Vibration plates have been around for some time, and many people swear by them. Although the studies are limited, there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence supporting vibration plate benefits.
Remember this, though: these machines aren’t magic bullets that can exterminate all of your problems.
We’re here to uncover ten of the top advantages you can expect, but we’ll also discuss the drawbacks – with plenty of science to support our arguments. Read along below!
Vibration Machine Benefits
Without further ado, let’s see why a lot of physical therapists recommend vibration plate exercises to their clients:
1. Your Muscles Are Toned
The 30-50 vibrations/ second contract your muscles more than they usually would so that you can tone faster.
However, it’s one thing to stay completely still on the vibration plate and another to exercise on it. The idea is that the more you challenge your muscles already, the more you get out of the vibration machine.
But if you’re mobility challenged or health-restricted, even this machine-induced muscle contraction will help you. Studies show that vibration plates will keep you in shape and reduce your functional limitations.
In other words, you’ll be able to rise out of your chair faster, walk for longer, or climb more stairs.
In turn, these actions will tone your muscles more, so the spiral of advantages continues.
2. You Will Lose Fat Faster
According to some research, vibration plates mimic the metabolic effects of exercise so that you can lose weight faster. At least that’s true for male rats.
There’s more:
A vibration platform benefits are on par with treadmill running if you’re to believe this study.
The scientists who made it found the vibrations accelerate your metabolism by helping the liver to work faster. That way, your liver can metabolize fat faster instead of depositing it.
However, you have to eat clean and in moderation. Otherwise, your liver won’t be able to metabolize all the extra fat and glucose you’re throwing at it.
3. You Will Lose More Weight
Burning through those fat stores and toning your muscles lead to another happy consequence: losing weight quickly. That’s thanks to an increased metabolic rate.
People with lean muscles burn through fat stores faster. So even when you’re at rest, your basal metabolic rate will be high.
But remember what we talked about before
If you want to see quick results, help the vibration plate too.
Start using it during your workout routine and say no to unhealthy food.
4. You’ll Lower Your Stress
Your fast-paced metabolism doesn’t just make you look good. It makes you feel good.
That’s because a slower metabolic rate can lead to all sorts of endocrine issues. For example, it can mess with your thyroid, sleep patterns, skin, and so forth. So because you’re not exercising, your slow metabolism can make you tired, cranky, and give you zits.
In turn, using a vibration plate will alleviate the symptoms of these conditions so that you can feel calm and centered.
But what if your metabolism is running just fine, and you still feel stressed or have problems sleeping?
Vibration plates will still help you because exercise releases serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine. These happiness hormones will give your brain the boost it needs to improve your mood.
5. You’ll Up Your Bone Density
Bone density starts being a massive problem after you pass 30. Weight-bearing exercises like walking or strength training have been proven to prevent your bones from getting brittle.
Studies show that vibration plates can have the same effect.
All you need is 30 minutes three times per week for six months, and you’ll see a 1% increase in your bone density. That doesn’t sound like much, but consider these figures:
It’s normal to lose up to 3% bone density before fifty and about 12% after that. PER DECADE.
Thus, a 1% increase in your bone density means rejuvenating your bones with 1-3 years, depending on your current age.
6. You’ll Be More Flexible
Stronger muscles, healthier bones, and a happier brain work together to improve your balance and flexibility. That means you can sit up straighter, walk more, bend and twist to get the things you need, and so forth.
All these things make your life easier because otherwise, you’d need a lot of time to perform all these actions.
But there’s another advantage:
You will feel better because you’ll be achieving more. And that will only push you to try harder and be healthier.
7. You’ll Improve Your Blood Circulation
Every time your muscles vibrate, they promote blood flow so that you can maintain a healthy circulatory system. If you already have poor circulation, you know the array of problems that causes cold hands and feet, swollen lymph nodes, cramps, and so forth.
And we all know poor blood circulation increases the risk of getting a chronic heart condition.
So, vibration plates can improve your circulation, whether you already have problems with it or not. That way, you can at least alleviate – if not prevent altogether – some severe health conditions.
8. Healthier Looking Skin
Using a vibration plate will improve the aspect of your skin because:
- You’re toning your muscles
- You’re improving your blood circulation
- You’re decreasing your stress levels
These things allow your body to detoxify faster, so it looks smoother. Besides, stronger muscles keep your skin firm.
And there’s another thing:
An accelerated metabolism promotes collagen production. You probably know about collagen from all those ads about skin lotions and creams.
Luckily, when your body produces collagen, it tweaks the amount to what you need.
Translation: less cellulite and wrinkles.
9. Your Muscles Will Recover Faster
If you’re doing strenuous routines like strength training or HIIT, you know the importance of recovery days. Sometimes, depending on how hard you’ve worked a particular muscle group, you’ll need to wait at least 48-72 hours before you can exercise it again.
But wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to wait so much?
Vibration plates can reduce recovery times because they improve circulation and feel like a relaxing massage on your sore muscles. So, you can use yours after a challenging workout to get back on the horse faster.
10. Pain Relief
If you have a chronic condition or recuperating from surgery, vibration plates can reduce that pain. Just remember to consult your doctor before because you can worsen some disorders like spinal pain.
That said, vibration plates work wonders for sciatica, muscle cramps, and arthritis.
Power Plate Risks
Now that we’ve seen all those power plate benefits let’s review some potential drawbacks. Although the research surrounding power plates isn’t extremely comprehensive, there aren’t any concerns about the health risks of vibration plates in the medical community.
However, here’s what you should take into account:
1. Using a vibration plate without your doctor’s consent may aggravate a specific condition, for example, if you’re coming out of surgery or have spinal nerve damage. It can also hurt you to use a vibration machine if you have vertigo or are pregnant. There’s no actual evidence that vibration plates can trigger early labor, but they can aggravate your nausea.
2. You should follow the safety standards. Consider weight or posture limitations imposed by the manufacturer so that you don’t break the machine. Likewise, consider whether it gets too hot after a certain period because overheating leads to permanent damage.
3. Your vibration plate may not be as effective as you’d like. Remember that the research is limited, and most of that is done on mice. Human studies show promising effects, but vibration machines aren’t a panacea. Frequently, you have to couple them with healthy eating, some level of exercise, and a lot of patience to see improvements.
Further reading: 8 Disadvantages of Vibration Machines
In Conclusion
Vibration plates have been proven to work – at least in some cases. For example, they can alleviate pain, improve functional limitations, and accelerate blood circulation. You can even use a vibration machine to help you on your weight loss or fitness journey.
As a result, using a vibration machine can improve your health and reduce your pain. Basically, a vibration machine benefits your whole body.
Conversely, don’t expect vibration plates to be miracle workers. A lot of their aura is just marketing talk, so you should be objective about them.
If you want to increase your muscle tone and become healthier, vibration machines are excellent tools, but you should do your part as well.
Mary advocates for one powerful idea: fitness is about challenging yourself, but it’s not a race against the clock. She wants people to understand that the best fitness equipment doesn’t have to be expensive or very popular. The best workouts and machines should always fit your style and needs, not the other way around. So, Mary’s dedication and hard work are the engines that keep this website going.
- 10 Monday Fitness Motivation Quotes That’ll Get You Pumped - October 11, 2022
- Rebounding for Weight Loss: How Does It Work and How Long Do You Need? - September 16, 2022
- The Muscles Worked by the Stairmaster – How to Maximize Results - September 16, 2022
