What Exercises Can You Do on a Vibration Plate?

Vibration training is gradually becoming more popular. In tandem, vibration training machines have become more affordable and available to the general public. This has piqued the curiosity of many clients: What are vibrating machines? What are the benefits? What exercises should you use them for?

Vibration plates can be a great way to help your clients shake up their regular exercise routine. So, if you have access to or are thinking about getting a vibration plate, this article is for you! Follow along as we explore the basics of a vibration plate and some of our favorite exercises you can have your clients perform on a vibration machine. 

What is a Vibration Plate?

A vibration plate is a piece of exercise equipment with a small platform that vibrates at different intensities. Vibration plates can be found in some gyms, sports training facilities, and therapy/rehabilitation centers but are also available for individual home purchase. 

When performing exercises on the vibration plate, the vibration engages additional muscles to stabilize the body, making the body work a little harder to maintain balance. 

Power Plate is a leader in whole-body vibration. Power Plate uses patented PrecisionWave™ Technology to send tiny vibrations through your body – up to 50 times a second. These tiny micro vibrations activate more muscles, burn more calories, improve circulation, and assist muscle recovery.

Gunnar Peterson, LA Lakers’ Director of Strength and Endurance and Personal Trainer, CSCS/CPT, states “I use Power Plate with everyone that comes in the gym. It’s useful as a warm-up or cool down tool as well as intensifying almost any standard exercise movement. It also serves to improve circulation and flexibility which are key components to improving athletic performance.”

No matter what your training goals are for your clients, Power Plate has something for you. Click here for a list of their whole-body vibration plates. 

Vibration Plate Exercises

It’s important to know that although vibration plate exercises can be fun and challenging, they may not be ideal for everyone. Clients who have balance issues, are pregnant, have certain medical concerns, etc., may not be the best candidates for vibration training. As with any type of training, clients need to consult their doctor before beginning. 

The following list is certainly not inclusive of every vibration plate exercise, but here are some of our favorites.

Push-ups

Push-ups are a challenging upper body exercise clients can perform on a vibration plate. Clients will place their hands on the vibration plate platform, keeping the wrists slightly outside the width of the body but in alignment with the elbows and shoulders. Keeping the core engaged and the hips down, the client will slowly flex the elbows, lower their body toward the vibrating platform, and press back up to the starting position. 

Step-ups

Another favorite vibration plate exercise is the step-up. The client will begin by facing the vibration plate. They will place their right foot on the platform. Without using momentum or pushing off the left foot, the client will press through the heel of the right foot and step up onto the platform. The client will then slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position. They can complete the rest of the repetitions (reps) on the right leg or alternate legs through the rest of the set. 

Plank

A client will begin a plank on the vibration plate by placing their forearms on the platform, keeping their shoulders in alignment with the elbows. Keeping the head and neck neutral, the client’s body should be in a straight line at a slight angle from the top of the head to the feet. They should engage the core muscles and keep the hips down (not raised too high or low). Once in the proper position, the vibration can begin, and the client will hold the plank for the set length of time, working to maintain the proper form throughout the rep.

Bodyweight Squats

The client will begin bodyweight squats by standing with both feet on the vibration platform. With the feet slightly wider than hip-width and the toes slightly pointed outward, the client will push the hips back and slowly lower in the squat position. At the bottom of the squat, the client will push through their heels to come back up to the starting position. 

Reverse Lunge

A reverse lunge on the vibration plate will begin with the client standing on the vibration plate. Keeping the right foot on the vibration plate, the client will step back and down with the left foot. Keeping the right hip, knee, and ankle in alignment, the client will press through the right heel to reverse the movement and bring the client back to the starting position. Like the step-up, the client can complete the reps with the right leg or alternate legs for the remainder of the set. Whether the set is single-leg or alternating, the client should complete the vibration plate exercise on both sides of the body. 

Calf Raises

Another exercise that can be performed on the vibration plate is the calf raise. The client will begin with both feet on the vibration platform. As the vibration plate starts to vibrate, the client will slowly press through the balls of their feet to raise the heels up and off the platform (plantar flexion). The client will then slowly lower the heels back down to the starting position and then repeat the movement to complete the desired number of reps. 

It's also important to note that when performing vibration plate exercises, the vibration will challenge the client, making it a little harder to maintain form. However, maintaining proper form throughout the movement on the vibration plate is essential for injury prevention. 

Vibration Plate Benefits

Unfortunately, there is limited research regarding the benefits of vibration training. However, some studies suggest that including vibration training in a regular exercise routine may:

• Increase metabolic cost of exercise (1)

• Increase muscle mass

• Increase power 

• Increase muscle strength (2)

• Improve flexibility (3)

• Positively impact cardiovascular health (4)

Keep in mind many of these benefits above are benefits usually associated with using the proper training variables used for traditional exercise (without vibration) when trying to achieve hypertrophy and increases in power, strength, or flexibility. So, although some of the data may seem promising, at this point, more research is needed regarding the benefits of vibration plate training. 

Do you love fitness and want to learn more about how to execute proper exercise form and use other training modalities that can help you reach your goals? Sign up for ISSA’s Certified Personal Trainer Course and learn from one of the world leaders in fitness education today!

Resources

1. Milanese, C., Cavedon, V., Sandri, M., Tam, E., Piscitelli, F., Boschi, F., & Zancanaro, C. (2018). Metabolic effect of bodyweight whole-body vibration in a 20-min exercise session: A crossover study using verified vibration stimulus. PloS one, 13(1), e0192046. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192046

2. Wilcock, Ian M; Whatman, Chris; Harris, Nigel; Keogh, Justin WL Vibration Training: Could It Enhance the Strength, Power, or Speed of Athletes?, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: March 2009 - Volume 23 - Issue 2 - p 593-603 doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318196b81f

3. Y. Osawa and Y. Oguma. Effects of vibration on flexibility: a meta-analysis. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact 2013; 13(4):442-453 

4. Figueroa, A., Gil, R., Wong, A. et al. Whole-body vibration training reduces arterial stiffness, blood pressure and sympathovagal balance in young overweight/obese women. Hypertens Res 35, 667–672 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/hr.2012.15