This unconventional workout tool can improve circulation and lymphatic drainage
Vibration plates are everywhere right now. These unconventional fitness gadgets are typically motorised platforms that you stand, sit, or plank on that rock back and forth. The claims about these machines range from improving circulation and lymphatic drainage to enhancing recovery to helping you burn calories, and they could cost you anywhere between £80 and a few thousand pounds.
Ultimately, these wobbly boards may provide some marginal benefits whether you want to use them to get in a good stretch or make your planks harder, says Winnie Yu, CSCS, a physical trainer at Bespoke Treatments. (And we'll get into those possible benefits coming up!)
But while they’re extra buzzy in the moment, they’re actually not a brand-new concept. Some form of vibration therapy has been used dating at least back to the 1800s, when a Swedish doctor created machines that could help people with impairments find some movement, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.
Today, they’re being brought more mainstream with the hopes of improving blood flow, muscle recovery, and more. But, what are these buzzy gadgets and can they actually help you level up your exercise like their devotees claim? Let’s investigate.
Meet the experts: Winnie Yu, CSCS, is a physical therapist at Bespoke Treatments in New York, NY. Rachelle Reed, PhD, is an exercise scientist based in Athens, GA.
How do vibration plates work?
They're pretty simple. As the name suggests, once turned on, these boards vibrate, leaving a user with an unstable surface. The idea is that this makes performing a move on it just a little bit more challenging because your body and muscles have to also work to keep you steady, says Yu. 'Because of that vibration of the machine, it allows you to fire up more muscles and therefore have greater muscle activation throughout the body as you're working out,' she says. In addition to those extra stabiliser muscles being challenged, a vibration plate is potentially also making the muscles you’d be using to do the exercise sans vibration work harder, too.
While most people can use a vibration plate, you’ll commonly see them for people who aren’t as able to get active, whether it’s because of health issues or lifestyle because they require less mobility and challenging than other forms of exercise, says Yu. There are two main things you could do on a vibration plate: workout or stretch—and both have some potential benefits. But, unlike some people claim online, you wouldn’t just want to sit on it, she says. You just won’t see enough benefit.
What are the benefits of vibration plates?
Improved circulation and lymphatic drainage
Vibration plates have been found to improve circulation, and therefore, lymphatic drainage, says Rachelle Reed, PhD, an exercise scientist based in Athens, Georgia. When you activate muscles, you're going to naturally have more blood flow, she says. So, by design, a vibration plate gets your blood moving.
'This blood flow is going to be stimulated to get blood, quite literally, to the muscles that are activating, which can help improve circulation in that sense,' explains Yu. Your lymphatic system goes hand-in-hand with your circulatory system, Yu adds. So, just as a vibration plate can help your circulation, it can aid lymphatic drainage, too.
Just a three-minute session of whole body vibration (WBV)—the scientific term for using a vibration plate—was found to 'significantly enhance' blood flow to the muscles, according to a 2021 study in Medicine & Science In Sports & Exercise. One thing that encourages circulation much better in the same time frame, though? Plain ol' exercise, the study also determined. While vibration plates are providing some benefit when it comes to circulation, it still doesn’t reach the level of simply exercising.
So, if you’re already getting active, you don’t need this device to get the benefits. That said, exercising on a vibration plate does have an additive effect, so you could use it for a boost.
Better recovery
Because of the increased circulation, vibration plates can also offer some support when it comes to muscle recovery, says Yu. The improved blood flow could potentially reduce muscle soreness too, she says.
BTW, improved circulation is why a vibration plate might enhance your stretching routine. It could help you get a better stretch, potentially also leading to less tightness and soreness, says Yu.
One thing to note: 'For the price, for the size, and for the marginal benefits, there's so many other tools and ways that you could reap these benefits for an active individual,' says Yu. When it comes to recovery, handheld massage guns would do something similar, but lower-tech options like foam rollers, vibrating foam rollers, compression boots or sleeves, a sauna, or even stretching can do the trick, she says.
Improved balance
Using a vibration plate could improve your balance and stability, but only slightly, according to research. Some studies have been promising about WBV’s ability to improve balance combined with exercise, but no conclusions can be drawn yet, a 2023 systematic review in The Journal of Chiropractic Medicine found.
Here’s how it might help: 'Naturally when you work on an unstable surface, you're going to have a little bit more involvement in the stabilizer muscles and the muscles that help to improve balance,' Yu says. If you want to focus on building up balance, do standing or single-leg exercises on the plate, she says.
Improved bone density
Vibration plates might have a modest impact on bone density, according to research. While one 2016 meta-analysis found that whole-body vibration was shown to improve bone mineral density at the hip and spine in postmenopausal women by 2 percent to 5.5 percent, researchers also found significant variability and had not found consensus on the most effective dose.
Best vibration plates to try
Vibration Plate
Vibration Plate
Can vibration plates help you lose weight?
The results aren’t promising. Whole body vibration was found to make an impact on total fat mass, but non-significant effects on percent body fat, according to a 2019 systematic review in the Journal of Musculoskeletal and Neuronal Interactions. This means that while people may have lost modest weight—like two to four pounds—using a vibration plate, it wasn’t enough to change the ratio of their body fat to the rest of their body, says Reed. 'Whole body vibration alone seems unlikely to offer weight loss,' she says.
As for how vibration plates might be able to aid weight loss, they were thought to potentially inhibit the formation of fat cells, burn extra energy, and/or increase muscle mass, but none of those pathways could be confirmed, per an older 2013 study. Basically, if there are weight loss benefits to vibration plates, they are marginal, says Yu. When working out on one, you are getting some added intensity which is making your workout a little harder and could therefore help you lose a little more calories and build muscle, both of which could lead to weight loss.
How to work out with a vibration plate
When it comes to using a vibration plate, you can stretch with it or incorporate it into a workout. A 5- to 10-minute stretching routine is generally safe to do entirely on the board, says Yu. But, if you’re looking to add it to a workout, start small. Before you do a full 45-minute routine on the board, use it for a few moves and monitor how you feel, she says. If you’re feeling dizzy or lightheaded, stop using the plate. If you’re feeling fine, you can progressively increase how much you use it in a workout over time.
If you’re using the board for lower-intensity, short, and functional type exercises (like stretching), it’s safe to use a vibration plate every day, says Yu. If you’re incorporating it into a workout, you can use it every other day. While a vibration plate might be just what you need to shake up your exercise, you can also consider using a bosu ball, a balance board, or a foam pad for similar effects, says Yu.
You’ll also want to be careful, or not use at all, if you’ve had a history of vestibular issues, headaches, dizziness, low blood pressure, or orthostatic hypotension because it could trigger symptoms or make those issues worse, says Yu. Talk to your doctor if you’re not sure if a vibration plate is right for you.
6 exercises to try on a vibration plate
Cross-body stretch
How to:
Sit on plate.
Keeping the left arm straight, extend it directly across chest. Use right forearm arm to gently pull the left arm into body.
Hold the stretch for 30 to 60 seconds, then repeat on the opposite side. That’s 1 rep.
Seated figure 4 stretch
How to:
Sit on plate.
Cross right ankle leg over left thigh.
Keep spine straight and hinge forward to feel a stretch in glute and hip. Breathe deeply.
Hold for 30 seconds. That's 1 rep.
Perform once more with same leg, then switch sides and repeat.
Butterfly stretch
How to:
Sit on plate.
Start seated with legs together and bent, feet flat on the floor, hands hugging knees, and spine long.
Open legs like a book, bring soles of feet together, and grasp toes.
Push knees down toward the mat and reach your chest forward slightly. That's 1 round.
Bulgarian spilt squat
How to:
Stand about two feet in front of the plate and extend right leg back to place top of right foot on it. This is your starting position.
Bend at knees to lower down until right knee gently taps floor, keeping shoulders back, chest up, and hips facing forward.
Pause, then press through left heel to return to start. That's 1 rep.
Inclined mountain climbers
How to:
Start in a high plank, with hands placed on the vibration plate, shoulders over wrists, pelvis tucked, and ribs drawn toward hips.
Drive right knee toward chest, then immediately back.
Repeat the pattern starting with left knee. That's 1 rep.
Glute bridge
How to:
Lie on your back with feet flat on the vibration plate and knees bent.
Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips off of the floor until your body forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
Pause at the top, then lower back down to the starting position. That's 1 rep.
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