The latest issue of Popular Mechanic magazine tested out the Ironman Resolution Fitness Trainer and found it wanting.
Their conclusions:
It’s impossible not to be skeptical of Ironman’s Resolution Vibration Trainer ($2000), which claims to help users lose weight by shaking them. You hold a sequence of poses, including squats and a legs-in-the-air crunch, for up to 90 seconds at a time while the platform vibrates. Ten minutes of this, says Ironman, is equal to 60 minutes of “conventional strenuous exercise.” We planned to test the Resolution for a full monthbut then we turned it on.
Anyone who has tried yoga knows that holding a position can be a tough workout. The violent shaking made it slightly harder to maintain some of the poses, which we assume was meant to be a good thing. But this skull-rattling, innard-scrambling machine also gave us headaches and made us nauseous, and the platform’s nonskid surface scraped our palms and bruised our shins. After one day with this merciless, bucking bronco, none of us including the personal trainer we brought in were brave enough to get back in the saddle.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
So let me get this right , Popular Mechanic paid these guys to test a replica Power-Plate personal machine and they found it wanting…???
http://www.powerplate.co.nz/personal_frameset.html
And it sounds as though they forgot to use a rubber pad for some of the poses ?
You would think the person in charge of doing the artical would have spent 5 mins doing some research first. And at least tested a proper unit. With the proper safety gear.
Even 80 year olds google stuff nowdays. So I can only guess it was pure lazyness on their behalf that they got sucked in.
As a result I dare to say they got exactly what they deserved.
Headaches.
P.S. If they worked for me I would fire them for wasteing paper and time.
I think this also demonstrates perfectly why the general public should be allowed near these machines without proper supervision.
I mean these guys are Mechanics and/or Personal Trainers and they got hurt and confused.
That particular unit has sandpaper non-skid on its surface + it’s vibrating = big sander right ?
They stick their hands on it , and their skin comes off ?
What hope does that give the average Joe not to be taken for a ride and hurt by the marketers of such a product.
Complete laziness…
on the part of the magazine and the “ironman” shysters.
I agree with the google thought that should have crossed their minds Lloyd.
But they needed a story and picked from an advert they saw or a marketing person they spoke to(shame on ironman for not having someone there who knew how to use the darn thing).
But that is what you get when there are so many crappy asian(read Chinese) made units out there that will put any nameplate on any machine and turn over to the marketers.
It’s a shame.
Please get that VTA up and going. That may educate some of these guys. And looking forward to seeing that position chart.
Yours in WBV
KG
I agree with KG that it is Ironman’s responsibility to give clear instructions to new users. However, it is very possible the Ironman’s people do not know what they are selling. For them, it is just another product for making money. Let’s look at Ironman’s device, everyone in this industry can tell it is a cheap Asian made unit.
To those Popular Mechanic poor guys, I feel sorry for your experience but you probably deserve it. You picked the wrong company and wrong device. You dreamed a USD2,000.00 could do the same work as a USD8,000.00~USD9,000.00? You may not get a good quality at a high price, but almost for sure, you would not get good quality at cheap price! By the way, USD2,000.00 is very expensive for a China-made vibration device.
Ironman, shame on you for selling something you do not know!
Popular Mechanic, you should blame yourselves for stupid shopping; but please don’t blame Controlled Whole Body Vibration!
TC
Next week the same guys are going to test a replica Bentley made at , Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea , down at the local track.
Really hope it has those seatbelt thingy’s in it.
Never mind. Rimu or Mahogany ?
I bought an Ironman Vibration Trainer 3 months ago, and have been using it regularly (3 to 4 times a week). It is a basic, yet, solid machine providing similar results as other expensive machines that I have tried.
What Ironman does not provide: User Guide and Training Program, which are so important for any fitness equipment!
P.S: I would appreciate if our fellow members could just limit their opinions to professional matters, and eliminate any racial comments.
What racial comments ?
If you mean our remarks commenting on the low level of quality ,ethics and attached training surrounding certain places in the global market , I believe you are going to hit a brick wall.
This is basically a scientific forum where people come to get straight answers. Not a place where consumers look for political correctness or pander to “sensitive” issues.
If the overview of any “one” market is a bit harsh. Then at least complain to the right people.
Those who believe it’s ok to make such a product , then market it to the public . With no education.
They are simply lazy ,greedy and dont care.
I have seen Ironman’s training manual. And no fewer than half a dozen poses are done with such disregard for safety that it disgusts me.
If our tough stance on this type of behaviour hurts their feelings , then bo-ho.
I notice you were quite during the time we where giving the European industry a hard time.
Does your ” sensitivities ” not extend to others ?
Daniel,
You better name which so-called expensive devices you’ve tried to compare with the Ironman because I have question with your judgement.
The top quality devices in this industry generate hyper-gravity load up to 10s G-force and these devices need a weight over 100 kg. to prevent them from walking around.
The Ironman has a weight of only 68 kg. Its oscillator is either very weak or the whole device would be jumping around like crazy when it works. Either the ways, it would not transmit a sufficient load upwards to the user to achieve high EMG activities.
You may enjoy the placebo tingling sensation yourself but please do not mislead others who look for serious training.
About the racial issue, My full name Timothy CHAN and I’m a Kongian (Hong Kong citizenship). Shame on those greedy Asian manufacturers who sit there, wait for a new product to come out from others’ many years of R&D; and then copy its technology or just its shape to make fast money. These people do not only steal others’ harvest but destroy the whole industry. They are as disgusting as locust.
So, it is an ethical issue not racial, don’t get it wrong.
TC
You all are such nerds, none of this babble has helped me in deciding if this vibration technology is worth investing in!!
Bob….
Well if we are nerds we are the same nerds that you want to buy a machine off. And you trust us to be nerdy enough to do a good job ?
What exactly do you want to know that we havn’t already covered in the articles or blogs ?
Hi Bob,
You are so funny!!
I had a hard day. You comment just made me laugh.
Thanks for the joke, you may not mean this way but really it’s a joke to me and I just can’t help laughing while typing this feedback.
TC
Im off to watch my Star Trek and pick up tips on how to kill the PowerPlate , sorry I mean Borg.
Resistance is futile….
QUOTE – and the platforms nonskid surface scraped our palms and bruised our shins.
I didnt believe people could actually be stupid enough to kneel on a machine to get bruised shins.
I cant even think of an exercise where you would kneel