Like Herbie the Love Bug, the Huber has a mind of its own.

It tirelessly swivels on a horizontal plane, first dipping left, then right, and sometimes gliding smoothly up and down its own vertical axis.

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Our love-hate relationship has been going on for about three weeks now. This mean fitness machine has been giving me a workout on Tuesday and Thursday mornings that has sometimes made it near impossible for me to keep my foot steady on my car's accelerator as I make my way to work.

But the Huber sure as hell knows how to work the right muscles. After just a few short sessions, I feel stronger and slimmer.

What is the Huber?
The "LPG Human Body Equaliser", or Huber, is best described as a rotating, motorised platform aimed at improving posture control and muscle function.

In one of its simplest applications, you stand with both feet grounded on the rotating platform with your hands either pressed against, or pulling at, the machine's tube-shaped sensors in front of you. The sensors measure the amount of pressure you apply and give feedback in the form of flickering green and red lights.

The idea is to apply an equal amount of pressure with both hands while your lower body is doing the "hula-hoop" – an action which may sound simple, but one which really works those arms and legs, and core muscles.

In a just-published study, French researcher Annabelle Couillandre and her team found that the Huber is pretty good at improving posture control. The researchers also noted that it's particularly useful for the unfit.

Proponents of the Huber also say that the machine can:

• help to reinforce the spinal muscles;
• help you recover from injuries;
• improve muscle power in serious sports players;
• help you lose weight; and
• make you more supple.

My Huber experience
My first time on the Huber felt a bit strange. Chris, the (at this stage, gentle) personal trainer, helped me to get the feel of things by facilitating a few basic exercises. I remember that I was surprised at how hard it actually was to apply equal pressure with my hands.

I didn't spend much time on the machine, but boy, could I feel it the next day! It was clear that my upper body just wasn't used to working out and I knew that the weeks to follow wouldn't be a walk in the park.

My suspicions were confirmed a few days later: I only just survived my official fitness assessment and the fact that I'm pretty much as unfit as one can be, was officially established. I struggled to get through 30 minutes of running, rowing, push-ups, sit-ups and the Huber routine. While I tried my best to get a better balance on the machine, I still couldn't keep the green and red lights flickering as they should. Much more work lay ahead.

As the weeks progressed, Chris helped me to explore different ways of applying the Huber. Mostly he made me stand with both feet firmly on the rotating platform, in a bit of a squat, while I pushed and pulled at the sensors in sets of three.

I also had to do lunges quite frequently and once I had to do a move that made me feel a bit like a flamingo – with one leg on the platform, and the other one crossed over the standing leg's knee while I had to continue "working the lights". This was tough, and Chris wasn't budging.

Working on the Huber was also quite a brain teaser. I had to concentrate hard on quite a few things while also focusing on pushing and pulling: my wrists had to be straight, my posture had to be right, and I had to remember to breathe!

I could often feel that my left upper body got more of a workout on the Huber. Chris explained that my left, less dominant side has to work harder to keep up with my right side. In this way, I can vouch to the fact that the Huber definitely did a good job in ironing out the imbalances in my body.

During my sessions, I was also introduced to a number of nightmarish exercises (for the unfit, that is), which ranged from The Plank, to Jumping Jacks and, horror of horrors, something called a "Burpee". This involved repetitions of a push-up/jump combo that I had to do at quite a fast pace.

After each session, I also did a few stretches on the Huber. This was interesting in the sense that the stretches "pulsated" with the rotation of the platform.

No more love handles
While moaning and groaning my way through the 8am slots with Chris, I must admit I'm actually enjoying myself. So far, I've felt great after each session: I feel my muscles have had a good workout, I sleep better and I have more energy. And only three weeks down the line, my love handles have disappeared.

Watch this space for more Huber feedback.

(Carine van Rooyen, Health24, March 2008)

Reference:
Couillandre A, Duque Ribeiro MJ, Thoumie P, Portero P. (March 2008) Changes in balance and strength parameters induced by training on a motorised rotating platform: A study on healthy subjects. Ann Readapt Med Phys. 2008 Mar;51(2):67-73. Epub 2007 Dec 26.

Want to try out the Huber? Give Simon Schmid or Chris Lippstreu at Transfit in Claremont a call on 021 674 2224 or send an e-mail to info@transfit.co.za.
 

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