8 Health Benefits of Whole Body Vibration Training
Whole body vibration is generating a lot of buzz in the health and wellness industry. Doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, and personal trainers are just some of the professionals who are promoting WBV to their clients. Here’s why:
Whole Body Vibration Increases Muscle Power and Strength
Want to get stronger? If you want to see gains in muscle strength, without the risk of joint damage that can come from working out with heavy weights, consider whole body vibration training. The best part is, you’ll see benefits in as little as 3, 10-minute sessions a week (1).
How is that possible? By increasing gravitational loading and putting your muscles through up to 28 reps a second, you’ll get through your workout in a fraction of the time. Learn how WBV training works.
In addition, WBV is shown to be especially good at increasing muscle power, which is useful for many things from preventing falls (2) to increasing athletic performance. (3)
Use WBV for: Improved Circulation
We’ve all been there—you get up after sitting for a while and your hands or feet start stinging. That pins-and-needles feeling means you’re suffering from reduced circulation, and it’s more than just an inconvenience. It could mean you have a significant health problem.
If your job involves sitting for long periods of time or if you have a sedentary lifestyle, concerns about your circulatory health may be keeping you up at night.
Studies have shown that just one session of whole body vibration training improves circulation (4), which not only prevents that pins-and-needles feeling, but also can help maintain limb health and even reduce the appearance of cellulite. (5)
Vibration Makes Quick Work of the Pre-Sport Warm Up
Warming up your body is an important part of any workout regimen, but it takes time. If you struggle to squeeze your workouts into your schedule, you may be tempted to skip the warm up.
With WBV you don’t have to succumb to the temptation. Spending just a few minutes on a WBV machine before your workout not only prevents injury to muscles, joints, and ligaments, but is also shown to improve workout performance. (6)
It’s the Ideal Post-Workout Recovery Aid
Before you reach for that post-workout smoothie, be sure to cool down your body and stretch your hardworking muscles. This is another step in injury prevention.
During a workout, the muscles get little tears, which must heal. Stretching keeps healing muscles pliant, while not stretching your muscles allows them to stiffen up like a rubber band stuck in the freezer. That doesn’t make for happy hammies or quiet quads.
Using WBV after a workout allows muscles to cool down and recover. Additionally WBV has been shown to reduce the day-after soreness typically experienced with traditional exercise methods (7). When you’re not sore, you’re more likely to work out again, and more workouts = a healthier you!
WBV Creates Increased Tone in Posture Muscles
In addition to poor circulation, another concern for people who sit as part of their jobs is maintaining proper posture. Poor posture can lead to headaches, back pain, spinal misalignment and vertebral subluxations. (Livestrong.com)
Training with WBV can increase strength in the muscles of the torso—commonly referred to as the core—helping you maintain proper posture all day long. (8)
Studies Have Shown Improved Bone Density
Russian scientist Vladimir Nazarov discovered in the 1970s that cosmonauts who had lost bone density in the micro-gravity environment of space recovered much more quickly when they used whole body vibration than when they trained by traditional methods.
The secret that helped them recover from bone loss incurred in space can help people here on Earth, too. Training with WBV has been shown to increase bone mass density in clinical studies, and is under examination as a possible treatment for better bone health. (9)
It’s Great at Improving Flexibility
Flexibility is an incredibly important—but often neglected—aspect of fitness. Pliant, stretchy muscles and resilient ligaments allow the body to move through a full range of motion while protecting joints from harm.
How does this relate to whole body vibration training? Stretching on a WBV machine has been shown to not only increase flexibility, but also enhance the retention of the flexibility gains vs stretching without WBV(10)
Use WBV After You Work Out for Massage & Relaxation
When used on low frequencies, whole body vibration machines act as a relaxing massage, gently easing muscles out of their workout. Try laying down on a mat in front of the machine and resting your legs on the vibration platform for a restorative massage.
Many additional benefits build on these: increased balance, decreased risk of falls, decreased blood pressure, improved body composition, and more. In short, it’s no wonder the health and wellness industry is coming to embrace whole body vibration as a technology they feel comfortable and confident not only in recommending to clients but also in using themselves.
Resources:
(1) Rees, S. Effects of vibration exercise on muscle performance and mobility in an older population. J Aging Phys Act. 2007 Oct;15(4):367-81. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18048942
(2) Roelants, M. Whole-body-vibration training increases knee-extension strength and speed of movement in older women, Am Geriatr Soc Jun 2004; 52(6):901-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15161453
(3) Issurin, VB. Vibrations and their applications in sport. A review.
Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2005 Sep;45(3):324-36. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16230984
(4) Lythgo, N. Whole-body vibration dosage alters leg blood flow. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging. 2009 Jan;29(1):53-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19125731
(5) Sanaderm Health Clinic – Germany (2004)
(6) Cochrane, DJ. The rate of muscle temperature increase during acute whole-body vibration exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2008 Jul;103(4):441-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18392845
(7) Aminian-Far, A. Whole-body vibration and the prevention and treatment of delayed-onset muscle soreness. J Athl Train. 2011 Jan-Feb;46(1):43-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21214349
(8) Rittweger, J. Treatment of chronic lower back pain with lumbar extension and whole-body vibration exercise: a randomized controlled trial. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2002 Sep 1;27(17):1829-34. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12221343
(9) Verschueren, SM. Effect of 6-month whole body vibration training on hip density, muscle strength, and postural control in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled pilot study. J Bone Miner Res. 2004 Mar;19(3):352-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15040822
(10) Feland, JB. Whole body vibration as an adjunct to static stretching. Int J Sports Med. 2010 Aug;31(8):584-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20535662
