Can you build muscle with a vibration plate or is that just a myth? I've taken a close look at this for you.
Around the vibration plate there are many myths and half-truths. Today we devote ourselves entirely to the topic of muscle building and vibration plate.
So, if you've always wondered if you can build muscle with a vibration plate or, if that's just a rumor, you've come to the right place.
I've done some research for you and collected all the information I could find here. Since I recently bought a plate myself, I have been intensively occupied with the topic. Now it's time for me to share my know-how with you.
Table of contents
You need to know that much in advance: Owning a vibratory plate and simply standing on it once a week is of course not enough to make the kilos fall. That would be too good :)
The Vibra Plate is a wonderful addition to your regular workout. You won't lose weight from the plate alone, you have to actively do something for it.
So let's explore together the question of whether a vibration plate promotes muscle building.
By the way: I personally have the Miweba Vibration Plate MV300 4D Wave* and can highly recommend it. It has a great price-performance ratio and different training programs that help you build muscle.
What a vibration plate has to do with muscle building
If you've never stood on a vibrating plate, you probably can't imagine how vibrations are supposed to build muscle.
If you've ever used a vibrating plate, you'll definitely remember the soreness the next day. For me, at least, it was pretty intense. I simply underestimated the vibrations.
Many who want a vibra plate imagine it to be quite simple: let it shake for 10 minutes 1x per week and the workout is done.
Admittedly, this is often conveyed in advertising. The plates are presented as the miracle cure for losing weight.
But this has little to do with reality.
As with all sports, you need discipline, motivation and you must be ready for sweat to flow.
The vibration plate can be a very effective tool for losing weight and building your muscles. It helps you get more out of your workout and make your workout intense in a short time.
Is the training plate dangerous?
This is how the vibration plate drives muscle building
A vibration plate has one or more motors. These generate vibrations. When you step on the plate, it transmits the vibrations to your body.
These small vibrations ensure that your body has to work properly and builds up tension in the muscles. You automatically tense the muscles, if you didn't do this, you would fall off the plate.
The vibrations bring you out of balance. So that you don't end up on your bottom, the deep muscles come into play. They compensate for the vibrations.
At 30 hertz power, that's 1800 muscle contractions per minute. And these happen all by themselves. Depending on the direction of oscillation and frequency, you stimulate different muscle groups during training - always including the deep-lying muscles.
You can't see the deep muscles on the outside - as the name suggests, they are hidden deep inside our body.
Even though they are invisible, they play a big role for us. In fact, they account for more than you think. Namely, almost 40% of the total musculature.
The problem with this muscle group is that we can hardly promote it at all during conventional training. We simply can't actively target them. Unless we use a vibrating surface like the vibrating plate.
The vibration plate forces our muscles to contract and release. And that is exactly what is special about this training device.
These muscle contractions intensify fitness training and stimulate muscle growth.
So muscle building with vibration plate succeeds because we target and strengthen the deep muscles. The great thing is that this even happens all by itself.
Is it possible to remove with the vibrating plate?
Why you should strengthen the deep muscles with vibra plate
If you are now looking for your deep muscles and wondering where they are hidden, I'll gladly give you a hint: the abdomen and the back.
So most of the deep muscles are located in the back and abdomen. They are not visible on the surface, but they perform an important task inside us.
If we didn't have deep-seated muscles we couldn't hold ourselves upright, we couldn't walk, stand or sit. We would constantly be out of balance.
And it is exactly these 40% of our muscles that you can strengthen with the vibrating plate.
When training with the vibration plate, you do normal exercises, like in a conventional workout. From squats to lunges to planks, everything is possible. Instead of strengthening 60% of your muscles like in a normal workout, it's now just under 100%.
You can't do that with any conventional training in the world.
A workout on the vibration plate lasts a maximum of 20 minutes for advanced users. If your goal is vibration plate muscle building and body strengthening, then even 5-10 minutes per session is enough as a beginner.
They stabilize the skeleton
Training with vibrations stimulates blood flow to the muscles. They are then better supplied with nutrients and oxygen. A light and short vibration session after the workout ensures that your muscles regenerate better.
Vibration training is also very suitable for strengthening the muscle groups that stabilize the skeleton. Did you know that our back alone is supported by 140 muscles?
The more of these you strengthen regularly, the more likely you are to prevent back problems - ranging from mild tension to a herniated disc.
If you regularly challenge and promote your deep-seated muscles, you will get better posture and get rid of back pain.
You'll love these 16 vibration plate exercises!
Why the right frequency is so important when training
So, we now know that the plate gives us a good shake and that when we workout we have to do exercises. But you also need to know that the plates have different emphases.
Depending on the model and manufacturer, there are a certain number of workout programs to choose from. These programs have different frequencies that control how intense the workout will be.
With a vibra plate you can strengthen your body, massage the muscles, reduce body fat and much more. For all these training goals you have frequencies to choose from.
If you want to build muscle with the vibration plate, you train differently than if your goal is muscle relaxation.
Depending on the training program, it vibrates stronger or weaker.
To do this, you must now understand how our muscles work under tension. A muscle is made in such a way that it always wants to relax after every tension (contraction).
Under conventional conditions, the cycle between tension and relaxation takes only 50 milliseconds.
If you load the muscle again before the 50 milliseconds have elapsed, it has no time to relax. It is therefore under continuous load. In the long run, this leads to an increase in muscle performance.
And this is exactly what the vibration plate takes advantage of.
So the plate does not vibrate continuously, but always with pauses. For example, you do 5 squats at a time, followed by a pause. During this pause, you remain still on the plate. The muscles can relax.
After that, the plate starts vibrating again and you start doing the exercises.
The vibra plate not only improves your muscle strength, but also muscle function and coordination.
The frequencies of the plate can be divided into three ranges.
- Low frequency (1-12 hertz power). Effect: muscle relaxation, cool down, release tension, regeneration.
- Medium frequency (12-20 hertz power). Improve coordination and muscle function.
- High frequency (20-35 hertz power). Increase muscle power, strengthen or restore muscle strength.
Is a vibration plate really useful?
The types of vibrations
But not only the frequency plays a role. The directions in which the vibrating movements are performed are also a decisive factor for your workout.
Depending on the direction of the vibrations, different muscle groups are addressed.
Vertical vibrations
- strengthen the muscles
- train the deep muscles
- stimulate blood circulation
- improve bone density
- stimulate the metabolism
Horizontal vibrations
- improve your coordination
- ensure an upright posture
- improve your perception of movement
Oscillating vibrations (rocking vibrations)
- improve your balance
- mobilize the joints
- relieve back pain
- stimulate blood circulation
- act like a massage at low frequency
- from 15 hertz power improve muscle functions
This is what you need to know about the effect of the vibra plate!
Which vibration plate is suitable muscle building?
The market is full of great vibra plates. Some are mega expensive, others cheap. But which one is suitable for a workout at home?
Very many plates offer only very low frequencies. This is especially the case with devices that are very cheap. So better look carefully here. Plates that only provide about 12 to 15 hertz of power do not help build muscle.
If you want your vibration plate to help you build muscle, it needs power. You need to train in the medium to high frequency range and have three vibration directions available. However, many cheap vibration plates do not even have this.
If you really want to train with it for the long term, then you should invest in a good machine.
A top price-performance ratio has the Miweba Vibration Plate MV300 4D Wave*. With an impressive 50 Hertz and two motors, it is one of the most powerful appliances on the market. And at just 240 euros, it is more than affordable.
I use this device myself and love the predefined workout programs. Its 4D vibrations make sure you get shaken from head to toe. It has horizontal, vertical and oscillating movements.
You can use this plate to change the vibrations during your workout. To do this, you simply use the wristband, which is included. If you want, you can even listen to music during your workout. If you're interested in this, you can check out the website about the Miweba Vibration Plate MV300 4D Wave* make up your mind.
What studies say about muscle building and vibration plate
Did you know that vibratory plates were first used in rehabilitation? The vibrations were used to quickly get professional athletes back into action after injuries.
But what does science actually say about this topic?
There are several studies on vibration training and its effects on the body. No wonder the plates are often found in the medical field. And for a long time now, this has not only been the case with professional athletes.
One of the latest studies is in 2018 has been published. It states that the vibrations during exercise have a preventive effect against muscle atrophy in old age. They maintain muscle strength and strengthen the body. As a result, injuries occur less frequently and the body is more stable, which in turn favors posture.
The positive effects on bone density could also be confirmed. Those who exercise frequently with vibrations remain mobile longer. Those who want to can view the detailed findings of the study here.
But there are, of course, studies that have been done not only on the elderly. In Rome the Relationship between vibration plate, muscle building and leg strength were measured. Professional female athletes were studied. Two groups of twelve participants each trained for 8 weeks.
One group had a vibration plate in use for muscle building, the other did not. At the beginning and end of the study, all participants had to do a squat and then jump as high as they could. This tested the strength they built up in their legs.
The group that had trained with the vibra plate showed significantly higher jumps and more leg strength.
Our conclusion
A reliable sign that the vibration plate is building muscle is soreness the day after. For many people, time is the biggest problem when working out. Very few people have the desire and time to work out for an hour. With the vibra plate you can greatly reduce this time. The plate is especially useful as a supplement to other sports.
So: Off we go to the plate! And please do not overdo it, the muscle soreness is otherwise really enormous. I speak from experience :)
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