Are Vibrating Plates Effective?

Are Vibrating Plates Effective?

Expensive Gimmick or a Genius Invention?

With a price tag of £3,000 - £5,000 per machine, you’d be justified in expecting a vibrating plate to do the exercise for you – which ironically it kind of does. This revolutionary piece of equipment has been all the rage with celebrities, who claim that the oscillating platform has transformed their bodies with minimal effort and no risk from injury.

The whole concept of losing weight and getting into shape simply by standing on a vibrating plate has invited huge media attention, all thanks to excellent marketing and celebrity endorsements. The notion of standing, sitting or lying on something that effectively does the exercise for you is every dieter’s dream – and the manufacturers know it. We live in a society where we want everything now and with minimal effort, and vibrating platforms appear to be that miracle ‘pill’ every dieter would die for. It intrigues me that these vibrating plates are marketed with claims that you can:

•    Improve fitness levels
•    Increase fat combustion
•    Improve coordination
•    Reduce stress
•    Improve flexibility.

All of these miraculous results can apparently be achieved in 10–20 minutes without raising a sweat. It’s everyone’s dream. A quick 10 minutes’ standing on a vibrating platform and your workout is done – you can now spend more time in the pub rather than wasting time at the gym and wearing out your trainers!

The science behind these oscillating plates is actually quite interesting and despite the hint of sarcasm, some benefit can be gained for certain groups of people, such as injured sportsmen and women. If the claims are correct, exercises on the plate cause the muscles to contract 30–50 times a second, which will stimulate the metabolism to a point and possibly over time contribute to a degree of weight loss.

This is all well and good, but why not go for a brisk walk instead and if you want to lose weight by having your muscle violently vibrate, why not sit on the number 32 bus near the engine? That’ll make your legs vibrate and it doesn’t cost anywhere near £5,000.

Vibrating platforms are expensive that are marketed extremely well and, with the help of a few select celebrities (who don’t eat much), these machines claim to work miracles for fitness levels and weight loss in minimal time. If you have a spare £5,000 hanging around, a vibrating plate may very well add variety to your workout and if used regularly, it may help to tone the muscles and be very useful to hang your washing on.
I certainly wouldn’t rush out to buy one if you think it’s the answer to reducing your midriff, though!