As you may be aware, there are 4 choices of TVP – the Power Plate Pulse “pro” massage gun, the Power Plate Mini+ massage gun, the Power Plate Roller and the Power Plate Dualsphere. Read on for my Power Plate targeted vibration product review.
There is a heap of product information out there, so I’d rather focus on what I use, where and why, to give you a ‘user’s’ perspective of TVPs.
First up, the Pulse, with it’s raft of attachments for every kind of release job you could possibly need, is the tool I use on others. It’s big and robust and using it on others allows me to focus with two hands when needed, as it’s the heavier (1.1kg) and larger of the guns. It also has the broader range of speeds, from 22hz through to 55hz, giving me a few more options depending on the task at hand.
The Mini+, at 458g, is what I use on myself, or what I suggest my clients and colleagues buy for their own use. Smaller and lightweight, makes it easy to handle and everyone says how easy it is to use. It’s my favourite of the tools as it still offers the 30hz-50hz range of speeds, but is so compact for moving into any spot accessible by your own hand.
The Roller is something I use when I want to pin an area of tissue and move around it. I can use bodyweight plus gravity to create the ‘pin’ and move off and around the area. It can take the load and still produce the vibrational goods, and the grippy surface allows for a very effective pin. Favourite points for the Roller are lateral hips lying on the floor and upper traps up against the wall – bliss!
The DualSphere is my go to for ‘working the angles’ with the pin and move technique. The ‘peanut’ shape lends itself to probing areas with curved surfaces or with bones in the middle, like either side of the spine. The rhomboid areas are a no brainer for this TVP. Also the deep external rotators (under the glute). Pinning the two lovely ‘chicken breasts’ of the calf is another favourite.
The overall thing to remember with targeted vibration products is that they offer specific and isolated vibration to an area of the body. In other words, they give attention to somewhere you might want to target, that is harder to do, or just less convenient, than a vibration platform can offer. It’s not a ‘little platform’ in any way. They exist to further enhance function in specific areas, identified by you or your practitioner. The platforms are more about whole body vibration and directing the force profile through the tissues via use of body position or movement.
I’m glad to have use of both platforms and TVPs. There’s literally nothing I can’t help with as a result. Let me just repeat that: there’s literally nothing I can’t help with.
That’s a pretty good statement from where I’m sitting!
Check out these and more TVP demonstration videos on the Power Plate Australia You Tube page, and keep the vibe in your tribe everyone!
– John Polley (“JP”)