The Claims

Increased metabolism (fat burning/weight loss), increased muscle strength, increased fitness, speed and flexibility for athletes, hormone rebalancing, lymphatic drainage, increased bone density, activated circulation, improved balance and coordination, overcoming injury/healing, pain reduction, increased oxygen uptake (VO2), improvement in cellulite appearance in women, increased blood concentrations of testosterone and growth hormone in men… And all this in only 10-20 minutes two or three times a week!

This all sounds like an easy path to health and fitness but, is it this easy and does it work?

My own experience is that yes, it does work, but…

Questions to ask yourself

Firstly, you need an understanding about the types of machines; lineal or pivotal. Then consider what brands of vibration machines you have access to and what they can do for you, or not do, actually, as each is specific in purpose.

I started looking to buy a machine for home use. It was pivotal and trying it, in store, was enough to put me off due to head vibrations and a slightly off-balance, nauseous feeling.

Trying out a Vibration Training Clinic

I have the choice of three close to my home.

Experience 1
The first offered a program more specific to “training” than therapy although the long-term injuries I had did not prevent me trying it out. I filled in an information sheet that had a diagram on which to indicate injuries and problem areas.

An Instructor directed me through the program on this and all subsequent visits and I quickly saw benefits of improved fitness and also healing and reduced pain. Being in the perfect position for each workout on the machine was emphasized, so much that if I was not quite in perfect position, I had to correct before the machine was turned on and remain in position during the 60 seconds timing or risk having the machine turned off.

The workouts seemed hard as my leg muscles ached, sometimes even slightly the following day. I was able to ask many questions about the program and the machines and never, quite, exasperated the Instructors to the point of no return (I was very slow to learn the correct poses).

I was concerned about the safety of Vibration Training and knowing if the machines were really doing what the websites and advertising promoted so my questions continued and I always received in-depth answers from the Owner and other Instructors. This provider also has a Body Composition Analyzer available that measures body fat, bone density and other ratings and provides a printout to keep. After a period of time you can recheck to see measurable improvement.

Experience 2
I decided to visit another who was advertising a program that is: “a revolution in health, anti-aging and beauty, a new way to receive health, strength and physical well-being, a wakeup call for your body and soul, 30 vibrations a second”. I was thinking this had to be even better than I was currently experiencing.

The program had many more poses than I’d learned before but holding them for only for 30 seconds and at such a gentle vibration that I got nothing out of it and wanted to head straight back to the first provider to do a proper workout. I had an Instructor who talked continually of the benefits of that brand of vibration exercise, promising me so much, with a program designed specifically for me, yet requiring me to start at the gentle level of that first program and then move in increments that would take a year to reach the level I was already training at with the previous provider!

I was encouraged to find my own, comfortable position, for each pose and told that my position might vary slightly from that of the Instructor or another user. I was concerned about the safety of some of the poses such as putting just one forearm, or one knee or leg, on the vibration pad while balancing my body in positions on the floor. The Instructor did not know about the composition of the machine or where it was made. This was also the most expensive provider. I will not go back.

Experience 3
The next one – like the others – had a form to fill in giving my reasons for coming and listing any health problems I had. The information required was thorough and was discussed before proceeding to the machine. Unlike the previous two providers I was not told to drink water before and after my session. The Instructor was friendly and helpful, showing me the positions on the machine herself and guiding me through them.

The program I followed was the intermediate one which used the same frequency (vibrations per second) that I was used to – but for a shorter time of 30 seconds so the program was easy but the large number of differing poses became tiring and confusing. The suggested pose for each exercise showed on a screen on the machine and I was told that after a learning period I would simply come in and move through the program myself using the screen prompts, although an instructor would be available. Some of the positions I would use would not be what showed on the screen as they were simply a prompt.

I did extra positions that were to help with my back injury and weakness on that side of my body. I enjoyed using straps attached to the machine, provided to help build upper body strength but I’ve since researched this and find that the elasticity/bounce of the straps gives too much variation to the force or pressure felt and so defeats any perceived gain from using these.

This provider also used the poses that I was uncomfortable with, those of having one arm or one leg or knee on the machine. This created an instability that made me unsure if the vibrations were targeting the desired muscle groups accurately or doing me harm. I was particularly unhappy with the position of sitting on the floor with my back against the machine as I felt the vibrations in the area of my kidneys. I definitely would not do that position again.

I left feeling both tired and energized but 30 minutes later developed severe back pain that took 24 hours to settle. I twisted my knee painfully while getting off the floor after one of the final positions and while I could have done this anywhere, I wonder if the large number of poses contributed to this. This studio was for women only and uses a membership plan, joining up for one or two years at a reduced cost plus a, no commitment, more expensive monthly plan. The Owner/Instructor was able to answer the few questions I asked about the machines which were supplied by an overseas company.

Choosing a provider

I found that the services provided differed greatly between providers and that more (positions or time spent) was not necessary best. Attention to detail such as correct positioning on the machines is essential for the vibrations to target the desired areas.

Ideologies behind the company providing the service shouldn’t have to be of concern to the end user but I found a minefield of players, not only those I visited but others I read about in print and online. I’ve read of problems with machine construction materials resulting in machines not performing to specifications listed, machines not able to perform accurately when the user weight was above a certain amount, and other concerns.

I’m continuing Vibration Training with the first provider I visited. They have five custom made machines each designed for a specific task. The designer of these machines is also the person who set the program for the machines so I’ve been able to ask many questions and to feel relaxed about asking and receiving answers. I’m seeing results, which now include weight-loss, which was the one advertised benefit that seemed, too good to be true!

Conclusions

To those wanting to begin Vibration Training or Therapy, look around and ask many questions. Don’t assume that the company with the biggest advertising campaign will provide the best program for your needs. If possible talk to the designer of the machines and the program, even if that means bypassing the owners or instructors of your closest studio or getting the information from them and then checking it out before committing to the program. Most providers give a free first visit so take advantage of this to trial the program offered and ask many questions.

I hope my experience provokes readers to “Give it a Go”. I’m very excited about Vibration Training and will post again when I have more results to share.

This article was contributed by Di.

Here is a summary of the key points to be aware of when using Whole Body Vibration.

1. Use the machine for therapy or working out 3 times a week, with a 48 hour rest period between sessions.
2. As a general rule – the safe time limit for the WBV sessions is about 10-15 minutes per 48 hours. If the aim of the WBV session is resistance training then the time lag can be 72 hours between sessions.
3. Correct bodily positioning on the equipment is very important as an improper position would multiply the stress-strain factor many times over per second (up to 50 times per second at 50 hz) and very likely result in trauma to bodily tissues. (Specialized advice and guidance would be needed here. Refer also to a sample WBV safety training program).
4. WBV workouts exercise the neuromuscular system; the WBV effect on muscle issue is similar or identical as resistance training as far as inducing the catabolic and anabolic responses in the body, hence the absolute need to give the body at least a 48 hour rest period between sessions. Further, there may be long-term negative effects of continued (without rest day) WBV resulting in muscle tissue breakdown and negative influence on the thyroid gland.
5. Generally safe amplitude for warm-up, therapy and basic training protocol: 2-3 mm for warmup and therapy, increasing to 5 mm as tolerance increases.
6. Choice of machine type (pivotal or lineal) would depend on goals: therapy, training or both. Using lower frequencies, a pivotal machine would be preferred, using higher frequencies a lineal machine would be preferred. Larger platform and heavier machines are needed for specialized therapy and training. A combination of pivotal and lineal machines would efficiently serve advancing therapy and training goals.
7. 10 minutes or less a day for 5-6 sessions per week may be safe for weight-loss and muscle toning for some weeks. With any type of machine 5-6 sessions per week of between 20-45 minutes per day may give an initial toning and fat loss effect to the body (5-6 weeks), but over a longer period (2-5 months+) have been known to create health disorders ranging from hyperthyroidism and other hormonal disorders to potential internal
   organ failure.
8. Resistance training can be done immediately or very soon after the WBV warm-up or holding the static poses on the machines. Cardiovascular exercises can be done during the days intervening between WBV sessions, or the same day.
9. Safety guidelines for resonance frequency:
   1. Pivotal units (0-30 hz)
   2. Lineal units (38-50 hz) – preferred frequency 43 hz
10. There are some opinions that vibrations below 20 hz are not healthful for the spine and internal organs in lineal machines.

Thanks to D. Greene for collating the bulk of this, and also Lloyd Shaw for providing feedback.

Vibra-Train have released the safety program to be used with their machines. It provides an interesting example of what a WBV training program might look like.

The basic rules:

1. Always check your position before starting.
2. Re-check your position every 20 seconds.
3. Do not move.
4. Stay relaxed.
5. If you do find yourself out of position you have only 2 options
   • Get off
   • Correct immediately

The exercises covered in the program include; Basic Squat, Push-up, Wide Stance Squat, Tricep Dip, Pelvic Stability, Stretch, Lunge, Anti-Cellulite, Superman Squat.

See the full description of exercises or pictures.

Machine settings are:

(a) Lineal Vibration Training (not 3D or Pivotal)
(b) Amplitude – 3MM
(c) Speed – 43Hz

Editor’s Note: Anti-Cellulite? Is there any proof that sitting on a WBV machine for 3 minutes could have any possible action in lowering cellulite. Arguably it could allow more blood flow to the region allowing the adipose tissue to be accessed – but in that case would other forms of resistance training also have that effect?

Disclosure: This blog (vibrationtraining.net) is neither owned nor managed by Vibra-Train – nor is there any commercial affiliation between the two. The owner of Vibra-Train kindly submits articles about Whole Body Vibration so that all interested parties can better understand this area. The above post is provided to help readers get a sample of what a WBV training program looks like. In no way do the owners of the Vibration Training blog either endorse or recommend any specific WBV device over another. It is up to the reader to judge for themselves. Any other article submissions are welcome.