WELLNESS AUTHOR
Jessica Tranchina, PT, DPT
GOOD VIBRATIONS: WHY WE NEED THEM n Whole-body vibration plates need to find their way into your workout and recovery routines — here’s why.
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n the fitness world, there always seems to be a plethora of new products, tools and must-haves that become popular and then fade away with time. However, the whole-body vibration plate is one tool the fitness community should not leave on the back burner. Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) isn’t just the latest fad at the gym — WBV provides proven health benefits: • Strengthens muscles • Increases bone mass • Increases blood flow • Increases flexibility • Stimulates lymphatic system • Decreases cortisol levels According to Biomedical Health & News, the idea of using vibration for health benefits dates back to ancient Greece, using “body vibration machines as a therapeutic methodology to help soldiers recover from their injuries. They utilized a bow-like wooden instrument and would ‘pluck’ the strings of the bow to allow it to vibrate over soldiers’ wounds.” Over time, the concept of whole-body vibration transitioned from unproven to serious science when the Russian space program used it to simulate the weight of gravity for cosmonauts who would otherwise lose muscle tissue and bone density while living in microgravity. While professional athletes have been using
FEBRUARY 2021
vibration for years to enhance performance, this therapy is beneficial for anyone at any age who is interested in improving his/her health.
WBV Benefits
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Stronger Muscles
As you sit or stand (always with knees at least slightly bent) on the vibration plate, your muscles contract and relax 30 times each second. As your body works to regain stability, multiple muscle fibers become engaged in each movement, significantly amplifying the effectiveness of any movement performed on the plate. This is why doing squats on a vibrating plate requires so much more energy than doing them on the ground. To make the most of your time on the WBV plate, consider performing dynamic strength exercises like squats, push-ups, lunges, etc. The variation applied in different angles enhances the performance of the exercise by activating more muscle fibers which leads to muscle growth and increased muscle density.
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Lower Blood Pressure
Whole-body vibration has also been shown to reduce arterial stiffness. In each study, the test subjects’ blood pressures were lowered significantly. At least six independent studies
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