bone at a rate of 1% per month. eg. A man with 60kg of muscle would lose 11kg of muscle after just 10 weeks in zero-gravity.
The same happens to someone exposed to extended bed-rest. Lack of exposure to gravity in an upright posture causes:
- Muscle loss
- Bone loss
- Cardiovascular degeneration
- Decreased red blood cell production
- Weakened immune system
- Balance Disorders
These are all reversed when the Astronaut returns to Earth's gravity. Russian scientist Vladimir Nazarov discovered that Astronaut recovery happened much quicker when the Astronauts used Whole Body Vibration. Using Whole Body Vibration gave the Russian Space Program a secret advantage enabling Russian Cosmonauts to stay in space three times longer than American Astronauts.
