There are claims that vibration plates, which offer full-body vibration can help with weight loss and gaining strength. But is this modern piece of exercise equipment too good to be true? Are vibration plates a type of workout we should all try? To find the potential benefits and risks associated with vibration plates, along with who should avoid them and which exercises to do on these plates, we reached out to fitness experts to answer all of your questions.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source on Chrome.
What is a vibration plate?
Whole-body vibration plates are a form of exercise machine that shakes rapidly when you stand on them. When you stand on a vibration plate, you’re engaging in a full-body vibration exercise, where your muscles are forced to contract and relax quickly.
“The purpose of vibration plates is to generate quick vibrations that cause your body’s muscles to contract and relax several times per second,” says Leah Verebes, a physical therapist and assistant professor at Touro University’s School of Health Sciences. “At a far greater frequency, this resembles the spontaneous contractions that take place during exercise.”
“This stimulates a subconscious muscle activation each time the machine moves, meaning your muscles are activating far more than they would on a stable surface,” says Laura Wilson, a personal trainer at Life Time Fishers and director of training and curriculum at Power Plate, a company that produces vibrating exercise machines.
There are several ways to use a vibration plate, the most common being standing on its rectangular platform. However, you can also perform squats or push-ups on it.
Wilson says vibration plates can move in multiple directions: up and down, side to side and front to back. The harmonic vibrations move between 25 to 50 times per second, activating the corresponding muscles.
Vibration plate benefits
Yes, there are health benefits to using vibration plates. According to Verebes, some of the advantages may include “improved muscle tone and strength, better circulation, higher bone density, improved flexibility and balance, lymphatic drainage and the possibility of weight loss when paired with a healthy diet and regular exercise.”
However, experts agree that vibration plates offer the most benefits when used as part of an overall health and wellness plan. In other words, you shouldn’t expect to lose weight or increase muscle strength just by standing on a vibration plate — even if social media makes it seem so. Instead, experts suggest supplementing vibration exercise with other healthy habits, including a balanced diet and aerobic and strength training.
“Vibration plates are not a magic bullet or a replacement for traditional exercise,” warns Michael Betts, a personal trainer and director at TrainFitness. “The benefits are modest and work best when combined with other forms of training.”
Still, research indicates that using vibration plates can have positive effects on your health. For example, one 2021 study looked at whether whole-body vibration training could improve muscle strength in older adults, concluding that it “may be an alternative exercise method to boost the effect of strengthening exercise.”
Similarly, a 2007 study investigated the effects of whole-body vibration training in men over 60 and found that it has the “potential to prevent or reverse the age-related loss in skeletal muscle mass, referred to as sarcopenia.”
Other research suggests that vibration-based exercise may help improve bone mass density, reduce inflammation, alleviate chronic low back pain and more.
Safely doing different exercises on a vibration plate can provide even more benefits.
Vibration plate exercises
To use a vibration plate, you can simply stand in place with slightly bent knees. You can also engage in other exercises — like squats or push-ups — while using the machine.
“Incorporating exercises such as squats, lunges, planks, push-ups and core workouts enhances results by engaging more muscle groups and boosting calorie burn,” says Verebes.
If you’re up to the challenge, here are three vibration plate exercises to try, as recommended by Wilson:
Push-ups
“Push-ups work your chest and shoulders — and doing them on a vibration plate activates many more muscle fibers per second than if you were to do them on the floor,” says Wilson.
To perform a push-up on a vibration plate, follow these steps:
- Get into a high plank position by placing your palms flat on the platform and stretching your legs long behind you.
- Lower into a push-up position slowly. Your chest should come close to touching the platform.
- Perform three sets of 10 reps, taking 30 seconds of rest between each set.
High plank holds
You can also use a vibration plate to perform a high plank hold, which is “great for your core and upper body strength,” says Wilson. Here’s how:
- Get into a high plank position by placing your palms flat on the platform and stretching your legs long behind you.
- Hold for 30 seconds. Perform three sets, taking 15 seconds of rest between each set.
Tricep dips
“This exercise works the back of the arm as well as the shoulder,” says Wilson. “You’re going to experience much more muscle activation when doing it on a vibration plate machine.” Here’s how:
- Sit on the edge of the platform.
- Place your palms on the platform (just outside of your hips). Keep your feet flat on the ground with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Scoot forward until you’re hovering in front of the platform, only supported by your arms and legs.
- Lower your hips toward the ground by bending at the knees, stopping when your knees reach 90 degrees or when you can’t lower your hips further.
- Push through your palms and return to the starting position.
- Perform three sets of 10 reps, taking 30 seconds of rest between each set.
