FAQ

In a research lab at the Mayo clinic, Dr. James Levine has worked tirelessly to develop the concept of “non-exercise activity thermogenesis” (NEAT). The concept of NEAT is quite simple; the body does not care whether you are sweating it out at the gym or cleaning your bathroom. With either activities, work is work and a calorie burned while running on the treadmill is no different from a calorie burned while scrubbing the floor. His work, supported by clinical research, is redefining our concept of what constitutes “healthy activity”.

While Vibration Training is in no way classified as “non-exercise”, the concept of NEAT shows us that all the body requires is muscle contraction, no matter the source, to burn calories and thereby promote better health, weight loss, and an improved metabolic rate. In a recent study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology (Ritzmann et al. Apr. 2010), it was confirmed that the movement of the Vibraflex whole body vibration platform can effectively create involuntary muscle contractions. In other words, by properly positioning yourself on the platform and holding that position, your body will work ON IT’S OWN, through the stretch reflex, to burn calories. In just 10 minutes of usage, thousands upon thousands of these muscle contractions occur.

Vibration Training can be done by anyone with varying amounts of effort required by the user. The thousands of contractions, done throughout 90% of the muscle, work rapidly to not only use stored energy from fat cells, but assist the body in adjusting its metabolic rate to burn calories faster when you are not training.  When this is combined with proper nutrition, the result is rapid and painless weightloss. All you need is 10 minutes!

Below is a partial list of professional athletes, professional sports teams, certified trainers, health & fitness facilities, universities and physical therapists who use the patented Galileo vibration technology (on which the VibraFlex is based) as part of their training/rehabilitation program and also to accelerate recovery from injury and/or disease.

Celebrities:

Courtney Cox
Kevin James
Steven Tyler
Mary Tyler Moore
Chris Mortensen

Professional Athletes:

*Lance Armstrong
Tour de France-Winner 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

Woody Clouse
2006 & 2007 Team USA Racquetball Champion
2006 Racquetball World Champion (+35 yrs.)

Jim Gillette
Competitive UFC Fighter

Robert Herbst
AAU World Powerlifting Champion-165lb. Class 1999-2001, 2002 (2nd), 2003-2005, 2006 World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation (WDFPF) World Championships (2nd), 2007 AAU World Championships (1st), WDFPF World Championships (1st), 2008 AAU World Championships (1st), WDFPF World Championships (2nd), Westchester Sports Hall of Fame.

Sven Hannawald
Olympic Ski Jump Winner in Salt Lake City 2002

Corey Maggette
Los Angeles Clippers, Guard

Martin Schmitt
Olympic Ski Jump Winner in Salt Lake City 2002

Michael Uhrmann
Team World Championships 2000/2001 Larthi, Olympic Ski Jump Winner at Salt Lake City 2002

Astrid Kumbernuss
Shotput European Champion 2003, World Champion 1999

Christoph Langen
Bobsled World Champion 2003, Team Salt Lake City

Stelian Moculescu
Coach, German National Volleyball Team

Gregor Haslberger
Coach, German National Kart Team

Jurgen Wolf
Coach, German National Ski Touring Team

Professional Sports Teams:

Boston Celtics
Chicago White Sox
Detroit Red Wings
Florida Marlins
Los Angeles Kings
Miami Dolphins
*Miami Heat
New England Patriots
New Jersey Nets
New York Giants
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76er’s
Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Coyotes
Pittsburgh Pirates
Roush Racing - NASCAR
Toronto Raptors
Washington Nationals
Washington Redskins
AC Milan - National Soccer Team, Milan, Italy
German National Men’s Volleyball Team
National Men’s Volleyball Team in:

Frankfurt, Germany
SC Charlottenburg Berlin, Germany
VfB Friedrichshafen, Germany
SV Bayer Wuppertal, Germany
SC Schwerin, Germany

German National Olympic Training Center in:
Rhein-Neckar in Heidelberg
Stuttgart
Frankfurt
Podsdam
Berlin
Schifferstadt
Saarbr´cken
Neubrandenburg
Munich
Warendorf

German National Ski Union Training Center in:
Eberbach
Winterberg
Hinterzarten
Rastb´chl-Breitenberg

Certified Trainers:

Mike Boyle, M ed., ATC
Strength & Conditioning Consultant

Mark Jenkins
Celebrity Personal Trainer

*Gunnar Peterson, CSCS, CPT
Personal Trainer (NBA, NFL, NHL)

*Juan Carlos Santana, MEd, CSCS, NASM-CPT
Leading Practitioner of Functional Training

Herm Schneider
Head Athletic Trainer, Chicago White Sox

Kathy Smith
Fitness Trainer

Health & Fitness:

Central Ave Fitness
Redington Beach, FL

Gold’s Gym North Hills
Raleigh, NC

IV’One Fitness Studios, LLC
Red Bank, NJ

Maxim Health & Fitness
Brooklyn, NY

Motion Health Inc.
Alberta, Canada

*NYSC (Town Sport International)
New York, New York

Primal Fitness
St. Charles, IL

Rossmoor
Walnut Creek, CA

*Total Workout
Huntington Beach, CA

Universities

Arizona State University
Phoenix, AZ

Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI

Duke University
Durham, NC

Florida International University
Miami, FL

McMaster University
Ontario, Canada

New York University
New York, NY

*Ohio State University
Columbus, OH

University of Delaware
Newark, DE

University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN

University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE

University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, TX

West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia

Yale
New Haven, CT

Rehabilitation/Physical Therapy:

Academic Healthcare Center
Old Westbury, NY

Advanced Orthopedic Specialists
Brighton, MI

*Advanced Scientific
Dyess AFB, TX

Affiliates in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Fairfield, OH

Applied Physical Rehabilitative Services, Inc.
Centerville, OH

Atlas Medical
Australia

Back-n-Balance
Evanston, IL

Balance in Life
Muskegon, MI

Baptism Rehab Center
Paducah, KY

Bauman Physical Therapy
Lexington, KY

Bellefontaine Physical Therapy
Bellefontaine, OH

Berger Health Systems
Circleville, OH

*Big Horn Orthopedic Group
Powell, WY

Bowie Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine
Bowie, TX

Cameron Memorial Community Hospital
Angola, IN

Casa Dorinda
Montecito, CA

*Catalysis Group Inc.
Ontario, Canada Centra State Medical
Freehold, NJ

Comprehensive Care
Gary, IN

*Diamond Physical Therapy
Algonquin, IL

Dr. Frederick Buechel, Jr.
Naples, FL

Dr. Victor Gribenko
Brooklyn, NY

Dr. Barbara Jessen
Seattle, WA

Dr. Seung Kim
Flushing, NY

Dr. Hoon Park
Wappingers Falls, NY

Dr. Seth Powan
Irvine, CA

Ephesus Medical & Sports Services
Turkey

Good Bodies
Wilmette, IL

*Homecure, Inc.
Tempe, AZ

Jocson Strength & Conditioning
Howard Beach, NY

Lenny Physical Therapy
Cherry Hill, NJ

Medical Hospital of Union County
Marysville, OH

Memorial Hospital
Chester, IL

*Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
Miami, FL

North Pacific Physical Therapy
Portland, OR

Orland Therapy Specialists
Orland Park, IL

*Pain Relief and Wellness
Cathedral, CA

Physical Therapy and Wellness
Rensselaer, NY

Physical Therapy of Chicago
Chicago, IL

Physician’s Back & Neck Clinic
Athens, GA

Physicians Group
Vernon Hills, IL

Puyallup Ankle
Puyallup, WA

Rehab Connections, Inc.
Mokena, IL

Rehab Consultants of Central Florida
Sebring, FL

Rehab Consultants of Central Florida
Wauchola, FL

Rehab Hospital of South Jersey
Vineland, NJ

*Rusk Institute
New York, NY

Select Medical Corp.
Palm Harbor, FL

Special Equipment Org.
Dublin, OH

Summit Physical Therapy
Dallas, TX

Weil Foot & Ankle Institute
Des Plains, IL

Chiropractic:

Dr. Silberberg
Long Beach, NY

Tancredi Chiropractic & Rehabilitation Center
Broomall, PA

Podiatry:

*A Step Ahead Foot & Ankle Center
Fort Collins, CO

*Weil Foot & Ankle Institute
Des Plains, IL

A. Vibration as a therapeutic and exercise tool dates back to Ancient Greece. It has been used throughout the medical and wellness communities ever since.  Whole Body Vibration technology systems were originally developed and researched in the late 1960s by the sports scientist Vladimir Nazarov. He first introduced this technology to competetive sports, ballet and medicine in the former USSR. It was then utulized by the Russian space program, the European Space Agency, and NASA for combatting the detrimental effects of prolonged exposure to zero gravity. These effects include bone density loss and loss of muscle mass.

Since then, research and usage of this technology has proliferated. Since most platform systems are created in Europe, most research originates from European publications. Presently, there are nearly 150 articles dealing with the positive effects of vibration technology. Presently, this technology is gaining ground in the US and is now being used by both high-level competetive athletes as well as individuals suffering from debilitating neurological conditions. In the past year alone, American researchers have proven its ability to improve body composition, bone density, muscle strength, and functional activity performance.

A. The key to whole body vibration is what is referred to as the “Stretch Reflex”. This involuntary reflex is what occurs when the doctor hits your knee or elbow with a reflex hammer. As a result of the rapid stretch to the muscle tendon caused by the tap of the hammer (or in this case, the oscillating platform), the muscle contracts to oppose the stretch. By using proper vibration frequency, amplitude, and the resulting acceleration, the platform creates thousands of these muscle contractions in a matter of minutes. These contractions occur in nearly 100% of the muscle; in comparison to the typical 40-50% involved in traditional exercise. As a result of this unbelievably high number of contractions comes a wide array of benefits.

A: The Vibraflex (or Galileo in Germany) is the only patented alternating vibration platform technology available. It also has the highest acceleration ratings in the entire vibration technology industry. This therefore means that it will elicit the strongest muscular response. The Vibraflex motion is designed to simulate the action of walking where one hip is up while the other is down. This means all actions on the Vibraflex are functional to the human body. This differs from the majority of most other platforms that move straight up and down.

It must also be noted that most of the Whole Body Vibration research throughout the world has been performed on the Galileo. Most other plates quote Galileo research to back claims for the effectiveness of their plates. When the reader is reading other papers it is important to firstly ascertain whether the study was done on a vertical or the tilting Galileo platform.

A: Develops explosive strength essential in sports such as baseball, basketball, football or hockey by
  increasing muscle fiber recruitment

• Improves muscle power, muscle strength & tone by increasing muscle fiber recruitment

• Increases overall muscle performance due to better reciprocal inhibition between flexors/extensors

• Increases blood flow warming/cooling the muscle before/after a game

• Increases oxygenation in the blood due to the aggressive muscle pumping action

• Raises testosterone (7%) and growth hormone (361%) levels

• Lowers cortisol (32%) level

• Washes out lactic acid and amino acids in the body due to the aggressive muscle pumping action

• Eliminates the effects of stress on joints, ligaments and tendons, compared to conventional
exercise

• Exercises and/or redevelops the postural muscles, joints and reflexes after injury

• Reduces acute and chronic lower back pain due to muscle strain

• Stimulates the neuromuscular system and helps to deepen and redevelop the neuromuscular
pathways

• Less stress on the cardiovascular system

• Improves postural reflexes due to the natural locomotor cross-over pattern of vibration

• Increases flexibility by providing an aggressive contract/stretch action

• Increases range of motion essential in sports such as golf, tennis, baseball or hockey

• Improves balance & coordination due to the improved inter and intra muscular communication

• Improves mobility due to the natural locomotor cross-over pattern of vibration

A: Users commonly report itching erythema, due to enhanced blood flow, following the use of the
VibraFlex exercise system. This effect usually subsides in minutes, as blood flow returns to normal. This
effect is a positive benefit of the VibraFlex as circulation to the lower extremities is improved.

A: The primary effect of Whole Body Vibration that improves recovery time and healing is the increase in blood flow that is generated from its usage. As the muscles of the body undergo hundreds of cycles of contraction and relaxation, we obtain the squeezing and relaxation of the blood vessels that traverse all of the target musculature. This milking effect of the vasculature can be achieved through other modalities such as intermittent compression or retrograde massage; neither of which is as fast or reliable. This increase in blood flow to the sub-acute or chronic staged injuries will courier valuable nutrition to improve the remodeling phase of an injury as well as fuel muscle cell metabolism. There is also likely a yet-to-be-determined mechanism that Whole Body Vibration activates at the cellular level. Much like Shockwave (high-energy ultrasound) and Cold Laser therapies, there is a metabolic “jumpstart” that Whole Body Vibration seems to generate at the cellular level. These modalities have literature that show efficacy, but the deeper mechanism has yet to be determined. WBV is suspected to be in the same boat, but there is no research to support this yet.

A: Training sessions of only 10 - 15 minutes, 3x a week produce measurable results.

A: Before starting any exercise program, it is important that you consult your family physician.
The VibraFlex should not be operated on a person who has any of the following conditions:

• Acute Inflammations in the Pelvis and/or the Lower Extremities
• Acute Thrombosis
• Bone Tumors
• Fresh Implants
• Fresh Fracture
• Gallstones
• Kidney or Bladder Stones
• Neoplastic Disease of the Spine (i.e. multiple myeloma and invasion of the spine,
metastasis to the spine, osteosarcoma of a long bone, etc…)
• Pregnancy
• Unsupervised Children

A: The VibraFlex was specifically designed for the fitness market based on the internationally patented Galileo technology established in the medical field. The Galileo vibration technology was used in the majority of the original research done in the field of whole body vibration training. The company’s bibliography has a cross section of research articles (50+)  that includes leading Human Performance researchers and American Universities (University of Miami, University of Texas, BYU) and also leading researchers in Europe (Bosco, Cardinale). As a publicly traded Medical Equipment company they are bound by different rules than infomercial style companies.

Others may point to the vibration literature; however, results from one system cannot be implied to another. Since the parameters of vibration can differ, the research must have been done on the system under evaluation. Until recently, competitors had Vibraflex equipment research on their site. If you use a VibraFlex then you will get the exact specifications that the research of the VibraFlex or Galileo yielded. We understand that there is a difference in the feel and effectiveness of different strength training equipment and so there is a difference in vibration training and the consumer wants the most effective device.

A:
1. Simulates the natural locomotor, crossover pattern
2. Provides for improved neuromuscular communication
3. Provides for better stabilization of the head and spine, resulting in less vibration
4. Provides for increased use of the postural muscles
5. Properly re-wires the neural pathways
6. Provides for larger amplitudes and forces resulting in greater work done, per
unit of time

A: Hertz is a unit of frequency, equivalent to “cycle per second”. When the VibraFlex is used at 24Hz
the targeted muscles are given 24 impulses per second, causing these muscles to contract and relax by
natural reflex, 24 times per second.

A: On November of 2001, Orthometrix submitted a letter to the FDA listing seven claims that they intended to
make regarding the performance of the Galileo/Vibraflex system and the impact that its use to facilitate exercise
would have on individuals with various medical conditions, namely that it (1) exercised postural muscles,
joints and reflexes; (2) Improved muscle strength, reflexes and joint motion; (3) Redeveloped postural
muscles, joints and reflexes after injury/disease; (4) Reduced incontinence by strengthening the perineal
muscles; (5) Improved leg circulation for people with Diabetes; (6) Slowed the progress of Parkinson’s
disease; and (7) Reduced the pain and disability associated with Osteoarthritis. In July of 2002, the FDA
responded that the Galileo was a “Class I device (21 CFR 890.5380) intended for medical uses” and as
such, was “exempt from the pre-market notification (510(k)) requirements of the Federal Food, Drug and
Cosmetic Act”. The FDA further confirmed that “the seven claims that had been identified related to the
intended use specified in the classification regulation”.

As all Class I devices must be manufactured in factories which are Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)
compliant which can be audited at anytime by the FDA, the Galileo is manufactured in such a factory in
Germany.

The VibraFlex was specifically designed for the US fitness market and therefore does not have to comply
with such manufacturing regulation. However, since it could also qualify for medical uses as it is based on
the same patented technology as the Galileo, they also elected to manufacture the VibraFlex in a GMP
compliant facility in Connecticut.

A: The VibraFlex provides the greatest acceleration and amplitude available for a vibration device.
At either end of the platform, there is a displacement of 9 mm, from the lowest to highest point. As a
result, the user can expect greater and quicker results from his/her sessions.

A: The vibrations of the VibraFlex provide for the application of the natural, locomotor, crossover pattern, which is the basis for all functional ambulatory activities, such as walking and running. The result is a more functional workout. The purpose of the teeter-totter movement pattern is to add a load (weight) to your vibration training. The net effect is when you “Vibration Train” the contractions cause increased circulation, motor recruitment, and hormone responses. These effects have immediate and long-term benefits.

Research shows that exercise should be done through full range of motion for maximum benefits. The VibraFlex can be used with straight legs or slightly bent legs, similar to the end range of a
squat. Vertical platform manufacturers encourage you to bend into deep angles because their units are very uncomfortable to use with straight legs.

Whole Body Vibration (WBV) refers to the use of a platform moving at specific frequencies and amplitudes to superimpose vibration on normal functional strengthening exercises. Like no other form of exercise, WBV works directly through the nervous system creating a significant increase in the normal physiological responses of the body to exercise. Whole Body Vibration training technology has existed throughout the world for many years. Its usage for physical fitness purposes has been supported internationally by professional athletes, celebrities, and medical professionals alike. With research-based evidence of its value emerging daily, WBV training has established itself as a groundbreaking, innovative, safe, and effective exercise option.