Written by Kyle Hunt | BEXSci.
Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
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If you're looking for a fresh and effective way to level up your fitness routine, vibration plate exercises and workouts might be your answer.
For example, rather than a standard squat or a normal push-up, try them on a vibrating plate instead. You can even perform your entire routine on one, as vibrating plate exercises offer a unique twist to traditional moves, using vibrations to stimulate your muscles and boost your results.
Whether you're new to fitness or a seasoned pro, this article will walk you through some of the best vibration plate exercises and workouts to help you achieve your fitness goals.
Table of Contents:
- What Is A Vibration Plate?
- 7 Best Vibration Plate Exercises
- The Best Vibration Plate Workout Routines
- Benefits of Performing Vibration Plate Exercises
- The Best Vibration Plate For At-Home Exercises & Workouts
- FAQs
What Is A Vibration Plate?
A vibration plate is a unique exercise machine on which you stand or do exercises while vibrating.
The concept of using a whole-body vibration machine has a history of helping astronauts reverse bone loss in space, and people have used them in gyms, rehab facilities, and their homes for years.
When you're on the vibration plate performing vibration plate exercises, the quick vibrations make your muscles contract and relax super fast. Even though you might not feel a huge difference doing these exercises on a vibration plate, it's a unique workout for your muscles. These vibrations can strengthen muscles, improve balance, and increase bone density.
7 Best Vibration Plate Exercises
When it comes to vibration plate exercises, some are better than others. The key is to use proper form. Here are the seven best exercises on a vibration plate to target your entire body.
1) Squat:
The squat is a foundational exercise whether we are standing on a vibration plate or not. It is one of the best exercises to target your lower body. Although it primarily targets your quads, it also hits your hamstrings and glutes.
To do this exercise, stand on the vibration plate with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees while lowering your hips as if sitting back in a chair. Keep your back straight and chest up. Rise back up to a standing position and repeat. For added resistance, you can hold a dumbbell in a goblet position.
Perform 2-4 sets of 10-12 reps.
2) Front Foot Elevated Split Squat:
Many people have a love-hate relationship with split squats. And it's easy to see why. Split squats are effective but very challenging. Using a vibration plate offers the ability to elevate the front foot, creating a greater range of motion.
Stand with one foot on the floor and the other on the vibration plate. Bend your knees as the plate vibrates, lowering your back knee toward the ground. Push through your front heel to return to the starting position. Switch legs and repeat.
Do 2-4 sets of 6-10 reps per side.
3) Single Leg Calf Raises:
Calves are often the forgotten muscles of the lower body. When we think of "leg day," the focus always goes toward the big muscles, the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. That said, well-developed calves provide the icing on the cake for an aesthetic physique.
Stand on one foot on the vibration plate, with the other foot slightly off the ground. As the plate vibrates, rise onto your toes on the standing foot, then lower your heel back down. This exercise strengthens your calf muscles and uses vibrations to make it more effective. Switch legs and repeat. You can hang onto something to help maintain balance.
When performing this vibration plate exercise, aim for 2-4 sets of 12-15 reps on each side.
4) Glute Bridge:
There was a time when glute training was an afterthought similar to the calves. However, thanks to people like Bret Contreras and countless others popularizing glute training, the glutes are now a primetime muscle group.
To perform the glute bridge, lie on your back, your feet on the vibration plate, and your knees bent. This is your starting position for this vibration plate exercise. From there, lift your hips and glutes off the ground, creating a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Squeeze your glutes at the top. Lower your hips back down and repeat.
Do 2-4 sets of 10-12 reps.
5) Push-ups:
The one downside to vibration plate exercises is the limited amount of upper body movements. However, the classic push-up provides an excellent chest, shoulders, and triceps workout.
Place your hands on the vibration plate, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. With your legs in a plank position behind you, lower your chest towards the plate while keeping your body straight. Push back up to the starting position.
Perform 2-4 sets of 10-20 reps of this vibration plate exercise.
6) Planks:
How can an exercise that involves no movement be so tricky? That is a question everyone who has ever done a plank asks themselves while suffering in place. Planks are an excellent core stabilization isometric exercise that works well with a vibration plate.
To perform this vibration plate exercise, put your forearms (or hands) on the vibrating platform and extend your legs behind you. Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels. Hold this position for a set amount of time, engaging your front core muscles and maintaining stability for bodyweight whole body vibration.
Do 2-4 sets of 30-60 seconds, and prepare to work your abdominal muscles!
Looking to switch up the standard plank? Try any of these 29 Plank Variations!
7) Russian Twists:
An impressive midsection involves more than just a six-pack. To sculpt a well-rounded core, you must work on your obliques. The obliques are muscles along the side of your stomach area and are involved in rotation exercises. One exercise that targets the obliques is the Russian Twist.
Sit down on the vibration plate with your knees slightly bent and lean back. Keeping your back straight, hold a weight or medicine ball and rotate your torso to the right, then to the left, engaging your core as you move.
Perform 2-4 sets of 10-20 reps per side.
3 Vibration Plate Workout Routines
Whether you're looking for a lower body vibration plate routine, a full-body program, or a back-specific workout, we've got something here for everyone.
Workout For Vibration Plates: Option 1
Here is a lower body and core workout to start your vibration plate exercise journey. Perform the barbell deadlift off of your vibration plate, but then use the vibration plate machine for the remaining exercises.
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Barbell Deadlift |
3 |
4-6 |
|
Dumbbell Goblet Squat |
3 |
10-12 |
|
Dumbbell Glute Bridge |
3 |
10-12 |
|
Front Foot Elevated Split Squat |
2 |
6-10 |
|
Single Leg Calf Raises |
2 |
12-15 |
|
Circuit (Three Rounds) |
|
|
|
Plank |
- |
30-60s |
|
Russian Twist |
- |
10-20 |
Workout for Vibration Plate: Option 2
Looking for more of a full-body vibration plate workout? You've come to the right routine! We threw a few new vibration plate exercises into this one, so check out the Shoulder Press Demo on the vibration plate, the Sumo Squat Demo, and the Mountain Climber Vibration Plate Demo before jumping in!
Note: Just like the routine above, you'll perform the barbell deadlift off the vibration plate but will perform the remaining exercises on the vibration plate.
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps/Time |
|
Barbell Deadlift |
3 |
4-6 reps |
|
Sumo Squat |
3 |
10-12 reps |
|
Push Ups |
3 |
12-15 reps |
|
DB Glute Bridge |
3 |
10-12 reps |
|
Shoulder Press |
3 |
10-12 reps |
|
Plank |
3 |
30 - 45 seconds |
|
Mountain Climbers |
2 |
To failure |
Workout For Vibration Plate: Option 3
Interested in trying a back-focused vibration plate routine? Follow along with the video below!
Vibration Plate Exercise Benefits
Here are the five most significant benefits of including vibration plate exercises and workouts in your routine.
1) Muscle Strength:
Vibration plate exercises provide a unique way to improve muscle strength. The rapid vibrations trigger involuntary muscle contractions, engaging the muscle fibers differently than traditional exercises.
Research suggests these vibration plate exercises can be especially effective for increasing strength and power1,2,3. Increased muscle strength helps with daily activities and supports better posture and overall functional fitness.
We talk about this in more detail in our article: Do Vibration Plates Work For Weight Loss & Muscle Gain?
2) Bone Health:
Maintaining solid bones is crucial for preventing fractures and osteoporosis in older adults.
Research shows vibration plate exercises can positively impact bone health by increasing bone mineral density4. This effect is significant as we age when bone density tends to decrease.
3) Balance and Stability:
Good balance and stability are essential for preventing falls and injuries. Vibration plate exercises challenge your balance because the vibrations require constant muscle adjustments to keep you steady.
The rapid muscle contractions help activate the muscles responsible for maintaining balance, such as the core, hip stabilizers, and ankle muscles.
Vibration plate exercise can improve proprioception (body awareness), balance, and stability, making you more confident and steady on your feet5.
4) Reduced Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness:
Using a vibration platform and vibration plate exercises can help reduce the soreness you might feel after a challenging workout6. When you exercise intensely, your muscles can get sore a day or two later – delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
The vibrations from the plate work like a gentle massage on your muscles, helping to increase blood flow and relaxing any tension. This improved blood circulation can aid in flushing out waste products and delivering nutrients that assist in the healing process.
So, by using a vibration plate after a workout, you might experience less soreness and DOMS and recover more comfortably.
5) Weight Loss:
Vibration plate exercises have the potential to assist your weight loss journey and help you shed belly fat.
When you do exercises on the vibrating plate, your muscles work harder due to the vibrations, which means you burn more calories during your workout, helping you lose weight. A 2019 meta-analysis showed vibration plate exercise significantly affects fat loss7.
To learn more about the benefits of vibration plate training, check out our article on the Top 9 Benefits Of Vibration Plates.
The Best Vibration Plate For At Home Workouts
The best thing about vibration plate exercises is you can do it from the comforts of your home. It only takes up a little space, and with a set of adjustable dumbbells, the sky is the limit.
If you want my recommendation, go with the LifePro Rumblex 4D Vibration Plate. It's one of the best products on the market and as it offers 3 program settings and 7 training modes, it's incredibly customizable and versatile.
THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE VIBRATING PLATFORM ON THE MARKET: Whether you’re looking to improve bone density, lose fat, build muscle tone, recover from an injury or surgery, or relieve chronic pain, the Rumblex makes the perfect partner...
And if you'd like to compare this one to some other great choices, check out our article on the 10 Best Vibration Plate Machines.
FAQs
Here are a few answers to the most common questions about vibration plate exercises.
How long should you exercise on a vibration plate?
Aim for 10-15 minutes per session (or a couple of exercises) at the start when doing exercises on a vibration plate. From there, gradually increase the time as you get comfortable. Quality matters more than duration due to the intensity of the vibrations produced.
Is it safe to use a vibration plate every day?
Training daily using exercises on a vibration plate is fine. That said, don't train every day. Have at least one rest day per week.
Do vibration plate exercises burn calories?
Vibration plate exercises can help burn calories due to the muscle contractions they induce, but the exact amount varies based on intensity and duration.
Vibration Plate Workouts: Key Takeaways
Incorporating whole-body vibration plate exercise into your fitness routine can be a dynamic way to enhance your overall well-being. Backed by research, these vibration plate exercises offer a range of benefits, from boosting your muscle tone, strength, and bone health to improving balance and aiding in recovery.
While vibration plate exercises show promise, remember that individual responses can vary. As with any activity, it's essential to listen to your body and start gradually, especially if you're new to this form of training. For the best results, consider combining vibration plate exercises with a well-rounded training program incorporating regular resistance and cardio exercises.
Ready to get started with these exercises and workout routines? Begin by picking out one of these 10 Best Vibration Plate Machines so you can do your vibrating plate workouts anytime, anywhere!
References:
- Bosco C, Colli R, Introini E, Cardinale M, Tsarpela O, Madella A, Tihanyi J, Viru A. Adaptive responses of human skeletal muscle to vibration exposure. Clin Physiol. 1999 Mar. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2281.1999.00155.x. PMID: 10200901.
- Cardinale M, Bosco C. The use of vibration as an exercise intervention. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2003 Jan;31(1):3-7. doi: 10.1097/00003677-200301000-00002. PMID: 12562163.
- Delecluse C, Roelants M, Verschueren S. Strength increase after whole-body vibration compared with resistance training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003 Jun. doi: 10.1249/01.MSS.0000069752.96438.B0. PMID: 12783053.
- Zha, DS., Zhu, QA., Pei, WW. et al. Does whole-body vibration with alternative tilting increase bone mineral density and change bone metabolism in senior people?. Aging Clin Exp Res 24. (2012). https://doi.org/10.3275/7517
- Ko, C., Wu, S., Lee, S., Wang, C., Lee, F., Tseng, Y., & Ho, C. (2016). Whole-body vibration training improves balance control and sit-to-stand performance among middle-aged and older adults: A pilot randomized controlled trial. European Review of Aging and Physical Activity, 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11556-017-0180-8
- Lu, X., Wang, Y., Lu, J., You, Y., Zhang, L., Zhu, D., & Yao, F. (2019). Does vibration benefit delayed-onset muscle soreness?: A meta-analysis and systematic review. The Journal of International Medical Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/0300060518814999
- Omidvar, M., Alavinia, S. M., & Craven, B. C. (2018). The effects of whole body vibration therapy on reducing fat mass in the adult general population: A systematic review and meta-analyses. Journal of Musculoskeletal & Neuronal Interactions. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6944803/
Kyle Hunt
Author