The vibrating platform of the DKN WBV units transfers small vibrations from the platform to the body. When standing on the unit your muscles respond to the vibrations. This mechanical stimulus produces a stretch reflex which, depending on the selected frequency, results in muscles vigorously contracting 25 to 50 times per second.
Yes, through the increased activation of your muscles WBV increases the production of regenerative and repair hormones, improves blood circulation, strengthens bone tissue, improves lymph drainage and increases basal metabolic rate.
Yes, all muscles and joints that are stretched during the training are fully mobilised. The vibration also loosens adhesions, which positively influences flexibility even more. Research has shown that stretching with WBV provides greater increases in flexibility than stretch exercises alone. By using DKN WBV in different positions (as shown on our exercise-poster) it is possible to stretch different muscles. The Golgi tendon organs are activated during training, which promotes a high measure of relaxation (tendon-reflex). An extra advantage is that muscles are lengthened in a functional and active position, while not decreasing explosive muscle strength.
In principle you could exchange your cardio-training for WBV if you were to perform all the exercises dynamically and have little or no rest in between. Vibration training can attain many of the benefits of cardio-training but there will not be increases to heart and lung capacity which is the main result of traditional cardio-training. If you are an athlete using WBV as a part of, or in preparation for, regular training, it is recommended to integrate cardio-vascular training in a complete program. In that way WBV will work as a catalyst and will enhance the effect of the cardio-vascular training.
As you can see on our instruction poster it is easier to perform some exercises with a step, as doing them without one requires a fair amount of muscle strength in the hamstrings. If you do these exercises without a step you will notice that your feet will shift/slide on the vibrating surface of the WBV unit. WBV unit does not provide the step.
Vibration training has 40 years of research behind it’s science. Because astronauts experience a significant decrease in bone density during their stay in space, therapies were required in order to counteract this symptom. The growing number of elderly people also initiated research into the connection between vibration training and bone density. It turned out that vibration therapy improved bone density enormously. In the middle of the 20th century scientific research also showed that vibrations transferred to the body will cause a stretch reflex in which the muscles are contracted continuously. In the former Soviet Union, this principle was put to use in improving performance in sports. During the 70's, many Russian scientists (e.g. Nazarov, Issurin) have studied the effects of vibration training, where a great increase was found in muscle strength, flexibility and recuperation capacity. In the western world this new form of weight training was largely unknown. Only after the Iron Curtain was pulled down, scientists from Israel and Italy rediscovered and developed the principle of vibration training. In the therapy field local vibration methods have been used for years, both preemptively and in recovery and rehabilitation after injuries. With any technology, the individual needs to take a critical look at the research and validity behind it. Whole Body Vibration has been featured in such prestigious and influential peer reviewed journals as Spine, Journal of Bone and Mineral Density, and Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. With it’s potential applications, new research is constantly being initiated across numerous North American and European Universities.
You can perform the exercises statically (without movement) or dynamically (with movement) with WBV. During our daily activities we use our bodies, and many of our muscles, dynamically. That is why dynamic exercises are more functionally effective (closer to the normal use of the muscles). If the WBV unit is used for therapeutic treatment the therapist may choose to perform the exercises statically. You will also have to begin your first training sessions on the WBV unitwith static exercises in order to learn the proper technique, so that you will be able to perform the exercises in the best possible way.
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