Over the last eight weeks I have tested the Powerfit Elite XL Vibration Plate thoroughly and in this blog post, I’d like to share my experiences with you.
The Powerfit Elite is a vibration plate, but what exactly is a vibration plate? Most people know about vibrating fitness machines from TV commercials or other rather untrustworthy advertisements, which is why there are still countless critics. Admittedly, at first, I was very skeptical about the effectiveness of these vibrating platforms as well.
But my curiosity was piqued and the more I researched the topic, while also trying it myself, the more I was convinced of the effectiveness of exercising on a vibration plate.
So, how do vibration plates like the Powerfit Elite actually work? In this article, I will try to answer the most relevant questions and tell you about my personal experiences with the PowerFit Elite. Have fun! ?
Page Contents
What is the Effect of the Powerfit Elite Vibration Plate?
Simply said, the Powerfit Elite is a vibrating platform on which you can do fitness exercises. An integrated motor is responsible for transmitting vibrations from the plate to your body. These oscillations or vibrations destabilize you, even if it’s just a tiny little bit.
At the same time, your body is always trying to keep its balance, which is why our muscles are automatically activated in order to stabilize our body and counterbalance the vibrations.
So, the vibrations of the plate will trigger the muscles responsible for stabilizing our body (deep muscles) to contract so that they are trained unconsciously.
It is worth knowing that these stabilizing muscles, also known as deep muscles, make up almost 40% of our entire musculature, but cannot be consciously controlled or trained actively.
However, exercising on a vibration plate like the Powerfit Elite helps to activate exactly these deep muscles. And the best thing is that this happens automatically and unconsciously.
Whereas we can only train about 60% of our muscles during normal fitness exercises, vibration training makes it possible to train almost all of our muscles. This is what makes this kind of workout so effective!
In addition, training our deep muscles helps to prevent back pain or alleviate existing back pain.
Does the Powerfit Elite Help You Lose Weight?
Losing weight quickly and getting in shape without having to sweat is a pipe dream for many. In commercials and advertisements, vibration plates are sometimes marketed as a kind of magic potion for weight loss. But can the Powerfit Elite live up to these expectations?
Well, first of all I have to tell you one thing: there is no magic solution, no shortcut for losing weight! No fitness machine in the world will help you reach your goals overnight. To achieve this goal, you need a healthy, balanced diet on the one hand and a lot of sweat and discipline on the other.
But what I can tell you is that the Powerfit Elite will definitely help you reach your goals faster and make your training as effective as possible. You will also be able to burn a lot of calories in 15–20 minute workouts and lose weight faster.
But it is important that you approach the training the right way and combine vibration training with regular fitness exercises. The best exercises (including photos and instructions) will be discussed later in this article.
At this point, you might ask yourself: How exactly does a vibration plate like the Powerfit Elite help you lose weight?
As I explained above, vibration training activates almost all of our muscles and the whole body has to constantly work in order to maintain our balance.
Muscles need energy and consequently, many muscles need a lot of energy! So, when exercising on a vibration plate, your body has to use much more energy than usual, because many more muscles are needed as well.
And how does our body get this energy? Right, by burning calories and drawing on our stored fat reserves. And that’s music to the ears of anyone who wants to lose weight! ?
So yes, the Powerfit Elite definitely helps you lose weight! The vibrating plate provides a very effective weight loss workout. However, it still requires sweat and discipline to achieve results and it is not enough to simply stand on the plate. If you combine the training on the Powerfit Elite with regular fitness exercises, you will train very, very effectively in a short time!
After eight weeks with the Powerfit Elite, I was also able to burn a few grams of belly fat.
By the way: Many people want to know the exact calorie consumption during vibration training. I can only tell you that it depends on how and what exactly you train. As I told you, you should do regular fitness exercises on the Powerfit Elite. Depending on which exercises you do and at what intensity, the values for the burned calories will vary. In any case, it is more than you could burn with most “classic” training routines. ?
» Related: How to Use a Vibration Plate: A Beginner’s Guide (with Exercises)
Building Muscle with the Powerfit Elite Vibration Plate
A vibration plate is not only useful for losing weight but can also help you build muscle. What frequency range you choose is important though.
Ready for a brief run-down to help you understand the influence of the Powerfit Elite on muscle building? After a muscle has been contracted, it wants to return to the relaxed mode as quickly as possible. This contraction and relaxation cycle usually takes about 50 milliseconds.
However, if you want to recontract your muscle before this time has passed, the muscle remains under constant tension, and is trained very intensively.
The frequency range of the vibration training provides information about the time interval between the different vibrations, i.e. how fast your muscles are contracted one after the other.
Different frequencies set different training stimuli and are useful for different fitness goals. Here is a short overview of the frequency ranges and their effects:
Frequencies Levels:
- Low Frequency (1–12 Hz): Muscle relaxation, regeneration / cool down, proprioception, mobilization
- Medium Frequency (12–20 Hz): Improvement of muscle function and coordination
- High Frequency (20–35 Hz): Increases muscle performance, restores or strengthens muscle power
Since the Powerfit Elite only offers frequencies in the low to medium range, this vibration plate is not the optimal choice if you are looking to build muscle in the first place. In this case, machines such as the LifePro Rumblex 4D Vibration Plate, which offer frequencies of up to 40 Hertz, are recommended.
Don’t worry: Exercising with the Powerfit Elite is still effective! However, there are better suited vibration plates for muscle and mass building.
Further Advantages of the Powerfit Elite
Out of curiosity, I also started looking for scientific research on the Powerfit Elite or vibration plates in general.
A study of the clinic for skin diseases and allergology in Bad Mergentheim, Germany found something very interesting: Exercising two to three times a week for 8–13 minutes on a vibration plate can reduce the degree of cellulite by 32.3% within half a year.
Since cellulite in turn is often caused by a problem with blood circulation and the vibrations of the Powerfit Elite support our blood circulation, this kind of training can also reduce the degree of cellulite and generally make the skin tight and firm.
During the time of my personal test with the Powerfit Elite, I could notice slight improvements of my skin as well, even if I cannot really complain about problems with my skin in general.
Another thing concerning blood circulation: Better blood circulation not only makes the skin firmer in case of cellulite, but also strengthens our entire cardiovascular system.
The bones can also be strengthened by training with the Powerfit Elite. Originally, vibration plates were actually invented for NASA astronauts who suffer from severe bone and muscle atrophy due to the lack of physical activity in space.
Vibration training turned out to be the ideal way to strengthen the astronauts’ bones and muscles.
The Powerfit Elite Vibration Plate in Detail
Ok, now you know how the Powerfit Elite works and how vibration plates can help you to make your training more effective in general. Now let’s take a closer look at the Powerfit Elite itself.
Let’s start in the classic way and look at the delivery. Here’s what can be found in the package:
- Powerfit Elite
- Power Cable
- Remote Control (batteries not included)
- Two-arm Resistance Band
- Manual
- Workout Guide + Meal Plan Booklet
If you take a look at the surface of the plate, you immediately notice that it consists of three different patterns. Each of these three so-called foot position zones is supposed to set different training stimuli. The Powerfit Elite simulates walking, jogging and running, from a close to a wide stance respectively.
Worth Knowing: The Training Effects
Walking is simulated in a close stance (feet almost together), which should help to activate and relax the muscles, as well as improve physical resilience and breathing.
When standing shoulder width apart (feet slightly apart), the training effect is similar to jogging, which stimulates the cardiovascular system and digestive system, and strengthens bones and joints.
If you place your feet a little further apart and thus at the edge of the plate, running at a faster pace is simulated. This is especially beneficial for fat burning and for improvement of physical health in general.
In general, the further your feet are apart, the more intense are the vibrations and thus the training. I recommend you to vary between the different foot position zones of the Powerfit Elite and find out for yourself how the training affects your body in the different positions. After all, you know your body best. ?
Let’s now move on to the training programs that the Powerfit Elite offers.
In general, there are 99 speed levels. The levels gradually become more intense and the vibrations simply become heavier in general, meaning that your muscles have to work harder and harder in order to counterbalance.
Training Program 1
Training program 1 was explicitly designed for beginners. Here, the training starts at a low vibration level (28), then slowly increases to level 58 and at the end of the training slowly decreases to lower levels again.
Since I have often trained on vibration plates and generally do a lot of fitness training, this level was a bit too easy for me personally, but this program is ideal for beginners and generally for getting used to vibration training.
Training Program 2
The training program 2, which was designed for intermediate users, is a little more intensive. At first, the Powerfit Elite varies between vibration level 40 and 99 in random order, before the vibrations slowly decrease at the end of the training starting from level 99. The first part is quite intensive, while the second part serves as the optimal cool-down.
Training Program 3
The third training program was designed especially for advanced users and is admittedly very tough. Similar to the intermediate program, the Powerfit Elite jumps back and forth between medium and maximum vibration levels.
However, there is no cool-down phase and the training remains at a high intensity for almost the entire time. In fact, there is only one short time interval where the intensity will decrease to level 10. This training program was especially made for increasing performance.
If you prefer to be your own coach and don’t want to rely on training programs, you can also switch to manual mode, where you can choose the vibration levels and the length of the training yourself.
In general, training at levels 1–33 is recommended for beginners, 34–66 for intermediate users and 67–99 for advanced users. However, these are only rough guidelines. It is best to try it for yourself and get a feeling for which intensity is best for you personally.
And for those of you who are mainly interested in the technical part of the Powerfit Elite, watch out: below is a short summary of all the technical specifications:
Powerfit Elite Tech Specs
- 99 Speed Levels
- Dimensions: 21″ x 13″ x 4.5″
- Weight Limit: 220 Lbs
- Product Weight: 18 Lbs
- Material Housing: Plastic & Metal
- Training Surface: Rubber
Is the Powerfit Elite Harmful to Health? And Who Cannot Train on the Vibration Plate?
Let’s squash this rumor right at the beginning: Vibration plates, including the Powerfit Elite, are not harmful to your health. On the contrary! They even provide many health benefits.
And yet there are still many critics claiming that vibration plates are harmful to health. I have already written a whole blog post on the health effects of vibration plates, but I will summarize it for you quickly:
The Powerfit Elite is not harmful to health as long as you follow a few basic rules. Since the vibrations are, as already mentioned, counterbalanced by our deep muscles, there is a certain amount of stress put on our body. For those who have not had any experience with fitness training before or are very untrained in general, vibration training can be very intensive at the beginning.
Since the muscles are simply not used to these stimuli, they may not be able to absorb the vibrations properly, so that the joints are put under stress. My advice is to start vibration training slowly and choose a low frequency range to prevent any problems!
From a medical point of view, those with the following conditions should refrain from training with the Powerfit Elite or at least consult a doctor first:
- Acute diseases / inflammatory responses
- Thrombosis and risk of thrombosis
- Stents and bypasses
- Severe osteoporosis with fractures
- (Untreated) high blood pressure
- Arthritis
- Gallstones and kidney stones
- Pregnant women
- Children under 13 years
If that is not enough for you, I have also found a quote from Dr. Heinz Kleinöder (strength diagnostician and movement researcher at the Sports University of Cologne).
“We should take care that the vibration does not go all the way to the head. If we would do this for a long time, we would get dizzy and sick. Our vision would become blurred. So, let’s try not to do exercises while sitting or by standing stiffly on it. Even when doing abdominal exercises lying down, we can hardly dampen the vibration. The basic rule is: Do not combine a weakened body (e.g. with a risk of thrombosis or in cancer patients) with an intense stimulus. Everything else should be discussed with a doctor.”
Dr. Heinz Kleinöder (German University of Sports, Cologne)
For the beginning, I would advise you to start with simple, familiar exercises. Since vibration training is very unfamiliar to your body at first, it can be very exhausting and can lead to sore muscles the next day. But don’t worry, this is a good sign of an effective workout and, as is well known, muscle soreness disappears after just a few days. ?
I have had the experience myself that training with the Powerfit Elite is a lot of fun at the beginning, simply because it is something different, bringing some variety into the regular fitness routine. I would advise you not to overdo it, especially during the first few weeks.
Doing a fitness workout on the Powerfit Elite three times a week for 10–15 minutes is enough to work on your goals effectively.
Now I will briefly introduce you to the best exercises for getting started.
The Best Exercises with the Powerfit Elite Vibration Plate
Squats
The Proper Form:
- Back remains straight during the whole exercise
- Shoulder width stance
- Look straight ahead and tense your abdominal muscles
- Slowly bend your knees and lean your upper body slightly forward
- Important: Knees and toes point in one direction and the knees do not go further forward than the toes
Push-Ups
The Proper Form:
- Legs, upper body and head form a line that is as straight as possible
- Maintain body tension (especially abdominal and gluteal muscles)
- Perform the exercise in a controlled and slow manner (the descent should take at least one second)
- If too difficult, choose the easier version and keep your knees on the floor
Plank
The Proper Form:
- Quadruped Stance (forearms and feet touch the floor)
- Legs, upper body and head form a straight line
- Tense the entire trunk muscles and generally do not lose body tension
Standing Row
The Proper Form:
- Basic position: Bend upper body slightly forward and bend your knees slightly, arms stretched out
- Back is completely straight during the whole exercise
- Head as extension of the spine (avoiding neck and shoulder tension)
- From this basic position, pull shoulders backwards to pull cables to the body
- Elbows stay as close to the body as possible
Step Up Step Down
The Proper Form:
- Stand with both feet one step away from the vibration plate
- From here you step on the plate with one foot, then with the other and then step down alternately again
- For maximum effective fat burning, use your arms intensively with every step
Does the Powerfit Elite have any Disadvantages?
The maximum weight specification can be described as a small disadvantage of the Powerfit Elite. With a limit of 230 Lbs, the Powerfit Elite provides an ideal training solution for many people, but for those of you who are looking for vibration plates that can be used by those up to 300 lbs or 400 lbs, I would rather recommend other alternatives.
Another drawback of the Powerfit Elite is the short power cable. Personally, this did not bother me during my Powerfit Elite test, but you should train within reach of a plug socket, because the cable is not too long.
With an extension cable, this small problem can be solved very easily if necessary.
Also, many people fear that the Powerfit Elite, or vibration plates in general, are very noisy and could lead to many complaints from your neighbors.
I personally live in a small apartment in a block of apartments and can tell you that the Powerfit Elite is very quiet and has never disturbed my neighbors so far. To be on the safe side, you can also put a fitness mat under the Powerfit Elite to absorb the vibrations even better. This way you can turn the plate’s volume down even more.
Where Can You Buy the Powerfit Elite at a Reasonable Price?
I personally bought the Powerfit Elite from Amazon because of the fast delivery and because I simply found the cheapest price here. However, the price might vary from time to time, so I would recommend you check out the latest price for yourself. Here’s the Powerfit Elite XL Vibration Plate on Amazon.
Conclusion of the Powerfit Elite Test: Legit or Scam?
After eight weeks of exercising with the Powerfit Elite and after reading countless clinical studies on the topic, what is the result of this vibration plate review? Is training with the vibration machine recommendable or just a scam after all?
First of all, I have to emphasize that my initial doubts about the vibration training mostly turned out to be unjustified. After reading a lot about the subject and trying it out myself, I can say that vibration plates like the Powerfit Elite provide a very effective fitness and health training regime and allow you to train almost all your muscles in a short time.
The Powerfit Elite itself is very well suited for beginners as well as for advanced users. It is robust, offers a wide range of functions and many training possibilities. However, for muscle or mass building, there are probably better fitness machines to choose. Otherwise, fitness goals such as losing weight, increasing general performance, or improving posture and reducing back pain can be achieved perfectly with the Powerfit Elite.
I hope I helped you with this blog post. Of course, there is a lot more to say and write about vibration training. On this blog, I have also dealt with lots of other questions on this topic and answered some of the questions from this article in more detail.
If you have any further questions or suggestions, you’re always welcome to write me an email or leave a comment below.
Otherwise, have fun with trying out the Powerfit Elite for yourself?
