Whole body vibration (WBV) therapy is used in many physical therapies to build muscle, improve balance, correct posture problems and increase bone density. While they may not look that efficient, the impact of your muscles contracting rapidly in response to micro-movements is real. Studies support the benefits, and their use is recommended by medical and professional fitness organizations.
Can Vibration Platforms Help You Lose Weight?
This question has been brushed off by fitness fanatics for decades despite there being scientific proof that WBV does, in fact, burn fat and calories. They assume because you’re not straining, you’re not gaining muscle or burning fat. The results speak for themselves.
Results presented at the 2009 European Congress of Obesity showed that, when properly used, vibration had a significant impact on weight loss. For the study, participants were broken down into four groups: conventional exercise, exercise with dieting, exercise with vibration and control.
By the end of the study, the dieters had not maintained the 5 percent weight loss needed to ensure improved health. The control group had gained weight. Only those performing conventional exercise and exercise with vibration had lost weight, but the numbers were astonishing. With conventional exercise, participants kept off 6.9 percent of their original weight, where the group using vibration therapy nearly doubled those rates, with lasting weight loss of 10.5 percent.
Unfortunately, you have to do more than stand on a vibration plate to get those benefits. Unlike the WBV used to treat other conditions, vibration therapy must be used during exercise to get those results. Sessions lasted 15 to 30 minutes, with each exercise lasting anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds. So, while a VibePlate isn’t going slim you down overnight or all by itself, it can be a powerful tool in maximizing your efforts.
More importantly, this study looked at long-term weight loss. If your goal is to permanently change your waistline, a vibration therapy platform is a smart investment. However, as with any exercise, you want to be checked over by a doctor before you begin. Get professional advice on whether it will be safe for you. People with certain conditions – from pregnancy to bone tumors – should seek out alternatives.
How Does Vibration Work for Weight Loss?
It used to be that people assumed vibration machines created a placebo effect. You thought you would lose weight, so you did. If it were that easy, the whole world would be thin! We’d just trick ourselves into thinking walking from our car into work counted as an aerobics routine. Again, there is real science at work behind the success of WBV devices.
When your body comes into contact with a vibrating platform, your muscles clench and release to keep you steady. For the most part, this happens without you noticing. The core muscles of your body fight very hard to stay in control, so just 10 minutes a day on a platform can be of help.
Research shows these movements aren’t intense enough to create the same results as aerobic exercise, but they do work to steadily increase oxygen intake and burn both calories and fat. Over time, these gains add up. While many therapies require less than 10 minutes a day to work, using vibration for weight loss involves more time. For the best results, aim to spend 30 minutes a day on your equipment while completing other aerobic exercises, such as lunges and curls.