We’re all familiar with the idea of “shaking things up” and making some changes to your routine. But a therapy known as whole-body vibration is bringing a whole new meaning when it comes to “shaking up” your workout routine. While this therapy has been around for many years, we’re just now uncovering how this seemingly simple technique can elicit such a broad range of positive effects on our health and well-being.

Today we’re going to look at exactly what whole-body vibration is, explore the science behind its remarkable health benefits, and discuss how to choose the best vibration technology to shortcut and optimize your results. Let's dive in.

What Does Whole-Body Vibration Do?

Whole-body vibration is exactly what it sounds like – the vibration of your entire body. To accomplish this whole-body vibration, you must stand, sit, or lay down on a platform designed to deliver these high-frequency oscillations. 

As the platform vibrates, the energy of these high-frequency oscillations is transmitted to your body. As these micro-vibrations transfer their energy to you, it activates your body’s natural reflexive response – triggering your muscles to engage and relax in a controlled, consistent manner.

So you’re probably thinking – okay great, but why on earth would I even want to vibrate my whole body in the first place?

Whole-Body Vibration Benefits

While the movement induced by these whole-body vibration platforms might be minuscule, their impact is anything but tiny. You see, the rapid and rhythmic contraction and relaxation of your muscles triggered by whole-body vibration translate into some pretty remarkable health benefits. 

Let’s explore some of the most prominent health benefits that have been linked to the regular use of whole-body vibration tools. 

Increased Strength and Flexibility

When you sit, stand, or perform exercises on a vibration platform, you activate what is known as your tonic vibration reflex.¹ You see, within your muscles, there are specialized fibers known as muscle spindles that serve as sort of stretch receptors – detecting how much and how fast a muscle is either lengthened or shortened. As these muscle spindles sense what’s going on, they then respond and transmit signals to your muscle fibers – telling them to either activate and contract or relax and allow themselves to elongate. 

These muscle spindles and your tonic vibration reflex are triggered by whole-body vibration as your muscles must contract dozens of times per second while your body works to maintain stability. This rapid contraction and subsequent elongation can significantly increase:^2,3,4,5

• Muscle strength: Studies have found that whole-body vibration can have effects comparable to traditional strength training – improving explosive strength performance, cardiovascular fitness, and overall athletic abilities.
• Muscle flexibility: Even just a few minutes of vibration can significantly increase muscle flexibility. By activating the muscle spindles without overstretching the muscle, your muscle fibers are able to warm up and relax –elongating further without tensing up and contracting.
• Balance: When your tonic vibration reflex is activated, it not only sends signals to your muscles but also to your brain and central nervous system. This increase in communication can help enhance your mind-to-muscle connection and improve both balance and posture. 

Whole-body vibration has been found to have positive effects on strength, flexibility, and balance in just about everyone – from Olympic athletes to those with significant physical limitations.

Improved Bone Density and the Prevention of Osteoporosis

Just as exercise and whole-body vibration can make your muscles stronger, they can also make your bones stronger. You see, pressure or force stimulates your bones to grow and produce more bone tissue. Think of the inside of your bones like a honeycomb – with some solid areas with space in between.

If these solid walls within the honeycomb become depleted and the empty spaces increase, it can leave your bones weak and brittle – creating a condition known as osteoporosis. In osteoporosis, your body's ability to create new bone tissue simply can’t keep up with the pace at which old bone is being broken down and removed. This can result in your bones becoming porous and fragile – and leave you susceptible to fractures.

But when you apply pressure or force to your bones (like during whole-body vibration) it triggers specialized cells known as osteoblasts that essentially “beef up” and strengthen the solid walls of the honeycomb-like structure that makes up your bones. Studies have found that, when used consistently, whole-body vibration can significantly increase bone density and even reverse signs of weak, brittle bones seen in osteoporosis.^6,7,8 

Weight Loss and Decreased Appearance of Cellulite

Because whole-body vibration can have effects similar to strength training, it can pack a powerful punch when it comes to weight loss. Studies have found that using whole-body vibration alone or in conjunction with a traditional resistance training program can significantly accelerate weight loss. It can be particularly useful for those who may struggle to participate in traditional workout routines due to obesity or other physical restrictions.^9,10

Losing excess body fat and maintaining a healthy body weight have major implications for not only your health but also your confidence in your physical appearance. And whole-body vibration can also help you feel more confident in your skin by reducing the appearance of cellulite – the dimpling or “cottage cheese” like the appearance of certain areas of the skin.

You see, cellulite is caused by a combination of enlarged fat cells and the hardening of the connective tissues beneath your skin. Whole-body vibration can help drastically reduce the appearance of cellulite by aiding in weight loss and the shrinkage of enlarged fatty cells while also promoting the remodeling of the connective tissues beneath your skin.¹¹ 

Enhanced Brain Function and Slowed Progression of Cognitive Decline

We all know exercise is good for our physical health – but it also has a major influence on our brain health and mental health. And because whole-body vibration induces changes within your body that mimic an exercise routine, it can have some remarkable impacts on your brain. Some of the ways exercise and whole-body vibration impact your brain health include:^12,13

• Combating and decreasing inflammation in the brain and central nervous system known as neuroinflammation
• Stimulating the release of “feel-good” hormones and neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin
• Increasing neuroplasticity or the growth of new connections and communication channels between brain cells
• Boosting circulation and blood flow to the brain 

Whole-body vibration has such a potent effect on brain health, research has found it can even help enhance cognitive function and pump the brakes on cognitive decline – making it a potentially promising tool in combating and addressing cognitive conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.¹⁴

Anti-Aging Benefits and Hormonal Balance

Human growth hormone, or HGH, is a hormone secreted by your pituitary gland. HGH plays a crucial role in a wide variety of essential bodily functions such as:

• Tissue repair
• Muscle growth
• Brain function
• Bone density development
• Skin thickness and appearance
• Energy
• Metabolism

But as we age, our natural production of this key hormone begins to steadily decline – inducing many of the cardinal signs of aging. But restoring and revitalizing the production of HGH can not only slow but even reverse some of the effects of dwindling HGH levels. 

And one easy yet powerful way to naturally supercharge your body’s production of HGH is through whole-body vibration – with studies finding that a single session of whole-body vibration can increase circulating HGH levels by a whopping 460% or more!

So, Which Whole-Body Vibration Platform Is Best?

As they say, the proof is in the pudding. And there’s ample proof that whole-body vibration can have some pretty impressive health benefits. But when it comes to vibration platforms, they’re not all created equally.

While simply standing on a whole-body vibration platform that vibrates up and down may provide some benefits, to truly get optimal results that translate into the impressive health benefits listed above, you’ll want a platform that offers a much more dynamic vibration. And no other whole-body vibration platform offers a more comprehensive and science-backed vibration technology than Power Plate.

Power Plate: Best in Class Vibration Technology

Power Plate has spent years researching and fine-tuning their vibration technology also known as PrecisionWave™ Technology. Power Plate's whole-body vibration platforms oscillate at a very specific frequency – sending up to 50 micro-vibrations through your body every second. These micro-vibrations are then paired with tri-planar vibration – shifting and vibrating the platform in different directions.

This combination of micro-vibration frequencies and directional movement allows the Power Plate to deliver unparalleled results in less time. Power Plate’s vibration technology is so effective it’s classified as both an MDD Certified Medical device as well as a Class 1c US FDA-registered device. The world-class vibration technology engineered at Power Plate can truly benefit anyone and everyone. 

This technology has been used to enhance the performance of professional athletes like NFL players, PGA golfers, and F1 race car drivers. It’s been used to help actors and performers get in tip-top shape and fine-tune their physiques in record time. It’s been used by NASA astronauts to combat muscle atrophy and bone loss.

But whole-body vibration certainly isn’t reserved for elite athletes, Hollywood actors, or space-traveling astronauts – it can also have major benefits for everyday people. Whole-body vibration has been used in rehabilitation programs and wellness practices across the globe to help everyday folks live their best life – whether that’s being able to exercise for the first time in years, spend time playing with the grandkids, or maintain their strength and independence as they age.

Ready to Experience Power Plate Vibration Technology for Yourself?

The science and testimonies behind Power Plates vibration technology are truly incredible. If you’re interested in learning more about exactly how Power Plate technology works and exploring the plethora of health benefits that can come from whole-body vibration, head over and check out their website. You can also head over and check out my fascinating interview with Dr. Jason Conviser [transcript here] where we talk about whole-body vibration for strength, longevity, and healing.

And as a special gift to my readers, I’ve partnered with Power Plate to bring you a special discount on your own Power Plate platform. By clicking this link you can access a $600 discount and a 0% APR financing option. 

I’m a huge believer in finding leverage points that can help us do more with less. Power Plate does precisely that – allows us to leverage science-backed technology to get optimal results in less time. I’m truly excited to share this incredible product and technology with you all.

Now it’s time to hear from you. Were you surprised to learn about all of the remarkable health benefits associated with whole-body vibration? Have you ever tried whole-body vibration – and if so, what did you think? Leave your questions and thoughts in the comments below! 

Resources:

1. Frontiers | Whole Body Vibration Training on Muscle Strength and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels in Elderly Woman With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial Study (frontiersin.org)
2. strength-gains-and-higher-jumps-with-power-plate-training-en-us.pdf (shopify.com)
3. Effects of Whole-body Vibration Training on Sprint Running Kinematics and Explosive Strength Performance – PMC (nih.gov)
4. The effect of vibration on active and passive range of motion in elite female synchronized swimmers: European Journal of Sport Science: Vol 8, No 4 (tandfonline.com)
5. The effectiveness of whole-body-vibration training in improving hamstring flexibility in physically active adults – PubMed (nih.gov)
6. Whole-body vibration exercise in postmenopausal osteoporosis – PMC (nih.gov)
7. Whole-body vibration training and bone health in postmenopau… : Medicine (lww.com)
8. whole-body-vibration-training-builds-bone.pdf (shopify.com)
9. Whole-body vibration augments resistance training effects on body composition in postmenopausal women – PubMed (nih.gov)
10. Effect of long-term whole body vibration training on visceral adipose tissue: a preliminary report – PubMed (nih.gov)
11. Whole-body vibration in the reduction of the cellulite – PubMed (nih.gov)
12. Chronic whole body vibration ameliorates hippocampal neuroinflammation, anxiety-like behavior, memory functions and motor performance in aged male rats dose dependently | Scientific Reports (nature.com)
13. Frontiers | Whole Body Vibration Attenuates Brain Damage and Neuroinflammation Following Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury (frontiersin.org)
14. Research Card – Mild Cognitive Impairment (shopify.com)
15. wp01-power-plate-for-anti-aging-and-regenerative-hormonal-response-en-us.pdf (shopify.com)