The simple explanation for slimming is this: all weight loss is about the dynamic between what we eat (energy in) and what we do during our day (energy out). Activation of our muscles during exercise of any kind burns calories, whether we work at a labour intensive job or we get our daily exercise another way it is this we must keep in mind.

What about Vibration Platforms? Do they really activate muscles and burn calories? Will using Vibration Training really make a difference to the rate at which I burn those calories?

The Bottom Line

Vibration Training works because during a workout on a vibration platform, involuntary reflex movements of the muscles occur, just by standing on it without any other voluntary movements. In a comparison with a workout using voluntary movements - only approximately 30% of your muscles are recruited. During the involuntary responses when using a vibration platform approximates 100% of your muscle cells are activated as the body uses all its muscle fibres in response to the hyper-gravity caused by the vibration plate.

The platform creates vibration by pivoting from a centre tilting axis. When a user places their weight on the platform, their own body weight acts as resistance to the forces caused by the vibrating platform. This action induces voluntary muscle contractions, but also induces involuntary muscle contractions such as those within the digestive system. When we train in the gym using conventional training, we do this by contracting our muscles and relaxing them over and over again with some sort of load for resistance. That load can be created with weights, hydraulic machines or by simply using your own body weight to create a load e.g. push up's. When using the vibration platform you can induce muscle contractions up to 28 times per second. Just by standing on the platform, the stimulation of the muscle fibres could be likened to a light aerobic workout.

A more advanced response through higher speed and a workout designed to create an anaerobic response (very athletic), has a hormonal effect causing your protein mass to increase which raises your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), thus burning more calories while resting. As a result your body fat percentage will change. How much depends on your dietary and lifestyle habits.

Using the vibration platform has proven to create anywhere from 40% to 70% more workout intensity than with any other form of exercise. The amazing thing about this is that anyone in any stage of fitness (or lack of) can begin right away and just by adding a few postures each day, can work up to a full workout on the vibration platform with very little effort, compared to a traditional workout. The 'load' on the body is no higher than with walking up a staircase, yet this gentle training method can produce amazing results. So many people who have found it difficult to exercise because of various reasons, may find that they can get fitter and slimmer via the use of a vibration platform.

Training on a vibration platform can be performed with either static postures or dynamic exercises. Static postures are where you get yourself into the required position, and hold the position without any motion for the selected period. Dynamic exercises involve a range of motion during the selected period, for example pushing up and down into a squat or lunges.

The vibration platform also removes excess lactic acid from the body and so most of the soreness that results from working out is also eliminated and your motivation is no longer depleted by this all too frequent excuse. Vibration training has proven to be useful in raising energy levels, increasing the production of the 'happy' hormones and so helping to create feelings of wellbeing, motivation and happiness in even depressed individuals.

How Does Vibration Training Aid Slimming?

There is a direct relationship between the speed at which the vibration platform oscillates and the rate at which your muscles move. The rapid movements causes your body to burn large amounts of energy, therefore emptying cells of their stored carbohydrates. The higher the speed the more rapidly your body will burn fat, and this kind of effort cannot be recreated by any gym or fitness regime. The reason for the large amount of energy burning, is the almost 100% recruitment of your muscle fibres when using the vibration platform.

Vibration training also improves circulation and lymphatic flow, and healthy circulation of both blood and lymph help to detoxify the body and remove waste and fat from the body. This can help speed up your weight loss and to help create general wellbeing throughout the body, boosting the immune system and cleaning out toxins from your body.

Is It Safe?

Your muscles are able to move up to 150 times per second without injury and vibration training works within this constraint. Limiting your sessions to 10 to 15 minutes will allow your body to use the vibration platform to best effect without injury, although allowing your body to 'settle in' to using the platform is advised. Daily usage is discouraged until your 'settling in' period is over, after using the vibration platform for 10 to 15 minutes every third day for the first two weeks, you can begin to safely use the vibration platform on a daily basis if so desired.

Short programs of higher use (6 x per day for up to 6 weeks) can help to produce safe effective weight loss and body toning, however it is not advised to keep this up for any longer. Instead maintenance is continued with regular sessions of 10 minutes per day, 3 to 6 times a week. Of course, vibration platforms are not only designed for working out, but also have numerous therapeutic uses also. At low speeds, the gentle rocking action of the platform improves your balance and stability. Rather than induce involuntary muscle reflexes, at lower speeds a user is forced to user their voluntary muscles to counter act the rocking action of the platform. At speeds slightly higher, the soothing vibrations can be excellent for massage, circulation and injury rehabilitation. Because of the numerous applications and benefits of a vibration platform, it makes an invaluable addition to your home gym, studio or practice, which cannot be matched by conventional training apparatus.