6 Vibration Plate Benefits That Will Change Your Workout Routine

One of the biggest vibration plate benefits comes in the form of weight reduction. However, these incredible machines are also fantastic for improving your balance and flexibility and aiding various internal processes. By using it, you’ll not only become stronger but also much healthier.

The numerous vibration board benefits make the machine fantastic for the elderly but also for people who want to lose weight. In this post, we’ll dig deeper into its features and talk about some exercises you can do with this great piece of equipment.

What Is a Vibration Plate and How Does It Work?

A vibration plate is a gym machine that can serve various groups of people. As its name implies, it creates vibrations that stimulate our bodies from the bottom up. You can use it for almost any muscle in your body, although the emphasis is always on legs, glutes, and hips.

This piece of equipment has a small motor built inside of it and a plate on top. When you turn it on, the motor starts humming, sending high-frequency vibrations to the board. Most people use the machine by standing on it, but you can also rest your arms or legs on top of it.

The workout station contracts and relaxes the muscles providing numerous advantages to the user. Besides losing weight, gym-goers can enjoy other benefits of vibration plate, including better circulation, stronger bones, improved muscle recovery, and so on. These machines also allow you to switch between programs, targeting specific muscle groups and changing your goals.

6 Benefits of Vibration Plates

These machines are relatively new items on the market. While there were a few studies, we still don’t know everything about them. In other words, most of our knowledge regarding the benefits of vibration platforms is based on circumstantial evidence and manufacturers’ claims.

Nevertheless, we’ll try to figure out what’s what by going through available medical data and what other people have told us.

1. Muscle Strengthening

When we talk about vibration plate machine benefits, strength improvements are usually the first thing that’s mentioned. According to studies, this equipment can significantly increase your overall strength and muscle control. In fact, the vibration plates provide significantly better results than traditional resistance workouts.

Basically, the station engages more muscles and stimulates them at a much greater rate. Most people experience noticeable improvements to their legs and trunk during the vibration plate workouts compared to traditional exercises. Specifically, doing squats and pushups while on the machine can provide significantly better results.

2. Weight Loss

Some of the biggest benefits of using a vibration plate come in the form of metabolic improvements. Like with any other workout, using the vibration board can significantly boost your internal processes. The body starts burning calories at a much faster pace, which can help your weight loss efforts.

One specific study indicates that using the vibration station during workouts can significantly increase the metabolic cost of exercise. When you do squats, lunges, and similar workouts on the vibration plate, you can experience a much faster depletion of energy reserves. Among others, the study shows us you significantly reduce weight and oxygen consumption during 20-minute vibration plate training.

However, this should be taken with a grain of salt. In another study, participants didn’t actually lose any weight, although they gained some muscle mass. So, a combination of proper diet and workouts is necessary if you wish to experience a breakthrough.

3. Improved Balance

The vibration plates are commonly promoted as products that can help the elderly. Besides increasing muscle mass, they could potentially help strengthen the bones and increase overall flexibility. That being said, don’t be surprised if the vibration plates become a part of physical therapy in the future.

Enhanced mobility, speed, and balance are often mentioned as potential benefits of vibration plate therapy. Specifically, while you’re on the board, you have to get used to the vibrations beneath your feet. As your body adjusts itself to the movement, you can slowly improve your balance.

4. Enhanced Muscle Regeneration

Among other things, these machines might help with blood and oxygen flow. A limited study has shown us that working out on this equipment can increase peripheral muscle oxygenation and blood flow. However, it’s worth noting that the subjects didn’t experience a rise in oxygenation levels. 

Besides improving the overall functionality of the body, this is a vital thing for regeneration and recuperation. People who get oxygen and blood to their muscles faster can experience a much faster recovery between workouts. On top of that, this can also reduce the impact of inflammations.

5. Reduced Bone Loss

Controlling bone loss is another potential benefit of the vibration plate workout. Besides helping postmenopausal women, vibration boards might assist other users as well.

At this point, we don’t know much about the exact mechanisms that lead to bone strengthening. Scientists believe that the improvement has to do with the increased osteoblast activity, but we still don’t have concrete evidence of that. Basically, osteoblast activity is something that improves bone growth while preventing its degradation.

Aside from building bone tissue, the vibration board might provide some other indirect perks. As mentioned previously, this type of workout might improve the circulation of blood and oxygen, both vital for tissue recovery.

6. Enhanced Vitality

As you can presume, all this activity reflects onto your body and its internal processes. Exercising on the vibration board can promote lymphatic flow, which helps the distribution of immune cells throughout the organism. In turn, these cells help deal with any microorganisms looking to invade our bodies.

On top of that, the vibration board training might also help with your blood pressure. This type of workout promotes the genesis of nitric oxide while controlling the activity of the sympathetic nervous system. Both of them can help reduce blood pressure but also provide secondary benefits.

Who Should Use a Vibration Plate?

Unlike some other gym machines, the vibration board is extremely easy to use. Doing exercises on the plate is pretty straightforward, and it won’t take much to get accustomed. This makes the workout station ideal for everyone, regardless of their age or conditioning.

Still, there are a few categories that experience more benefits from the vibration board training. Basically, this type of equipment is ideal for the elderly and people with limited mobility. As mentioned, the vibration boards can be of great assistance to anyone struggling with osteoporosis, loss of mobility, and flexibility.

They might also help people looking to lose weight. Given that this type of training engages extra muscles at a higher rate, you’ll have to burn lots of energy to keep up. Of course, to get the biggest benefits, you would have to pair it up with a proper diet.

Of course, they’re also a nice addition for anyone looking to improve their gym performance. Vibration boards are fantastic when used in conjunction with regular exercises, enhancing overall muscle engagement. Furthermore, as you have to adjust to vibrations, you’ll have to work in additional groups to retain balance.

Who Should Avoid Using a Vibration Plate?

Despite all the benefits, the vibration plates aren’t recommended to certain users.

Most notably, they shouldn’t be used by people who have suffered a stroke, a heart attack, or a history of cardiovascular diseases. The equipment also shouldn’t be used by those who have blood clotting. The vibrations can have a disastrous impact on these individuals, putting extra pressure on their hearts.

Of course, vibrations can also be disastrous for people who suffered injuries. Even if you had a smaller sprain, you might experience pain and discomfort when using the vibration plate. What’s worse, using the machine can slow down tissue regeneration, potentially causing major setbacks.

The vibration plates are strictly forbidden for pregnant women, especially if they’re in the first trimester. This is especially true if you decide to stand on top of the plate or use high-frequency vibrations.

Vibration Plate Exercises to Get the Most for Your Body

The fantastic thing about the vibration plate machines is that you use them for all sorts of exercises. Although most gym-goers use it to train their legs, you can also use it for a few upper-body routines. Here’s a list of the most popular workouts you can do with this workout station:

1. Squats

Squats are probably the best exercise you can do on this machine. Unlike the traditional exercise, the vibration plate squats put much more emphasis on your balance. You need to push your body extra hard not to fall, which makes the workouts that much more challenging.

2. Lunges

Lunges can also be tricky with this machine. When doing this kind of workout, your front leg needs to be on the plate, while the back leg should be on the floor. Doing the exercise on a vibration plate makes it harder to drop down but also stand up.

3. Heel Elevation

In terms of balance, the vibration plate heel elevation stands out as the most difficult workout. Given the small touch surface and the constant vibrations, it’s really hard to maintain proper posture. So, the exercise puts additional strain on your calves, but also other muscles.

4. Push Ups

When doing push ups, your hands need to be placed on the board. When the vibrations kick in, it sends a wave throughout your arms, affecting your posture. As a result, your muscles will have to work extra hard when pushing up as well as in the resting position.

5. Planks

Similar to push ups, doing planks on a vibration plate can be extra tricky. Your arms and shoulders have to be super stiff to retain the position. Basically, by using this machine, you take already hard exercises to the next level.

Vibration Plate We Recommend

Out of all the products on the market, Sunny Health & Fitness Fitboard 4D Vibration Platform Exercise Machine stands out as one of the most sophisticated models. Besides the fact it’s made from the highest-quality materials, this workout station is also recognized for its advanced features.

First and foremost, Fitboard allows you to track time and calories burned. You can also switch between 7 oscillation modes, 30 vibration intensity levels, and 3 workout programs. Lastly, the workout station has a quiet motor ensuring that you never lose focus when exercising.

FAQ

Is It Safe to Use a Vibration Plate Every Day?

Some studies indicate that extensive daily exposure to vibrations can lead to muscle pain. To stay on the safe side, it’s best to use a vibration plate no more than three times a week. 

How Long Should You Stay on a Vibration Plate?

Most experts recommend that you limit your vibration plate workouts to 15-20 minutes a day. Exercising more than that can lead to some negative health side effects.

What Are the Negative Effects of a Vibration Plate?

Aside from developing pain in the legs, hips, and other muscles, overusing vibration plates might also cause digestion issues and headaches. Whatever the case, we recommend moderation when exercising on this workout station.

Conclusion 

The vibration plate is a fantastic workout station that relies on vibration to make our exercises more challenging. This machine pushes our bodies to their limits by forcing the muscles to work extra hard.

Aside from that, the vibration board is also great for improving your balance, flexibility, and coordination. All of this makes them extra popular among the elderly, but also anyone else looking to improve the overall function of the body.

Have you ever used one of these workout stations? What were the results? Share it in the comments below! 

Also read:

• Home Gym Ideas on a Budget
• Vibration Plate Workout
• How Does a Vibration Plate Work

References:

1. Effectiveness of Whole-Body Vibration Training to Improve Muscle Strength and Physical Performance in Older Adults: Prospective, Single-Blinded, Randomized Controlled Trial // Ncbi: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8226869/
2. Metabolic effect of bodyweight whole-body vibration in a 20-min exercise session: A crossover study using verified vibration stimulus // Ncbi: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5792008/
3. Effects of 24 weeks of whole body vibration training on body composition and muscle strength in untrained females // Pubmed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14750005/
4. Long-Term Effects of Whole-Body Vibration on Human Gait: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis // Frontiersin: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2019.00627/full
5. Whole-Body Vibration and Blood Flow and Muscle Oxygenation: A Meta-Analysis // Ncbi: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4560014/
6. Whole-body vibration exercise in postmenopausal osteoporosis // Ncbi: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4440196/
7. Vibration exposure and myocardial infarction incidence: the VHEEP case–control study // Ncbi: https://academic.oup.com/occmed/article/56/5/338/1452175