Reviewing the Research on Vibration Training
Recently Nick Grantham of the English Institute of Sport reviewed the research on vibration platforms.
He looked at both health, rehabilitation, and performance enhancement. Grantham’s findings were published in the Sports Injury Bulletin.
The final conclusions:
Should we all rush out and buy vibration platforms for our clinics? Despite the mounting body of evidence in support of this modality, the jury is still out. Marco Cardinale and Carmelo Bosco sum it up in their review paper [1], in which they recommend that studies should continue to explore the effects of long-term vibration training on different physiological parameters and should define appropriate training protocols.
The bottom line? There isn’t one. Vibration training could yet be the next big thing; but so far, the men in white coats cannot give us a green light, and anyone using this technique will be doing so with their fingers firmly crossed behind their backs.
[1] Cardinale, M & Bosco, C (2003). The use of vibration as an exercise intervention. Exercise and Sport Science Reviews 31(1): 3-7
Written by Site Administrator on February 19th, 2007
41 Comments
I would also like to add though that Carmelo Bosco is one of my heros. Constantly pissing everybody off challanging myths about exercise and breaking the status quo.
“Therefore we have a great responsibility to adapt this knowledge and to make it available not only to athletes but to all. And we know that it’s not enough to simply say go jogging, lift some weights, do this exercise ”
No-one liked that one.
He was definitely going in the right direction , but the machinery he worked with was quite limiting. And I believe his hormonal and weight loss research was halted by this factor.
- Leeanne
February 21st, 2007i did a trial (3 sessions, 10 minutes each) on a promoitalia (i’m quite sure this is the correct name) wbv machine, wednesday, thursday and friday of last week. i woke up monday morning with what seemed like a gastro-intestinal flu (diareahh, body aches, nausea and fatigue). tuesday i felt pretty much recovered so i decided to go to my tuesday yoga class. nothing heavy, just a light class of varying beginner postures. everything was fine until the end of the class when i went from a lying down position to an upright position and the room began to spin and i had to lie down again. i wasn’t so much light headed but just got dizzy and the spins. i was fine after lying there for awhile and getting up slowly again, so i decided to go for another session on the wbv machine. i noticed when i was on it (another 10 minute slimming session of not that intense frequency - up to 12 for a couple of minutes) my bladder began to hurt! afterwards i felt somewhat off balance and it has only progessively gotten a little worse and more frequent. today is wednesday and now i feel like everything is moving just a fraction of a second after my eyes do and i am feeling very unbalanced and my head is in a bit of a constant spin. this is freaking me out and i’m wondering if this has anything to do with the wbv sessions! have you heard of anything like this happening to anyone else and do you think this may be a result of my sessions on the wbv machine? please comment asap, thank you!!
Hello Leanne,
You must be a supporter of lineal type WBV trying to attack the pivotal ones (JUST JOKING!!).
Promoitalia is a kind of Italian trade commission. I believe you meant PROELLIXE brand vibration plate. It is an Italian brand WBV device of pivotal mechanism.
I saw it from a beauty trade show some years ago but I did not have the opportunity to try it. For pivotal type WBV devices, I tried GALILEO and another brand OTO which is a cheap China-made device.
My experience is GALILEO is OK although I personally prefer lineal (vertical vibration) instead of pivotal (topple). However, with the cheap one like OTO that I tried, I stood on the plate for 20 seconds, stepped down and began feeling dizzy. My wife experienced the same.
It explains partially why there are people in WBV field, prefer Vertical Vibration than Toppling Vibration. Disregarding the argument of the efficiency of the two mechanism in achieving optimal EMG activity, you can place many more positions on a Vertical Vibration Plate than a Toppling Vibration Plate. More importantly, pivotal mechanism is probably easier to produce therefore almost all cheap China-made or Taiwan-made WBV devices use this mechanism; however, a manufacturer still needs good biomechanics knowledge to design and produce a decent pivotal type WBV device. If a pivotal WBV plate is poorly designed and when it shakes so rapidly, you can imagine you are alike standing or sitting on a rocking boat and that’s why you feel dizzy after a short while. IT IS A MOTION SICKNESS. I also recall there is a study done by Japanese indicating pivotal type vibration might potentially do harm to internal organ. However, I cannot remember the full detail of this study and I do not want to emphasize it to attack pivotal type WBV. Your description of feeling hurt in bladder just recalled this brief memory, that’s all.
My advice is to stop your training on that particular WBV plate and switch to a lineal type (Vertical Vibration) device like FITVIBE, VIBR-TRAIN or POWER PLATE.
The most difficult part in promoting WBV is that there are many poor devices in the market creating negative result and poor reputation for WBV.
Believe me, WBV has a good value in both medical and fitness applications but you need to know how to manipulate it and to choose a good device. In Hong Kong, I have a sport physiotherapist working for my studio because the physiotherapist believes in this modality and you know medical doctors and allied health professionals are trained to believe only in evidence.
I hope you will soon find the right device or right place for your WBV training.
Good health!
TC
- Leeanne
February 22nd, 2007thanks so much for responding tc! you are correct, the machine is a proellixe and you are also correct that the cheap devices have the potential to harm the reputation of the whole industry, so i won’t let this put me off the properly designed and researched devices, and your site here is a good place to come for what looks like sound research and advice! so, today is thursday and my head is still in a spin! this didn’t happen right after i got off the machine but it’s been a constant from 2 days after my last session. of course, i went and booked a month of sessions before this weirdness happened and am probably out $179, however, i am due to go back today and will speak to the people about this and try to get a refund. what do you think are my chances? lol.
i’ve made an appointment with my doctor today and will let you know if he thinks there is some correlation. let me just state, if he feels there is, i’m positive it is with this particular type of device, as you said. the feeling is not so much light headed, as in i’m about to faint, but more like the room is spinning and i’m knocked totally off balance and want to fall over! motion sickness, yes that must be it - some kind of inner ear imbalance that perhaps happened as a result. even happens when i turn over in bed at night! i’ll let you know what happens, and thanks again! Leeanne….
The Pivitol device off-set your eqiulibrium. This could last for a week or so. My advice would be to go straight to the chemist and get an antihistamine . This is the most common ingredient used in most motion sickness drugs.Or talk to your chemist as they may have something more suitable.
Take for one week while it passes.
This problem should not happen on a Lineal unit , but that in your case remains to be seen.
Hello Leeanne,
If the syptom remains and you have a T.E.N.S. ( (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) unit, you can try the following:
Put one electrode at outside of left wrist (where you wear watch, acupuncture point TE5) and the other electrode at inside of same wrist (acupuncture point PC6). Select a Burst mode stimulation (low frequency stimulation that you feel like tapping).
In a few minutes time, the nausea syptom should be greatly suppressed or totally gone.
This works great on me and I hope it works for you too.
TC
Leeanne,
Forgot to mention,
In case you do not have a TENS unit, you can try just use your right thumb to give the spot at inside of left wrist a “pressure-acupuncture”.
Or you put a small object and firmly tape it onto the above spot to create a pressure stimulating that acupuncture point.
TC
- Kris
February 24th, 2007Lloyd,
Could you please tell us beginners just what positions can help tone upper arms and help with arthritis in neck and shoulders? Since I have a wrist/thumb tendonitis I cannot hold a position of push up on platform with the weight being on wrists. Is there a sitting position with less weight on wrists?
Thanks again.
Hello Kris,
Try the followings:
For Upper Arms…
1) Place soft mat on vibration plate.
2) Set either 25 or 30 Hz; amplitude at low.
3) Kneel down next to the vibration plate, arm full extends and press on the vibration plate; stimulates between 30 to 60 sec.
4) Repeat the above for the other side of arms.For Neck & Shoulders (if your vibration plate allows straps application)…
1) Attach two long straps to the vibration plate.
2) Set 30 Hz; amplitude at high level.
3) Sit in front of the vibration plate but with your back facing the plate (suggest to a stool without backrest).
4) Two straps cross each other behind back and go to the front above shoulders; and then hold the straps in front of your upper chest and cross again.
5) Keep the straps straight and tight but no need to use arms’ strength (you have to adjust the length of the straps).
6) Start vibration stimulation and then adjust your truck forwards or sideways slightly to feel the vibration massaging your neck and shoulders.
7) Stimulation time approx. 60~120 minutes.TC
- Kris
February 25th, 2007Thanks TC
- Nick Morris
March 13th, 2007Just published in J.Sports & Med Sci
Paradisis & Zacharogiannis Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2007) 6, 44 - 49
EFFECTS OF WHOLE-BODY VIBRATION TRAINING ON SPRINT RUNNING KINEMATICS AND EXPLOSIVE STRENGTH PERFORMANCE
“Performance in 10 m, 20 m, 40 m, 50 m and 60 m improved significantly after 6 wk of WBV training with an overall improvement of 2.7%. The step length and running speed improved by 5.1% and 3.6%, and the step rate decreased by 3.4%. The countermovement jump height increased by 3.3%, and the explosive strength endurance improved overall by 7.8%. The WBV training period of 6 wk produced significant changes in sprint running kinematics and explosive strength performance.”I am getting similar and even greater effect with the programs I am involved in through the Los Angeles area.
But what unit was used ? And how ?
Without this info the results cannot be used. “WBV” is a generic term and should not be used in published studies.
- Green
March 13th, 2007They used a Powerplate–the full article can be referenced here :
http://www.jssm.org/vol6/n1/5/v6n1-5text.php
There is also a PDF available on the site. Not a bad little study. All static , no jumping around like idiots. Plate a bit on the lighter side. But you cant have everthing right ?
Do we know what model Power-Plate was used ?
- BAM
March 23rd, 2007Can anyone tell me the difference between a my5 Powerplate and a Next generation Powerplate? One is double the price of the other, and they are both expensive.
Which of the powerplates recently discussed in blogs is the “metal based ” one anyway?
With different models around, it is hard to find out the specific pros and cons of each. I engineering terms . No difference.
MY3 ( home ) = .8 Kw
MY5 = .35 Kw
Pro5 = .35 Kw
Pro5 Air Adaptive = .35 KwMost changes have been only to fix major problems. Not to further the brand.
- BAM
March 24th, 2007WELL, WHICH POWERPLATE MODEL, ACCORDING TO YOUR YOUR POSTS, HAS A METAL BASE, AND WASN’T MANUFACTURED IN CHINA?
- Jason
March 24th, 2007I am affraid all the Powerplates built in China .
Some assembly may happen in Europe on certain units. I have witnesses ” made in Switzerland” stickers being put on Chinese madels myself.
But all parts I an aware of are made in China.
- Di
March 25th, 2007How do Owners of WBV clinics and Trainers measure success of a program (set period of use/time) using WBV as a performance enhancing tool/training tool?
I have read lots of reports/studies but they seem very inconclusive over a long? time frame of say, six months.
What sports people benefit most from WBV training?
How is success measured? Is it subjective? Is it in winning or improved performance at a sports event which could be explained in some other way?
What things make a trainer/owner of a clinic believe that their clients are receiving benefit?
What things make a User know, for a certainty, that they are benefitting from this training? Is improved muscle mass and/or bone density an expected result and if so what time period of training is needed to produce this?
Without getting in a discussion of pivotal versus lineal, does it make a difference which type of machine is used if improved muscle mass or bone density is a desired result.
(sorry for so many questions and TIA)
- Wayne Campbell
March 25th, 2007Di, we have a very diverse range of people that come to our studios, from obese people to NZ representitive athletes.
Somethings are easily evident to see such as a persons body compostion changing in areas such as weight loss,, more toned, cellulite reduction…
Other evidence is from feedback with comments like, less aches and pains, relief from symptoms assosciated with diabeties, lupus to name a few .
We have access to a top (very expensive) European body compostion analyser that measures among other things lean body mass / body fat mass / body fat % so we can monitor clients progress.
We have been open coming up 2 years now and still have clients that started with us from day one
- daz
April 6th, 2007Hi lloyd,
Do you have any of your units in Sydney. I am interested in using a WBV and have been reading through this blog with great interest.
I am still unsure whether lineal is better then pivotal? I am seeing a range of home unit being advertised now called a crazy fit massager, do these actually do anything for you? As they are very cheap compared to any of the others I have seen in this blog.
I am more interested in having a go at your unit, I hope you have a studio here. No sorry , closest studio would be new one in TweedHeads.
We are hoping to be in Sydney soon.
The home version you speak of is a toy. And a dangerous one at that. I do believe half decent home versions will be available in the future though. Just not yet unfortunatly.
- Di
April 7th, 2007I’m not sure if this is the right place for telling of my experiences with WBV or if I should have used the old “Experiences” thread but this one is newer.
I’ve known about WBV for about two years and seen regular adverts in local news journals. It’s taken all this time to decide to try it. I’m gym-shy and like another person wrote, concerned about looking stupid by not having an already perfect body, being a little older, overweight, and maybe a little stupid when it comes to following instructions about positions on the machines.
I trialed a cheaply priced pivotal home machine in a store and it made my head shake and my teeth sore. It seemed rather cheaply made so thought it wouldn’t stand up to much use and might quickly lose interest in it.
My partner and I walked to a local Vibra-Train studio and looked in. We were welcomed to come in and talk and we both tried out a machine with just a one minute basic squat. This was enough to get us interested as it was hard work and felt like real excercise so I soon returned for a full first session (which was free..Good marketing there Lloyd as no one can say they don’t want to waste money giving it a go!) My partner took a little longer to decide but he soon tried it out also.
Now two months later after going to Vibra-Train 2-3 times weekly except for a 10 day period when out of town for sports events, I definately have some positive results. To anyone reading this and wondering what Vibration Training on a Vibra-Train machine feels like, I say, it’s hard work. It hurts a bit. It’s definately excercise! I’ve had a Trainer with me at every session and have been shown the positions over and over and been corrected every time I was not in the perfect position before the machine was turned on and corrected during the time on the machine also if needed. I’ve asked so many questions of the trainers and in here and looked on many other websites for info. I’m naturally inquisitive and when it comes to my safety I needed to be sure this was a safe and effective method of excercising and worth spending my money on.
Results: I have retained strength and energy despite not walking/jogging or any other excercise over the past 4-5 weeks (to let a minor leg injury complete healing).
The nerve pain in my left back/glutes is almost gone and I can sit at computer for longer periods without any twinge of nerve pain. I’ve travelled 1000km (2 x 500) by car without even noticing pain in my side. The best result has been that this week I can lie on my left side without pain in my hip and without tranference of that into my leg. I have even slept on my left side whereas before I would wake in pain.
I’ve started retraining in walking and jogging again and have only minimal discomfort in my side.I have not lost weight yet but I had vastly decreased overall excercise since starting Vibra-Train.
Some people have asked me why I kept going back when I would say, after a session, that it hurt a little when on the machines or that my leg muscles ached a little afterwards. There is a “Wow” factor about Vibration Training or maybe it’s just Vibra-Train that has that “Wow”. I wanted to keep going and although it’s been quite slow to see measurable results I felt energised. Also I’ve always been treated with respect by the trainers (I’ve had 3 depending on when I went) and so I’ve gained confidence in my own abilities.
Thanks Lloyd for providing this method of training and also rehab/therapy to New Zealand. It’s great and it’s suitable for just about everyone. Thanks especially for your cautious approach over safety. I would never have continued if I’d felt that any of the positions on the machines might be injurious to me and also for allaying my fears about the frequencies used by your machines.
- Di
April 7th, 2007Oh dear! Some of my post was lost.
I need to add that I do race walking and a little jogging so I was already half-fit when I started at Vibra-Train but I was plagued with leg injuries.
Also I have a fairly minor heart-valve medical condition and take medication to keep my blood pressure stable. Vibra-Train training has not negatively impacted on this in any way. I get no chest pain or rise in bp using the machines.
My partner has increased energy for his long distance running training and has noticable, if minor, increase in arm and chest muscle. (he is very slim so any change is noticable). He was a bigger skeptic than me when we started Vibration Training and now after just two months he reminds me to go!
Di……..
thanks for the support. May have to put you on the pay-roll if you keep going.To All……
hoping my next artical sheds some light on whats happening within the industry. It is short , but sweet.- Jean Hartman
December 7th, 2007My daughter has MS and is overweight. She has been going to a clinic where they use Proelixe, She has less pain and is losing weight.
I would like to buy her a machine but Proellixe is very expensive. I found another machine called vibraslim V2. Do you know how these two products compare?Thank you
Jean The Proellixe in my opinion just meets the standards of a device going to be used for something like MS or weight loss.
Vibra-Slim is not on the list at all due to various concerns over the machine and the company selling it.
If anyone out there can offer this man another deal on a pivotal unit , this is once chance I will not jump on you for marketing.
Lloyd,
I really like the Noblerex K1.
I have tried the Galileo 2000, Vibraslim/Vibratrim/Crazyfit, and one other (looks like the vibrapro 4400 at slimvibes.com).
I must say the Galileo had a stronger force and gave a more intense workout but the Noblerex is a close second. It operates 7-25 HZ and 6.5mm amplitude (or 13 mm low to high). It has a VERY high quality motor and I used it almost continuous for 3 days straight at an event with 3000 people.
My back problems have disappeared and I have put on 8 pounds of muscle in 6 months.
Anyway I offer the best price on the internet if anyone is interested.
Besides the Galileo/VibraFlex, I think its the best unit in my opinion.
I know Lloyd you are not a fan of Korean Imports, but this one is well made.
I am working to be a distributor for Vibraflex (USA version of Galileo). They do have a home unit for $5000, but I have not tried it.
The K-1 is $2950 + shipping, but I offer $300 in discounts.
Anyway, Lloyd You asked for it….LOL…
Check out my site http://www.myk1.com
(p.s. I am going to change the site very soon regarding the info on lineal vs pivotal… but everything else is good information on there.)I have no problem with quality units from anywhere , and have helped a U.S. distributor pick a machine from Korea before.
I will continue to support any company or individual that at least attempts to do the right thing.
Lloyd,
I keep hearing that vibration training can give you an hour of exercise in ten minutes.
Have you seen research to validate this?
Thanks
Bryantp.s. is there any website or resource that has a collection of good vibration training research? It would be nice to have a site that catalogued ALL the past, present and future research on vibration training (aka whole body vibration). It would be nice to catalogue in many catagories related to sports training, preventation and correction (fixing existing problems like bone loss, etc).
The Hr exercise thing is not reseached based , and I do not believe it could be done unless everybody agreed on what “execise” is. Exercise by definition is a generic term itself , not an exact scientific one.
That marketing term caught on as more personal trainers and athletes tried the original PowerPlate ( Vibro-Gym) and agreed it “felt” like they had been in the gym for at least an Hr.
I have personally yet to see a trainer or athlete dispute this after a session.
The only problem the industry has had recently is dodgy companies using this term to sell its cheaper Therapy machines.
As to your second question…
None that I know of. And most published research cant be trusted at present.
- Carl
February 4th, 2008Injury causing hernia surgery.
I have purchased a lineal type vibration platform and followed the instructions given to me: 10 minutes twice a day. After about 4 days I became sore in the groin area but continued thinking that the muscles were adjusting to the new exercise. The groin and lower abdomen became very sore and about 3 weeks later I noticed that
the hernia had popped which resulted in me having surgery. The vibration of the machine was so severe that I believe that if i continued on it would result in further surgery to my hemorrhoids.
My doctor believed that I was in good shape even at 76 yrs. as I exercise everyday and play A grade golf 3 times a week.
I would like to know if there are others that have had similar problems. I believe there is a simple way and safe way to use this machine. carlrb@bigpond,com - Brad Barron
February 4th, 2008Carl,
Who told you to use it 2 times a day. What machine was it.
Im sorry to hear about your injury. You should et the company know about this sales person. This should and has never happen following a safety program, and we have had some very frail people in our studios.
What postition do you think caused the problem.
10 mins twice a day ?
Please name this company as we may be able to put pressure on them to review the programs they give out .
- Nicola
May 22nd, 2008Hi Lloyd
I’ve been using a powerplate (sadly the only machine available to me at the moment) for the past three weeks and have been typically doing 25 minute sessions at least 3 times a week.
The bottom line is that I am seeing little or no benefit - or at least the benefit I am seeing would, I think, be comparible to me doing the same type of exercise without using the powerplate (ie just on the floor!).
Is this usual and would I see better results if I was using a different machine?
Also I have had better results doing Les Mills body pump.
I would appreciate your comments.
Thanks,
Nicola
It could be a few things…
(1) If you are used to Body-Pump then you may need a harder workout machine , thats why I have 5 models , even my standard “bullets” which are way harder than a Power Plate sometimes fail to nail everybody .
You really need to find the machines that tells your body ” this is it”. There is no mistaking the feeling.(2) You said “same type of exercise without using the powerplate” , are they making you move on the machine ?
(3) 25 minutes is a long time , this should take you to full fatigue , or are you getting off “fresh”.
- Jeff
June 26th, 2008Has anyone experienced the LifeSpan VP1000 - claims that in an indepedent test it was rated as high as the Power Plate for a much cheaper price? I have tried the Power Plate and liked it but was wondering if this unit actually compares.
Thanks,
Jeff
February 19th, 2007
Good start , but those studies where only done on test units and years ago. I have used the Nemes ( we have one in Auckland ) system and I would not have considered it a training device.
Dr. Bosco’s main aim at the time was trying to find the optimal Hz setting for the longest stretch reflex. To see if it increased viertical jump height in athletes.
So like most tests before them they only looked at speed and amplitude.