As zany as it sounds, there’s some serious science behind the notion that vibration that can benefit the human body. In the 1960s, Russian cosmonauts discovered that doing resistance exercises while standing on an oscillating plate significantly counteracted the physical deterioration they experienced in space, and subsequent studies suggest that vibration training, which causes muscles to contract 30 to 50 times per second as opposed to the one to two in normal strength training, could be a miracle worker on the anti-aging front. “The contractions increase circulation, bringing oxygen and nutrients to tissue and bone throughout the body,” says exercise physiologist Geralyn Coopersmith, senior national manager of Equinox Fitness Training Institute. Subjecting the body to frequencies of up to 50 hertz has been proven to build bone density over time, and even a 30-minute vibrationassisted workout can boost the body’s production of human growth hormone—a chemical that augments muscle and reduces fat but peters out with age—by up to 350 percent.
After trying out a Power Plate (Madonna and Cher’s jiggling apparatus of choice) at New York City’s Station Fitness club, I can attest to the rejuvenating potential of good vibes: I feel supercharged for hours, as though I’ve eaten the magic cherries in a video game. But while working out on an Olympic-athlete endorsed oscillating platform is one thing, applying makeup with a motorized powder puff is another. Is it a stretch to imagine that vibration can do for the face what it does for the body?
