Along with age, we need to change our fitness routine to be suitable for your body. Aging joints are vulnerable to stress and cannot be risked to perform strength routines. However, the whole-body vibration (WBV) machines are an exception as they do not add any stress to your joints.
Here we will learn what kind of exercises are safe to perform on a vibrating machine to avoid putting it at risk and any other side effects. Also, I will discuss the benefits of the vibration machine along with its working.
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How Do Whole Body Vibration (WBV) Machines Work?
Regular strength training programs require you to do strenuous activities, which are sometimes not possible for senior people or persons with disabilities.
These whole body vibrating machines are a boon for such individuals.
You can simply sit, stand, or lay down on them even if you cannot exercise and still reap benefits.
Since the vibrations allow the energy to pass through the body, your muscles begin to stretch as a reflex to the energy emission.
This stretch reflex is caused as the muscles get activated by external stimulation.
Your muscles contract and relax due to the muscle spindles caused due to the vibration action. It happens 3000 times/minute, and it is as efficient as a traditional workout you do for a longer period.
What Are the Side Effects of Vibrating Exercise Machines?
Though vibrating machines are effective for even the most fragile senior people, they still limit certain people.
The vibrations were studied for the past 100 years from initial use. The full-body vibration machines have intensified significantly since their advent.
Their current high-intensity vibrations do not play well with individuals of certain health conditions.
People with health conditions such as pregnancy, migraine, acute hernia, epilepsy, cardiovascular disease, acute thrombosis, neurological conditions, or suffering from tumors or cancer should avoid using it.
Also, if you are recovering from an operation, have a pacemaker, or have a knee or hip replacement, you cannot use these vibration machines. So, you should get to speak to your doctor before using this machine.
Apart from the above, you also need to understand that the vibrations at such frequencies can affect your spine if you use them quite frequently.
If you carefully balance this vibration machine activity into your exercise regime to extract optimal advantage, you will get excellent output.
Several users used it to gain better health even in a busy life or if they could not perform traditional exercises due to age.
The best judge is your body, and you need to listen to it when you work on a vibration machine and act accordingly.
Follow the limit designated, i.e., about 15 to 20 minutes of workout, for safe and maximum benefits.
Make sure you do not have any health condition listed above regarding who cannot work out on the vibration machines.
If you try to use them for longer or with underlying health conditions, it causes more harm than benefit.
What Are the Benefits of Vibrational Exercise Machines?
Check out the advantages of vibrational exercise machines that are suitable for various ages, abilities, and fitness levels.
Weight Loss
The European Association for the Study of Obesity agrees that when these vibrational machines are used in the right manner, they help in weight loss.
The stretch reflex produced by them helps lower the belly fat that accumulates between your organs.
This machine can also handle cortisol production by lowering your stress levels and thus helping in your weight loss.
Increased Blood Flow
They support the improved blood flow through your body, allowing it to replenish it with vital nutrients and oxygen.
These enhanced nutrients help in developing your immunity resulting in a strengthened immune system.
Increased Bone Density
They help reduce back pain, improve your strength, decrease bone loss, and maintain better balance in adults.
Since the whole body is activated using vibration plates, it helps in producing growth hormone and testosterone, which results in stronger bones.
Similarly, the growth hormone is responsible for a youthful appearance and more muscle mass.
It tends to boost the metabolism and burn higher fat due to it.
Better Balance
Bones at senior age are brittle, leading to falls and easy breakage. Using a vibration plate, you can strengthen your body and stabilize it to protect it from falls.
How To Use the Whole-Body Vibration Machine the Right Way?
You can perform regular exercises such as crunches, dips, lunges, planks, pushups, sit-ups, squats, and various stretches.
When you try them on vibrational plates, you will find yourself highly exhausted and amazingly effective.
As already mentioned, individuals with the aforementioned health issues should not use these machines.
Others who can use it should work on it for the right time and in the right way to gain positive effects. Their work is well-supported by science.
The involuntary action of muscles allows you to gain fitness benefits without lifting heavy weights and in a short time.
The frequency intensity of 3000 times per minute makes your body vibrate several times, even within a second.
It is fun to work out this way and is more effective than traditional exercises.
As vibration tries to off throw your balance, your body will instinctively learn to put it in place by balancing it.
So, it learns to balance your body better, leading to better posture and a cure to several health issues.
If you are thinking of just lazing out, then sit, stand, or lie down on it for the prescribed time, and you don’t need to do anything, and it does its work and burns calories even when you sit idle. It is one of the reasons why many people choose vibration machines for work out.
Can Vibration Machines Hurt You?
More than necessary, exposure to vibration can cause long-term damage to the body systems such as circulatory, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems.
Though vibration machines are not a risk, opting for unregulated vibration machines and working for a long period at a stretch is not safe.
Do vibration plates help lose belly fat?
The prominent online science-based journal sciencedaily.com attests to the fact that vibration plates are good at burning fat.
They come in handy for working that stubborn fat that is trapped in-between the organs and is dangerous as it can cause several health problems.
Should you wear shoes on a vibration plate?
Wearing shoes can transfer the vibrations effectively into your body.
If you try it without wearing shoes, then it might not have a similar kind of effect where the vibrational frequency is affected and can diminish the benefit of using this machine.
How long should you use a vibration plate?
They are safe to use 2 to 3 times a week for 15 to 30 minutes on average.
However, it is not a hard and fast rule and varies based on the frequency and the manufacturer’s recommendation. You must space these sessions at least 48 hours apart to rest your body appropriately.
Are vibration machines good for you?
The vibration machines are used in both psychotherapists’ hospitals and public gyms, and several people who already used them can vouch for their safety. You just need to check if you are using the right quality machine that properly regulates its vibration speed and benefits.
