Short and sweet.
Vibes Fitness is all about targeting all parts of the body in just 15 to 20 minutes.
The machines the company uses came about in the 1960s and were developed for the Russian astronauts. They would return from space and have to find a way to work out to build up their lean muscle mass and retain balance lost while in the weightlessness of orbit.
For almost five years after Vibes Fitness brought those machines — the more modern versions, of course — to Sidney, New Years resolutions aren’t a phase with this exercise facility.
“We find that we are pretty steady all through the year. We tend not to have the gym influx that people have,” says one of the owners, Dawn Robertson.
With four machines in the downtown Sidney studio, people are scheduled in for every 30 minutes with workouts ranging from 15 to 20 minutes.
Robertson says the machines are good for circulation, lymphatic drainage and offer many benefits for different ailments.
“If you’ve got joints that need it, it’s low impact,” she told the PNR.
“And they’ve been used in Europe with physios and chiropractors ever since (the 1960s).”
Standing with two feet on the machine with the option to hold on to a bar for security, the bottom portion of the machine vibrates at the speed the individual is comfortable with.
A certified personal trainer will then instruct the class of four, with workouts changing all the time.
“So we modify and change the exercises to suit people. With all our clients we know where they are and where they’re going and what’s happening,” says Robertson.
There are different options when it comes to memberships with a one month, three month, six month and a year.
Robertson says with a lot of snowbirds in the area, the 20 punch card or 40 punch card may work better for them, as they can come in when they see fit.
With the membership, she recommends coming in three times a week to get the full workout, with workouts changing every other day.
“So we’re always changing the way you work your muscles. It’s all low impact,” she says. “As you get stronger, we work you harder, change the intensity of the workouts.”
Targeting strength and endurance training, building up lean muscle mass, Robertson says the target is the older demographic, but they do still see a range.
“We have clients that range from 20 and our oldest client is 93.” So it’s never too late to start, no matter what age.”
With a shorter workout, there is what is called frequency and intensity. On the machine, people are doing what they call an involuntary stretch reflex.
Robertson says when the frequency is set on the machine, the person is actually engaging — so if they are doing a frequency of 45, that means they are having 45 muscle contractions every second even if they just stand there.
“So in a minute, you’ve engaged 3,000 muscle contractions.”
So how does it differ from the gym?
Robertson says those 15 to 20 minutes are equivalent to an hour at the gym — from getting the blood circulating and oxygen pumping when you first get on the machine to working every part of the body.
