Shake Up A Typical Exercise Routine

What’s the deal with whole body vibration? While the platforms are becoming more widely available at many therapy clinics and gyms (even some at-home practitioners are using them), many have questions about how the platform fits into a regular exercise routine and the types of benefits they add. According to several recent articles, when used as part of an overall exercise regimen and in conjunction with a healthy diet, WBV can help build strength, reduce pain, serve as an effective warm-up or cool down, and even improve overall bone health in older adults. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, these platforms can be part of a overall exercise regimen: 

Some research does show that whole-body vibration may help improve muscle strength and that it may help with weight loss when you also cut back on calories.

Whole-body vibration may also have a role beyond sports and fitness. Some research shows that whole-body vibration, when performed correctly and under medical supervision when needed, can:

• Reduce back pain
• Improve balance in older adults
• Reduce bone loss

Yahoo Shine includes WBV machines in their roundup of the best gym equipment that people aren’t using: 

These vibrating platforms give your strengthening and stretching moves a boost by preventing or repairing muscle damage while fast-forwarding the results. The high speed vibrating workout stimulates the contraction and relaxation of your muscles, increasing the amount your muscles contract per second from once or twice to 30-50. Next time you’re in the gym, don’t walk straight past these machines; they’re a time-saver as multiple muscle groups are activated at the same time. You can control the intensity of vibration (30 to 50 vibrations per second is suggested for beginners) and how long you hold your poses for. One thing to keep in mind though: bend your knees to avoid jarring the joints.

And the New York Times indicates that WBV can boost bone health, particularly in women at risk for osteoporosis: 

So-called odd impacts, created when you move in a direction other than straight ahead, can initiate remodeling throughout the hipbone and spine in older people, a few recent studies suggest.

So, too, may shaking up the bones by standing on a whole-body vibration platform, available nowadays at many health clubs. In a 2013 study, 28 postmenopausal women were randomized to use a vibration platform for five minutes, three times a week, or not to shake and pulsate. After six months, the vibrating women had 2 percent more spinal bone, while the control group had lost about half a percent. Not all studies to date of vibration training show bone benefits, but none have found harms, so you might investigate the option if, because of your health, balance or natural sense of dignity, you do not hop.