Do vibration exercise machines work?

The idea of vibration to help you lose or manage your weight, as well as sculpt muscle, is relatively old. While the technology might have changed, and how the exercises have been promoted has been redone, vibration exercises have been around for approximately 50 years.

The first vibration machines were believed to assist you with weight loss through a fast, jiggling motion designed to melt away excess fat. Such machines were very cumbersome, large, and consisted of a single belt and a platform, of which the belt was worn around your rear end.

Consisting of a platform and a belt that was hooked around your bottom, you stood and held on to the rails of the large machine. The belt would vibrate and shake, supposedly to melt the fat away.

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When Were Vibration Exercise Machines Introduced?

During the 1990s, when everyone was obsessed with losing weight and burning fat, vibration belts were designed to supposedly contract your abdominal muscles while you yourself sat and relaxed.

Such claims actually boasted that electrical impulses would cause your muscles contract, toning, and sculpting, all while you watched television.

The total body vibration machines of today’s world work much differently than their elderly counterparts. They are also much more effective than the original ones. Instead of a belt which vibrates on a single part of your anatomy, a platform vibrates underneath your feet.

This platform actually causes your muscles to react and adjust to the changing speeds of the machine.

What Are the Benefits of Vibration Exercise Machines?

The main benefits of these machines are seen in muscle strength, balance, and coordination; but not for sculpting muscle or losing weight. Though there is a lot of research at this point; some interesting and positive results come from the early reports.

With today’s vibration machines the twitch of muscles in your legs actually activates the exercise.

This is a zero to low impact exercise, which absolutely benefits postmenopausal women and elderly adults. The former can benefit through stronger bone density, while the latter can be of benefit through improved muscle strength as well as improved balance and coordination.

There are definitely many benefits to utilizing a total body vibration machine. However, there are some things that it has been proven such machines cannot do. These things include muscle toning, weight loss, and muscle sculpting.

What Are Today’s Vibration Machines Like?

Many fitness centers are beginning to incorporate these vibration machines into their equipment inventory, especially since early results show distinct benefits.

For individuals who have poor balance, joint problems, or low bone density, the act of standing on a vibrating machine exercise platform, and doing exercises for the upper body can actually help with the problems mentioned.

It is feasible to use weight training equipment such as free weights and resistance bands while standing on the vibrating platform. There are also increased benefits because of the additional weight and concentration it takes to keep your balance on the platform.

There are also vibration exercise machines that can be purchased to use at home. They take up a great deal less space than those that were first invented some 50 years before and allow many people the chance to use them in the relative privacy, comfort, and convenience of their own homes.

The cost of such a machine is approximately $400, and it is possible to find them in most places in which similar exercise machines are sold.

It may be tempting to consider vibration exercise machines and wonder whether or not they were for weight loss or muscle toning.

However, the results are not promising thus far. There have been small strides made pertaining to the use of vibration machines and Pilates, yoga, and other types of low impact or no impact exercise.

Even though technology has progressed, it may be many more years before vibrating machines can take the place of good, old-fashioned, strenuous exercise.

There are many things that vibrating exercise machines can do, such as improving balance, bone density, and muscle strength. However, there are other things which a vibrating exercise machine simply cannot accomplish.

For example, to date, there are no studies to suggest that vibrating exercise machines can aid in weight loss, muscle toning, or muscle sculpting. This is bad news for anyone who believes the myths that utilizing vibration can help you burn fat or improve muscle tone.

Nevertheless, there is good news: technology continues to make great strides every day, and it’s possible that before you know it there will be a machine which you can simply step on which will help you lose weight as well as firm and tone muscle.

For now, you can go PRO and use our workout plan finder to locate an exercise regimen that will meet the goals that a vibration machine can’t. Sign up for a PRO account today!