Does your inner voice tell you that there’s no way that vibrating machines will help you lose weight? Well, I’m here to confirm your assumption.
Deep down inside you probably already know that standing on a vibrating machine will not magically make the body fat go away. If it could, it would be a miracle machine. Imagine, not having to exert any effort, other than standing in one place, and losing weight. It sounds too good to be true right?
Well, it is!
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My Vibrating Platform Experience
But I also will caveat this statement with the assumption that you’re just standing on it. I’ll explain below how these machines may help if you do more than just stand on them.
I’ve used these vibrating machines before, just out of blind curiosity to see what they were like. My assumptions that these vibrating machines for weight loss are more of a clever marketing program than anything else. I checked my pulse before, during, and after using the machine. I stood on the platform for 5 minutes and my heart rate increased from 75 to 82 beats per minute (bpm).
So, after 5 minutes my heart rate only increased by 7 bpm. Granted, only 5 minutes of using the machine isn’t much. But when the manufacturers say that the machines are designed to be used for 10-60 minutes 3 days a week, my 5-minute workout almost fell within their suggested time usage.
An increase of 7 bpm is at best nominal. If you got up and walked for 5 minutes, even at a moderate pace I would bet that your heart rate would increase by more than 7bpm. My point here is, just standing on these machines won’t burn many calories at all and they won’t increase your heart rate much either. Even a simple walk would provide more benefit.
But that was just my observation and personal use. I realize that no two people are alike so after doing some research on vibrating machines, I learned a bit more about how they work.
First, let’s take a look at what the research shows us.
How Do Vibrating Machines Work
According to the manufacturers of the machines, they were initially developed for rehabilitation and therapy. Since you’re not moving much, it makes sense to start with small movements. Well, in fact, the vibrating machine does cause muscles to contract and relax very fast.
This reflexive contraction of the muscles does in fact help with blood pressure, arterial stiffness, and muscle strength, according to research. The kicker here is, the study was done using overweight and/or obese younger women. I would conclude that any movement for overweight or obese women is bound to have a positive effect. So, I’m not all that impressed by this.
Other studies on mice have shown that using a vibrating platform can mimic the same effects of exercise. However, these effects may not directly transfer over to a human. I would be hesitant to hang my hat on these kinds of studies when looking for a piece of exercise equipment.
If you keep digging into vibrating platform studies, you’ll also notice a common pattern of following a proper diet and other exercises. It seems the results people see could also be contributed to eating nutritious meals and other actual exercises. If you remove the other exercise and nutritious meals and just go off of body vibration, the result becomes less negligible. In short, proper diet and exercise are the two key ingredients to weight loss.
Benefits of Vibrating Platform
Besides the weight loss and improved muscle strength as claimed above. Some other benefits I’ve seen claimed by using weigh loss vibrating machine are:
- Improved balance and coordination
- Improved posture and back relief
- Toning of muscles
- Increase in bone density
- Increased metabolic function
Again, some of these results seem to be very preliminary, and more research is needed. That being said, I would recommend a weight loss vibration machine for a select group of people. Individuals that have mobility issues or severe lung capacity issues could be good candidates for shake exercise machines. If body vibration improves functional capacity or mobility where they are unable to perform normal physical activity, a shake exercise machine is better than nothing.
How to Benefit from Shake Exercise Machines
As I mentioned above, just standing on these shake exercise machines did virtually nothing for me. An increase of 7 bpm after 5 minutes of standing on it, was almost a waste of my time. However, if you’re bound and determined to get one, I would recommend incorporating some bodyweight exercises while using them. Here is a shortlist of bodyweight exercises you could perform with the shake exercise machine that could boost your results:
- Body squats
- Single leg squats
- Lunges
- Planks
- Pushups
- Calf raises
The gain here is that you’re doing actual exercise, and this is where you’ll see improvement. Bodyweight exercise is a great way to burn calories, lose weight, and decrease your body fat percentage. This will lead to toned muscles, more energy, and more burned calories. Standing alone on these vibrating machines just won’t’ cut it.
Alternatives to Shake Exercise Machines
I hope my personal experience and my honest candor has made you realize that your weight loss goals will be better met by using other equipment. If you’re going to use a vibrating machine for weight loss, here is one that has a ton of positive reviews.
I would highly recommend incorporating some bodyweight exercises (Bodyweight Burn Review) to get the most out of your shake exercise machine.
If you’re just getting into fitness, I would start with a home compact treadmill. Treadmills have received a bad reputation because they used to be heavy, hard to move, and had little function. The compact treadmills (Best Compact Treadmills for Running) of today can literally fit under your bed so you can pull it out and do your exercise.
People love them because they’re convenient, easy to move around, and they’ll burn calories. They work great as a focus of your fitness or they can complement other fitness activities. When you’re short on time and can’t hit the gym, a compact treadmill can save the day.
If you’re not one for treadmills a simple dumbbell set (Best Dumbbells for Women) might work best. The good thing about this set is you could use it to work upper body muscles while using either a shake exercise machine or on a treadmill.
Wrapping up Weight Loss Vibration Machines
The studies on these vibration machines for weight loss are still new. More research will be needed to make conclusive suggestions on the effectiveness of them. My experience was short, but it confirmed what the little voice in my head was telling me. I just don’t see how standing on a vibrating platform can produce the kind of weight loss results you’re looking for. People who put in the work and watch what they eat, and get daily exercise will succeed. If you’re looking for a magic machine, pill, elixir, or whatever, it just doesn’t exist.
FAQ on Vibrating Platforms
Do shake exercise machines work?
Depending on the study, there are mixed results. There is some evidence that they can have some benefits related to muscle strength.
Do vibration platforms work if you just stand on them?
Studies show that standing on the platforms is not nearly as effective as using them in conjunction with other exercises and a proper diet.
How long does it take to see results with a vibration platform?
The recommended usage is 3 days a week for 10-60 minutes per session. Studies were done for 6 weeks using this program.
Can vibration lose belly fat?
Studies show that vibration platforms can help trim down your waist when used with other exercises and proper nutrition.