Published: Friday, August 25, 2017 By: David Howatson-Begg Power Plate and our education partners have been extremely busy lately. Hosting our friends from EXOS and Gray Institute during seminars in the UK in recent weeks has allowed some of the world's leading coaches to come together. With so much brain power in one room there has been the inevitable mix of discussion, exploration and adulation! During our session with EXOS, the focus was on sports performance but it also brought up some questions on how our methods effect the general population. Which Settings Should We Use For Strength? With so many of the coaches in attendance working with pro athletes, strength and power were on their minds. We know Power Plate is a unique tool in activating or 'switching on' muscle tissue. Naturally the settings are dependent on a mix of research and the tolerance of the individual involved. From 50 years worth of studies, a frequency of 35Hz (vibrations per second) seems to be the 'Goldilocks' zone - not too intense but not too gentle. This is a good place to start to activate muscle and develop strength for athletes or other well-conditioned individuals. The rest of us would be better placed to begin at around 30Hz in terms of frequency and build toward that higher number. When is HIGH Too High? Professional athletes will be able to work on a higher amplitude versus a low setting but only for short durations. Having the Power Plate set on 50-HIGH is intense. So much so that we generally only recommend it for massage. A sports person could potentially be exposed to HIGH for a single exercise and for 10-15 seconds. Normal humans, like myself, would fatigue pretty quickly on a higher setting, which would lead to poor movement and even discomfort. Save that high setting for massage and keep Power Plate on LOW to move freely without restriction. Which Model of Power Plate Should I Buy? Thankfully there are a number of models to fit a number of environments. Most of the coaches in our seminars love the pro5HP (High Performance). This model has no column or handlebars allowing you to work around it 360 degrees. The HP will also take the most amount of load in the family of Power Plate equipment, allowing for well over 400 pounds of weight. A big athlete at over 300 pounds could be jumping, kettlebell swinging or barbell lifting safely on the pro5HP. However, our seminar guests were most intrigued by the Personal Power Plate. Many athletes and sports teams are currently using our most portable model to take to away games or on tour. Players also benefit by taking the Personal Power Plate into their homes and hotel rooms to ensure their preparation and recovery is as good as it can possibly be. If you have any questions related to sports performance or your everyday performance goals, please get in touch with us via powerplate.com/contact-us and across social media. By David Howatson-Begg, Performance Health Systems UK Master Trainer Facebook: david_howatson Twitter: @howeyDPT Instagram: david_howatson