The Power Plate.

When Allie & I ran the Lehigh Valley 5K back in April, Body Accel (a fitness club in Allentown) had an information booth promoting their club and specifically the Power Plate. Recently, Allison found a coupon for a discount session on-line & recruited me to go and try it out with her today. Body Accel is located almost directly across from Dorney Park on Hamilton Blvd & from the exterior, it doesn’t look like much. Inside, however, it’s a cozy, inviting exercise studio. The head trainer, Janet, met with Allie & I for half an hour & walked us through training on the Power Plate, a small workout on Expresso Bikes, and a short hydro massage (oh yeah, baby). The idea behind the Power Plate is that it vibrates causing your muscles to contract and intensifying your movements. I have to say, it was a little bit strange at first, but it did prove to be an effective workout tool.
Nothing beats biking outside, but conditions often make this impossible. An Expresso bike ride is quite possibly the next thing. The interactive bike allows you to select different courses, steer, follow a pacer, listen to music, and change gears on "hills."
The hydro massage was amazing.
What makes Body Accel special is that each session is led by a trained instructor & there is a maximum of four participants per class. There are several pilates / cardio classes available.
Overall it was a great experience & if we had unlimited resources, I would definitely seek an annual membership. I am thinking about taking a couple of classes here to supplement my running.
Thanks to Body Accel for their hospitality and to Allie, for another interesting adventure!