Training on a vibration plate is a very effective addition to your regular sports program and can help you lose weight and build muscle. I have already explained this in detail in previous articles and tested it myself. Today we are going to deal with some other health benefits vibration plates can provide. I bet you have never heard of most of them. Have fun! ?
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Health Benefit 1: Skin Tightening & Cellulite Remedy
Yep, vibrating plates can help you get rid of cellulite and can make your skin tighter in general. A study of the specialized clinic for skin diseases and allergology in Bad Mergentheim, Germany, found out that an 8–13-minute training on a vibration plate two or three times a week over a period of half a year can reduce the degree of cellulite by 32.3%.
The study participants conducted a regular cardio workout routine on a vibration plate. In general, I would always recommend you to not only stand on the vibration plate, but to become active and move your body while using it. Combining regular fitness workouts with vibration training can increase the training effect tremendously.
Why does vibration training actually help to tighten our skin? Well, simply put, the vibrations of the plate increase our blood circulation. This, in turn, makes our skin firmer and reduces cellulite, because cellulite is often caused by poor blood circulation in the tissue.
Health Benefit 2: Better Blood Circulation
And this brings us to the next health benefit of a vibration plate: blood circulation. This is not only a benefit for itself but also brings along several other benefits. If your blood circulation is poor, your body simply does not get enough oxygen and other nutrients.
This might consequently lead to migraine attacks, sleep disorders and fatigue in general. In principle, you simply lack energy. Training with a vibration plate strengthens your cardiovascular system and helps to improve your blood circulation: a very important health benefit!
Scientists at the University of Vienna found that vibration training increases the velocity of blood flow. The peripheral blood circulation can increase by up to 150%. Training on a vibration plate is therefore perfectly suited for people who suffer from circulatory system diseases such as arteriosclerosis.
Health Benefit 3: Strengthening of the Bones
Use it or lose it. Have you ever heard of Wolff’s law? It states that bone in a healthy person will adapt to the loads under which it is placed.
The bone will therefore become stronger and harder when being loaded. However, if we put very little load on the bone, it will weaken. You may have heard that NASA uses vibration training because astronauts tend to lose bone and muscle mass due to the lack of load in space.
In some diseases, such as osteoporosis, the bone is generally very weak and should therefore not be placed under too much stress.
This is where vibration plates come into play! Vibration training sets the necessary stimuli for bone formation and is also suitable for people with weakened bones. In such cases, the workout should take place at a very low intensity, of course.
While the majority of vibration plates are made for athletes and fitness enthusiasts who are looking to lose weight or build up muscles, the aspect of bone strengthening is often neglected and forgotten.
It is important to note that in contrast to muscle building, where training with intensive “Whole Body Vibration” is recommended, you should use the so-called “Low Intensity Vibration” for bone strengthening. Training for this purpose is therefore much less intensive and does not put too much stress on the bones. Which type of vibration training is suitable for you personally should be discussed with a doctor in advance.
Health Benefit 4: Relieving Tension and Back Pain
Nowadays, vibration plates are also increasingly used for massage, relaxation and regeneration purposes. And rightly so! The vibrations provide an effective full body massage and can release tension and pain.
Back pain is often caused by incorrect posture that in turn leads to an uneven load distribution. Here is a brief explanation on the training effect of a vibration plate: Normally we can only actively train about 60% of our muscles. Since the vibration plate repeatedly destabilizes our body, it activates the remaining 40% of our muscles, the so-called deep muscles, which are responsible for stabilizing our body. These muscles are involuntary and unconsciously contracted in order to counterbalance the vibrations.
Although these deep muscles are not visible from the outside, they are extremely important! Our body needs around 140 of these muscles just to stabilize our back.
With a vibration plate you can train the deep muscles effectively and prevent back pain. To achieve this, you should take care that you do the exercises on the vibration plate with a proper form. In general, I would advise you to start slowly and increase the intensity step-by-step as you feel more comfortable.
Health Benefit 5: Regeneration
Training on a vibration plate not only relieves tension, but generally helps to relax the muscles. This in turn speeds up muscle recovery and gets us back in shape faster. I use vibration training after my soccer matches or after a strenuous session in the gym and I can tell you that your body will thank you for it.
10–15 minutes on the vibration plate is completely sufficient. For regeneration purposes, I recommend doing static stretching exercises on the plate. Just give it a try, you will soon notice the benefits!
