With age, or when muscles aren’t used enough, they lose their size and strength. Regular exercise and weight-training require discipline, considerable time, and many repetitions.  Also, there’s a growing concern about the effect of lifting heavy weights on the joints, ligaments, and tendons of the body as we could be doing damage to them in the process.  Whole body vibration training is an effective, proven method of strength training that addresses these concerns.  Whole body Vibration exercise has been found to boost muscle strength by 50% in just a few weeks!  You can focus on your core, lower body, or upper body and build a toned, strong body. 

Whole Body Vibration can improve your speed, agility, grace and flexibility by strengthening joints, tendons, and ligaments.  It also increases your ability to stretch the muscles.  Whole Body Vibration can help you raise your athletic ability and fitness to the next level in weeks, not months.  And if you’re involved in sports such as swimming, gymnastics, football, track, martial arts, and golf, you’ll soon experience increased speed, flexibility, and muscle control.

All of the movements basic to the human body can be performed on the whole body vibration platform.  By performing some of the exercises in a dynamic manner the effect will increase greatly.  All of these effects can be integrated in daily life.  If vibration training is part of a sport specific training schedule you will obviously have to make certain adaptations to the movements inherent to that particular sport in order to counter a loss of coordination.  You will improve your ability to cycle by riding a bike, not just by standing on the WBV platform.

To calculate aerobic calorie burn you need to consider the following information…age, weight, height, max/min heart rate, rate of oxygen intake, CO2 emissions, fitness level etc.  There is no way to really test anaerobic calorie loss…only aerobic.

So what burns more calories, a vibration workout or cardio workout?  Studies have shown calorie for calorie, cardio has a slight advantage. You can burn about 8 to 10 calories a minute hoisting weights, compared with 10 to 12 calories a minute running or cycling.

Vibration exercise is generally referred to as anaerobic exercise.  Anaerobic exercise gives you a metabolic spike for an hour after a workout because your body is trying hard to help your muscles recover. That means you’ll burn an additional 25 percent of the calories you just scorched during your vibration session.  For every 3 pounds of muscle you build, you can potentially burn an extra 120 calories a day.  Vibration can be regarded as resistance training…resistance training burns fat…and calories

It has been calculated that a 10 min vibration session could yield an approximate 200-500 calorie burn. This could increase with intensifying the activity while on the machine.  It has been calculated that 10 minutes on a vibration machine would be similar to approx a 3.5-6 mile walk.  Keep in mind this depends on many variables.

Since muscles are working at almost 100% when using whole body vibration, they are burning more glucose and oxygen, therefore pushing the heart to pump harder and get more oxygen to the muscles.  Since more fuel is being burnt it can help accelerate weight loss and increase muscle strength

There are four main types of exercise that are recommended for seniors:

Endurance activities – Activities like walking, swimming, or riding a bike build stamina and improve the health of the heart and circulatory system.  Studies have prompted the American Heart Association to also recommend resistance training as a way to reduce risk of heart disease and as therapy for patients in cardiac rehabilitation programs.

Strengthening exercises –Activities to build muscle tissue and reduce age-related muscle loss.  Strengthening exercises increase the strength of your muscles, maintain and build bones, improves your balance, coordination and mobility. The health benefits far outweigh the risk of injury, a concern that prevents many elderly people from adding more physical activity to their lives.  Strength training can also have a great effect on reducing falls, the number one cause of death in the elderly.

Stretching exercises - Activities to keep the body flexible.   Muscles trained through vibration exercise not only get stronger but also improve flexibility and mobility. When you stretch, the muscle tissues warm up and increase blood circulation and flexibility. When your muscles receive highly oxygenated blood, the time required to obtain a certain level of flexibility is dramatically decreased.

Balance exercises- Activities to reduce the chances of a fall.  As people age, poor balance and flexibility contribute to falls and broken bones. Resistance exercises increase flexibility and balance, which decrease the likelihood and severity of falls.

Performing these exercises on a Whole Body Vibration platform can increase these results and help you achieve them in less time.  Any exercise that can be done on the floor can be done on a vibration platform.  Whole Body Vibration aids in faster muscle growth, better flexibility, better blood circulation, reduction of sore muscles, improved balance, even healing injuries.

The two biggest barriers to a successful fitness regimen are often the initial commitment and the subsequent stick-to-itiveness. So, that begs the question: How can I start a fitness program and stick to it to get the results I want?

A few things to keep in mind are:
• Pick an exercise you like. For example, if you hate jogging and dread doing it, don’t try to talk yourself into it every day, simply do something else.

• Figure out what time of day suits you. If you’re not a morning person it’s not realistic to think you’ll stick to an AM workout program. The snooze button is just too tempting. Take this from someone who knows!
• Set an appointment with yourself. Write it on your calendar like any other appointment and commit that time to yourself and good health. I suggest looking at your schedule for the week and then slotting in times when you know you can reasonably fit in exercise.
• Begin with realistic expectations. If you’re not in the habit of working out don’t expect to start off exercising 5 days/week. Start with a couple of days and work up to a more frequent, regular regimen. Ultimately aim to be physically active most or all days.
• Keep it convenient. If you can exercise in your home that is the ultimate in convenience. Consider joining a gym that is near your home or office. Or, walk out your front door and get moving.

Coming up:  How whole body vibration fits into your fitness regimen.

Vibration training is becoming more and more popular.  When you incorporate the use of a whole body vibration machine into your regular health and fitness regimen, you can lose weight. Not only will you experience weight loss, but you will have a faster metabolism, tighter muscles, and a more attractive body. Whole body vibration machines also improve your flexibility, range of motion, and circulation.  

When using a whole body vibration machine, your muscles can contract 20-50 times per second based on the Hertz setting of the machine. This contraction causes your body to work harder and burn more calories with basic exercises than you would normally doing floor exercises.

 Whole Body vibration will help you build lean mass by performing exercises and various moves to target different regions throughout your body.

See the information below from a study funded by the Artesis University College of Antwerp, Belgium.

“In this study we demonstrated that adding aerobic exercise or whole body vibration (WBV) to a hypocaloric diet can help to maintain weight loss. Moreover, the addition of WBV seems to initiate an even larger loss of visceral adipose tissue (VAT). “

This study shows that combining whole body vibration training with caloric restriction can help to achieve a sustained long-term weight loss of 5–10%. This data shows that WBV training may have the potential to reduce VAT more than aerobic exercise in obese adults, possibly making it a meaningful addition to future weight loss programs.

• Improving employee health
• Reducing preventable health care utilization and lowering health care costs
• Enhancing work performance/ productivity
• Decreased absenteeism
• Improving employee satisfaction and retention
• Reduce Injury and Workman’s compensation claims

The White House’s proposed 2011 budget was released, which includes plans to reduce childhood obesity rates by budgeting $1 billion to improve children’s access to healthy meals, and include $10 million in a federal employee workplace initiative to implement prototype wellness programs.

The plan includes increased federal funding for workplace wellness programs, programs for schools that address childhood obesity, education for healthcare employees, and “individual and community initiatives to help Americans make healthful choices.”

Employee wellness programs are an excellent way to help defray the rising cost of health care. In addition to cost-savings, employers who provide wellness programs report improvements to worker productivity and retention, as well as improving the working environment.

Whole Body Vibration (WBV) allows the equivalent of 60 minutes of conventional exercise to be achieved in just 10 minutes.  It is so effective; three 10‐minute sessions a week are enough to make a considerable difference.  Whole Body Vibration is perfect for loosening up your entire body and relieving stress. Standing on a WBV platform even for just a few minutes will supercharge all the cells in your body and give you energy to continue working. 

This is why many corporations are including WBV equipment in corporate fitness centers.  Because WBV is safe, fast and highly effective, it’s become a great solution for boosting employee health.

Whole Body Vibration (WBV) technology originated in Europe and has been an evolving technology for the past 50 years. Sweden, Italy, Germany, and Russia have contributed immensely to the progression of WBV research and development for the purposes of fitness and rehabilitation. Many scientific research studies have been performed which validate the benefits of WBV with respect to bone density and fighting osteoporosis, increased blood circulation, more efficient muscle toning, and much more.

The NutriMedical Report hosted by Dr. William Deagle nationwide investigated and discussed the groundbreaking health and fitness phenomena known as the “Vibration Fitness Machine”. Dr. Deagle for the past 12 months been testing and researching the effects of vibration exercise for fitness and health. He reported his findings stating that his research and the many published medical reports from doctors, universities and medical centers confirm that vibration fitness exercise has many benefits including: weight-loss, rapid muscle strength growth, increased bone density, Higher HGH levels, pain reduction and greatly improved balance just to name a few. He also quoted a study from the European Congress on Obesity that was recently released which found that whole body vibration was four times as effective as traditional workouts for weight loss.

“The Doctors” TV segment airing February 26 demonstrates how vibration exercise can replicate a 60 minute treadmill workout in 10 minutes. Whole body vibration machines cause the muscles to contract and stretch – just like regular exercise does. Other benefits include: total muscle toning, accelerated weight loss, cellulite reduction, stress reduction, increased flexibility and faster metabolism.

On February 12, “The Tyra Banks Show” demonstrated vibration technology and was part of “The Tyra Banks Show” special “Beauty Across America” showcasing the latest fitness, health and beauty techniques that work. Many professional sports teams including Olympic, NFL, NHL, MLB and NBA teams have adopted the vibration fitness machines into daily training programs. This has really given the industry a boost of interest and given consumers the confidence to try Whole Body Vibration.

Regardless of your physical condition, the subconscious stretch reflexes will tighten almost all your muscles at once with vibration exercise. That compares with just 45 per cent of muscle fibers used during conventional training. Traditional training increases muscle strength because your body reacts to the extra resistance created by the weights over and above regular gravity. With Vibration Training your body reacts to acceleration rather than extra weight, which is many times greater than standard training stimuli. And this is happening 20-50 times a second.

High end health clubs, professional sports teams, and prestigious medical facilities have been using WBV in the US for years, but a quality and affordable WBV solution for home use has not been available until now.

WBV training contracts virtually 100% of the muscle fibers of any particular muscle, whereas weight resistance training only fires about 40%. WBV fires not one muscle group after the other, as typical weight training does, but the whole body neuromusculoskeletal system is being stimulated at once. That is why with WBV your training time is significantly reduced.

Strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination are all key aspects to athletic performance. WBV can be used to stimulate an athlete’s adaptive response to performance‐driven activities. WBV training routines can be as challenging as you make them and the versatility of the vibrating platform allows you to target any part of the body. Athletes who train with WBV are faster, more explosive, less prone to injury, and ultimately more competitive.

To make WBV effective in your facility it is important to educate the staff on WBV and how to use it within a fitness program.  With education and direction such as posters, wall charts, and videos members can safely and effectively use WBV on their own.  Also, personal trainers may be an important part of the usefulness of WBV in fitness centers.  Clients will not only be better educated on the uses of WBV when working with a trainer, but other members who see the product in use are more likely to follow suit.  

Whole Body Vibration is a sensible choice because it is a safe, fast, and effective.  Better results in less time!  It’s a must have for all fitness centers.

Regardless of your shape, size, age, or current fitness level, Whole Body Vibration can be worked into your daily routine with ease.  WBV is a safe, fast, and effective way to live healthier and it only takes 10 minutes a day 3 – 5 days a week to achieve measurable results!

You can gain significant health and wellness benefits with less effort and in less time than you could with conventional exercise. You can improve your bone health and core strength, increase your flexibility and coordination, gain greater mobility, carry less body fat and have more lean muscle mass.

Whole Body Vibration exercise also contributes to a more youthful feeling due to an increase in the secretion of serotonin, the feel good neurotransmitter.  Whole Body Vibration can improve muscle strength, but it will also help increase flexibility and range of motion while stimulating the production of collagen, creating tighter, more beautiful skin.

Progress cannot be made without change.  Because WBV is safe, fast and highly effective, it’s become a great solution for a healthier lifestyle.

This kind of detoxification can cause feelings of fatigue, exhaustion, headaches, nausea and flu‐like symptoms. If you experience these symptoms, you now know that this is actually a good sign. It’s a sign that the body is releasing toxins and is on its way to recovery.

You can help this process of detoxification by making sure that you are sufficiently hydrated before and after your whole body vibration work‐outs. To stay hydrated consider drinking ½ of your body weight in ounces of water per day. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, drink 80 ounces of water every day.