Chosen by chiropractors and osteopaths, the Vibration Plate Pro is a high quality, durable side-oscillating whole body vibration platform offering safe and proven use in toning, weight loss, muscle building and joint rehabilitation. Also used for massage, deepening stretches and for circulatory benefit, the Vibration Plate Pro can be found in fitness clubs, health centres, osteopathic/chiropractic/physio clinics, mobility centres and nationwide in peoples homes.

    Top 10 benefits
     read more benefits

 1. Induce lipolysis
     (breakdown of fat).
 2. Reduce back and
     joint pain.
 3. Build bone mass.
 4. Build muscle strength.
 5. Improve circulation.
 6. Decrease blood
     pressure.
 7. Increase energy levels.
 8. Visibly improve your
     body tone.
 9. Strengthen core
     muscles including the
     pelvic floor.
10. Increase balance and
     continence

What is vibration plate exercise?

Vibration plate exercise is simply a phrase covering any use of a vibration platform - including just standing on one. What vibration training achieves is to stimulate your muscles into a repeated involuntary stretch reflex. An involuntary stretch reflex is controlled by the spinal cord. Conversely, conventional training involves voluntary muscle movement controlled by our brain. Activating an involuntary stretch reflex provides a number of benefits:

1. The repetition rate (number of stretch reflexes per minute) is very high, thus the achievable repetition count is far higher in shorter expanses of time then is possible with conventional exercise routines.
2. Involuntary muscle contractions engage around 97% of your muscle fibres compared with only 40% under conventional exercise conditions. This really opens the ceiling on your fitness potential.
3. The repetition rate is finely user adjustable, allowing you to use the vibration machine to achieve a complete range benefits including improvement of balance, massage, joint rehabilitation, toning, deepening your stretches, weight loss, strengthening in static poses (i.e. yoga), developing involuntary muscles (i.e. your core) and building of muscle - all the time boosting circulation.

What actually happens during the involuntary stretch reflex?

1. the movement of the platform causes a body position change
2. the change is detected within the muscle spindles
3. the muscle generates impulses which travel to the spinal cord along your nerves
4. the spinal cord activates and coordinates the muscles for balancing movement
5. the platform levels
6. the change is detected within the muscle spindles
7. the muscle relaxes

The cycle repeats at a high frequency, resulting in accelerated exercise

What is the principle of side-oscillating vibration?

With side-oscillating vibration the rapid involuntary muscle activation occurs as with other types of vibratory equipment, but the core principle is slightly different. The 'see-saw' motion of the foot-plate induces muscle activation in strict alternation - which means that the muscles on one side of the body are first activated, and then relaxed as the activation shifts to the other side of the body. Non-pivotal equipment induces muscles activation on both sides of the body simultaneously which compresses the two bones of any joint together. Repeating this compression at high frequency is an unnatural for the body and induces a high load as you are being repeatedly jumped, with joints placed under stress. Also, under this pattern of movement the core muscles are not engaged.

With side-alternating vibration the load is in fact lower then when walking, the core muscles are engaged, and the neuro-muscular system is trained to fire muscles as we should in natural exercise - through an alternating crisscross pattern.

This mobilizes joints and has a highly balancing effect. When people first step off the Vibration Plate Pro their feedback is most frequently a feeling of being lighter, a symptom of distributing their standing load both vertically through more of their spine and also in greater balance through left and right sides.

A Spinal Analysis Machine (SAM) that chiropractors and other practitioners use for postural examination, amongst other features includes twin scales that demonstrate the difference in weight between the right and left sides of the body. Remarkably just 3 minutes on the Vibration Plate Pro exhibits a marked improvement, reducing imbalance by up to 100%.

So the fundamental principle of Vibration Plate Pro is this: Through voluntary exercise you carry your entire physiological history, imbalances and injuries - which means that you inevitably stress one side more and allow the other side to lag, exaggerating your existing condition. But through involuntary, alternating muscle work you take your body through equal travel on both sides, activate involuntary muscle, mobilize areas that are not engaging in voluntary movement, significantly improve balance and return immobile areas to mobility.

What load does vibration training place on the body?
Surprisingly little! In fact the load on the body from vibration training with an oscillatory type platfom is somewhere between the load incurred during normal standing, and the load induced when walking. This is around half the load you place your body under to climb steps and a mere fifth of the load induced when jumping. So if you are concerned about the load that weight training and other vigorous exercise places on the body you can rest assured that vibration training is very gentle on the body by comparison!

Please note that the load under linear vibration is much higher, depending on the equipment and your posture it is up to 6x your body weight, which is why many people find this type of equipment uncomfortable.

How does vibration training assist weight loss & toning?
The frequency of a vibration platform will correlate directly to to rate at which your muscles contract. For example, at 20Hz your muscles will move 20 times a second. In the case of oscillatory machines this is 20 times on the left plus 20 times on the right, performed in rapid alternate succession. With linear equipment the contractions will be simulataneous on both sides of the body. This high rate of muscle contraction naturaly effects the burning of calories, breaking down fat cells. For example, you can burn far more calories than you could during a normal gym session. Typically, you would burn calories 4 times quicker on a vibration machine then if you were jogging. A further reason for the large amount of energy burnt is because close to 100% of your muscle fibers are recruited in Vibration Training. As an additional aid to the process the lymphatic system is stimulate to flush dumped carbohydrates and waste acids that can often build up as a result of exercise.

How does vibration improve lymphatic flow?
The lymphatic system is often not discussed, but a healthy lymphatic systems is very important in helping the human body to run properly. Most people are aware of major lymph nodes such as the ones in our upper legs and our armpits because they swell and get sore when we are sick. But there are a lot more embedded in our muscles that we never feel. In fact there is four times more lymphatic fluid in our bodies then blood, and to put that in perspective, your lymphatic system doesn't benefit from having a massive pump - your heart - to help it out. During a muscle contraction tiny balloons of lumphatic fluid within the muscles are squeezed and this forces the fluid to move a little bit. The lymp is responsible (amongst other things) for carrying away accumulated toxins, so you can see how moving your muscles 50 times per second can help this process. Poor lymphatic drainage is one of the reasons behind getting cellulite.

Is Rapid Muscle Contraction Safe?
Your muscles are capable of moving up to 150 times per second quite safely. Vibration training works well within this parameter. What's important to remember is that a muscle contraction can be a very minor event in terms of movement. It is logical to think of this rate of exercice repetitions as stressful because no human can voluntarily perform 150 reps per second. This is why induced involuntary muscle contraction is so effective and efficient.

How often should a vibration machine be used?
Initially you should only use a vibration machine for 5 minutes. Although there is no effort on your part you are actually putting your body through a lot of exercise. After a short settling in period the safe time limit for your sessions is 10-15 minutes. This can be performed every 48 hours, or up to 72 hours if your aim is resistance training. You must allow your body time to heal so daily use is not initially advisable. Whole body vibration exercises your neuromuscular system in identical ways to traditional exercise as far as inducing the catabolic and anabolic responses in the body, so it is essential to give the body adequate rest between sessions.

Pivotal machines are safer for daily use then linear equipment particularly if your aim is healing or general health improvement, i.e. if you are not performing high intensity resistance training and are typically just standing or sitting on the platform. This way they can be used safely every day at low amplitudes (feet not too far apart) and low frequencies (not the maximum).

Short programmes (up to 6 weeks) of higher use (6 times per week, 20 minutes per day) can produce safe and rapid fat loss and body toning but such a programme should not be adhered to permanently, instead maintain with a 'regular' (3 times per week, 10 minutes per day) routine.

What frequency should be used?
The Vibration Plate Pro operates between 5-30 hertz. The following frequency ranges offer a rough guide to appropriate use. Frequency on oscillatory equipment must be treated completely differently to linear equipment, so please understand that this guide is applicable only to strictly oscillating machines.

5 - 16.5 Hz
• Muscle relaxation
• Joint flexibility
• Pain reduction
• Balance
• Co-ordination development
• Rehabilitation
• Primary neuro-muscular training

16.5 - 30 Hz
• Body toning
• Muscle strength
• Weight loss
• Balance

Are there any contraindications to vibration machine exercise?

Please consult your Doctor before undertaking any new fitness regime, particularly those with any of the following conditions or health complaints:

• Pregnancy
• Pacemakers and Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs)
• Fresh wounds or recent surgery
• Acute hernia
• Recently fitted I.U.D, coils, metal pins or plates
• Acute deep vein thrombosis
• Acute retinal conditions

In addition, users with indication of any of the following conditions should exercise caution when using the machine, preferably under the supervision of a trained practitioner.

• Serious cardio-vascular disease
• Discopathy
• Spondylitis
• Epilepsy
• Known neurological conditions
• Hip and knee replacements
• Joint implants
• Pulmonary embolism