The New Trend Sweeping Fitness Centers: Passive Exercise?
Sitting on the couch and watching television is certainly a sedentary activity. However, you can still work those tired muscles using a concept called passive exercise.
These type of exercise techniques use machines to work certain parts of your body while you rest. They can also enhance your workout sessions. Can you really sit on the couch and still get a workout in? Well, maybe not quite, but almost. Let’s take a look at how passive devices work.
Types of Passive Exercise
The transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation or TENS machine is a device that sends electrical impulses through pads that are placed on specific muscle groups. The TENS device can help build muscles, but it does not improve athletic performance. Caution is recommended when using a TENS device. Some folks can overdo the stimulation, which could lead to burning or skin irritation. People with pacemakers or other implanted devices should seek the advice of a physician prior to use.
Inversion boots also provide passive exercise. Users strap into boots and invert themselves to reduce the level of decompression in their bodies. The machine is known for temporarily reducing the impact of gravity on an individual. The downside is that once you get out of the machine, the health gain is lost. People who suffer from severe back pain can often find some level of relief using the device.
The most popular type of passive exercise is a plate that vibrates. The technology uses whole body vibration to keep your muscles in continuous motion while you engage in exercise activities. The whole body vibration machine provides movement that stimulates muscles that may not be targeted during a particular exercise. This keeps the whole body in movement for the duration of the workout, leading to improved strength and functioning of the muscle groups.
Does Passive Exercise Work?
No pain no gain, right? Well maybe not in the case of passive exercise. A recent study of participants in whole body vibration showed a significant improvement in the average velocity of the reps of elbow extensions. This means that whole body vibration improved performance in a positive way.
Further research is evaluating the effect of these machines on the human body.
“We believe the machines improve blood-flow to the inner ear, and will reduce slip-and-fall and balance problems, which create a huge burden on our health-care system,” says Don Hartwell, owner of Calgary’s Total Image Fitness.
This hypothesis is proving to be accurate so far, but more research is needed to better understand the impact of these devices on exercise and muscular improvements.
“Passive” may not be the best term to describe passive exercise. Many individuals put some effort into engaging in this type of exercise. And as with most activities, you often get out what you put in.