Hotel Suppliers reporter, Manon Martini, interviews Steve Powell, Power Plate Director of Training and Education, to learn all about the REV Exercise Bike.
Tell us about the new Power Plate REV Exercise bike.
The Power Plate REV is, as the name suggests, a revolution in health, fitness, wellness & performance. It is our first self-powered vibration modality and has been many years in development. Having been personally involved in the latter stages of testing and product development, I can attest that it is a very exciting time for the company to launch such a unique and game-changing product.
Why should we opt for the REV Exercise Bike as opposed to a traditional stationary bike-what are the additional benefits?
The REV is all about optimising short duration, interval-based protocols getting more from your cardio session in less time. When the vibration mode is turned on, the body is immediately challenged to produce more power and significantly recruit the primary lower body muscles used in cycling – quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves – resulting in elevated muscle activation of up to 167% vs. pedaling without vibration. As such, the mechanical and metabolic demand placed on the body goes up, that translates to more work done in less time, perfect for hotel guests looking for a time-efficient workout so they can get on with their day!
How does the bike work?
The REV is the world’s first self-powered vibration modality that, when engaged, adds a unique combination of resistance PLUS vibration delivered to the user through the pedals. Prior to adding vibration you will experience a perfectly smooth and comfortable ride. Additionally, riders can change resistance in both modes via magnets placed at the rear flywheel.
However, the magic happens when the lever is pushed down and our VibeShift™Technology is activated – adding a truly unique combination of resistance, friction and vibration through the pedals. And it doesn’t end there. The secret sauce is now cadence, as in order to optimise the muscle activation and metabolic response, the rider needs to cycle at a speed of approximately 90 to 110 rpm, which generates a vibration frequency of 30-40 hertz (Hz), comparable to the stimulus delivered by Power Plate’s whole-body vibration models. We also recommend remaining in a seated position while using the vibration to maximise muscular effort. Riders can take advantage of multiple interval-based programming solutions available via our free app.
Talk to me about the process of bringing this bike to life- from initial conception to manufacturing.
At Power Plate we have been the pioneers and global leader in vibration training technology for over 20 years, and the even though the fitness industry is ever evolving and constantly innovating, there remains a degree of traditional views and expectations from the general fitness enthusiast, no more so than when it comes to ‘cardio’ machines. Over the years Power Plate has shown the extensive versatility of whole-body vibration within all aspects of training, from optimising your warm-up, making recovery simple, time efficient yet highly effective and easily integrated with other tools for performance enhancement, whether by individual home users, commercial gyms, personal training studios or in elite performance environments for core training, function training and strength an conditioning.
When we introduced our range of Targeted Vibration, percussive massage devices and vibrating soft tissue tools like foam rollers this really secured the positioning of vibration as the go to solutions for what I call the ‘bookends’ of performance, i.e. Preparation & Recovery. However, there has been a vision and desire for many years, also driven by a passion for cycling, to develop a new form of vibration that could, firstly, be self-powered and secondly allow vibration to add a unique ‘twist’ within cardiovascular training. So, here it is, the Power Plate Rev, vibration technology added to cycling, allowing us to bridge that final gap, now being able to offer a unique, unparalleled vibration experience to customers, operators and partners all over the world to prepare faster, perform better and recover quicker.
How has the REV Exercise Bike been received by the fitness world thus far?
We are continually looking for ways to apply vibration to modalities that are consistent with the primary benefits the Power Plate portfolio of products deliver – namely applying vibration to increase the effectiveness of a movement while improving the time efficiency of the exercise, or simply stated “getting more done in less time”.
The cycling modality has been attractive to us for some time. It is a popular, yet common movement with which most people have experience.
Applying vibration to cycling in a reliable, consistent and effective manner is a task that is easier said than done however. The development of the Power Plate® REV™ has been a decade-long journey.
We partnered with Triple Ring Technologies, a co-development company headquartered in Silicon Valley, to design an innovative, yet rock solid, “gearbox” to deliver on-demand vibration via the pedals to a rider’s lower body. After years of development and testing our VibeShift™ Technology was born.
Complementing this effort, our manufacturing and industrial design teams worked closely with Power Plate’s in-house staff of industry-leading trainers to create a reliable and durable, yet sophisticated and user-friendly revolutionary new Power Plate® REV – the first fitness and wellness product to deliver the benefits of vibration in a cycling modality, a type of training has never been possible until now.
