Whole body vibration is a unique and special tool for training women, offering a different physiological response to aerobic or resistance training, and complementing both. In this course, we are going to look at how and why you would use Whole Body Vibration in your sessions for women, the settings, and the response you expect to have.

Learning outcomes:

• To understand a bit about the technology of whole body vibration.
• To learn about how the body responds to whole body vibration
• Explain why this response is especially important for women
• Get specific settings and positions for specific outcomes

Whole Body Vibration Plates come in two forms, an oscillating vibration (left to right) and a vertical vibration (up and down). There are benefits to both, however the oscillating platform has a much bigger amplitude (distance from highest point to lowest point), and as such, can be less comfortable for your client. The results between the two are comparable, and for that reason I usually stick with a vertical vibration, and all the settings that we outline later on are for a vertical plate. As far as I know, only the Galileo Plate (oscillating) and the Power Plate (vertical) have their medical device derivative, and as such, are the only brands that I buy. Most of the research you'll read is performed on one of these two brands.

When standing on a vibrating plate (VP), your body experiences a micro-moment of ground reaction force when it hits the highest point of it's vibration, and a micro moment of instability at the lowest point of it's vibration. As such, 30 times per second, you're getting alternative “jump” loads and “balance” reactions. Because of the ground reaction forces (GRF), you cannot stand on a vertical plate straight legged (it's like landing a box jump on straight legs). You must be either in a strength position or a stretch position, directing the force into your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones.

If your body is in a stretched position (like a forward fold/hamstring stretch) you'll get a lengthening of the muscle fibres and a relaxation/lengthening of the tendon fibres, 30x a second (or more). If you're body is in a strength position (like a squat or lunge), you'll get a contraction of the muscle fibres.

You can also lie your “meaty bits” on there for a massage and improves circulation, or put yourself into a unbalance position (like a single leg squat or lunge) to train reflexive balance.

All of these applications are especially important for women who, generally:

• Are more mobile and less stable than their male counterparts – you can work on their balance in reflexive, real world positions, and get a reaction 30x per second faster than training on the ground¹.
• Are twice as likely to develop Osteoporosis – WBV is “weight bearing” on a similar level to walking, but 30x per second faster, and you can add weights, balance, and reaction to the exercise! Studies on Osteoporosis aren't super clear-cut, with some showing benefit in maintaining bone density, others showing an improvement, and others no change at all^{2 3 4}. My take from my reading is that at worst, it will do no harm, and at best, you'll see an improvement. Furthermore, we know lifting weights improves bone mineral density (BMD) and you can lift weights on the WBV platform⁵.
• Women are twice as likely to develop some pain disorders, and in women living with Fibromyalgia, where they experience a heightened sensitivity to pain, whole body vibration has shown some promising results in pain reduction and mood⁶. In women living with Osteoarthritis, the results in reducing pain with Whole Body vibration are also significant⁷. In another review on non-specific lower back pain, whole body vibration showed a significant reduction in pain, an improvement in functioning, and enhanced proprioception⁸ (balance). Because the muscles are triggered without movement, the client's joints will get a synovial fluid release without having to grind the joints (as in the case of arthritis). In the case of stiffness, either due to pain, inflammation, or dry joints, whole body vibration can increase the length of the muscles in a very short time.
• Women are twice as likely to develop pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), and the pelvic floor is in it's “strength” position just standing on the plate, which can help with rehab faster! Even without specific pelvic floor training, WBV improves the muscle reactivity and associated symptoms of PFD⁹.

REFERENCES

1Wicks, Jackie (2024) Unlocking the Benefits of Vibration Plates for Fibromyalgia powerplate.com, retrieved 14^th April 2025 from https://powerplate.com/blogs/news/benefits-of-vibration-plates-for-fibromyalgia?srsltid=AfmBOorUcfLdHiF3ODzIJJLFjWzj50McdUMvM0N8YqXn76Qehq0cU2SG

2Peretti, Ana & Ciqueleiro, Rodolfo & Flores, Lucinar & Bertolini, Gladson. (2019). Use of whole-body vibration as osteoporosis treatment in postmenopausal women: a systematic review. European Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine. 17. 146-152. 10.15584/ejcem.2019.2.7.

3Yin, S., Liu, Y., Zhong, Y. et al. Effects of whole-body vibration on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: an overview of systematic reviews. BMC Women's Health 24, 444 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-024-03290-x

4Abeer M. ElDeeb, Amr A. Abdel-Aziem, Effect of Whole-Body Vibration, Exercise on Power Profile and Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal, Women With Osteoporosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Volume 43, Issue 4, 2020, Pages 384-393, ISSN 0161-4754, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2019.12.003.

5Watson SL, Weeks BK, Weis LJ, Horan SA, Beck BR. Heavy resistance training is safe and improves bone, function, and stature in postmenopausal women with low to very low bone mass: novel early findings from the LIFTMOR trial. Osteoporos Int. 2015 Dec;26(12):2889-94. doi: 10.1007/s00198-015-3263-2. Epub 2015 Aug 5. PMID: 26243363.

6Collado-Mateo D, Adsuar JC, Olivares PR, Del Pozo-Cruz B, Parraca JA, Del Pozo-Cruz J, Gusi N. Effects of Whole-Body Vibration Therapy in Patients with Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Literature Review. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:719082. doi: 10.1155/2015/719082. Epub 2015 Aug 17. PMID: 26351517; PMCID: PMC4553315.

7Yulin Dong, Wu Wang, Jiejiao Zheng, Su Chen, Jun Qiao, Xueqiang Wang, Whole Body Vibration Exercise for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Volume 100, Issue 11, 2019, Pages 2167-2178, ISSN 0003-9993, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2019.03.011.

8Remer F, Keilani M, Kull P, Crevenna R. Effects of whole-body vibration therapy on pain, functionality, postural stability, and proprioception in patients with subacute and chronic non-specific low back pain: a systematic review. Wien Med Wochenschr. 2025 Feb;175(1-2):20-40. doi: 10.1007/s10354-023-01026-4. Epub 2023 Nov 24. PMID: 37999785; PMCID: PMC11775043.

9Guedes-Aguiar EO, de Sá-Caputo DDC, Moreira-Marconi E, de Macêdo Uchôa SM, de Barros PZ, Valentin EK, Bergmann A, Taiar R, Bernardo-Filho M. Effect of whole-body vibration exercise in the pelvic floor muscles of healthy and unhealthy individuals: a narrative review. Transl Androl Urol. 2019 Aug;8(4):395-404. doi: 10.21037/tau.2019.06.14. PMID: 31555564; PMCID: PMC6732087.

Training Considerations:

Whole body vibration should be introduced slowly, with just 10-30sec on each side, for a total of 5 to 10 minutes in the entire session. A range of 30-40Hz, on a low amplitude (2mm) is ideal. If your client experiences discomfort or pain, adjust their position or change the exercise like you would on any other modality of exercise.

For balance training, choose a frequency of 30-40Htz (ask the client where they feel most comfortable – more is not always better), LOW, for 10-30 seconds. Position your client in whatever balance position you would train on the floor, eg. Bird dogs, side hover, single leg squat. As your client improves, increase the amplitude to high, and have them perform more complex tasks (such as catching a ball while balancing on one leg, or drawing an asterix with one leg).

For bone and strength training, choose a frequency of 30-40Htz (ask the client where they feel most comfortable – more is not always better), LOW, for 10-30 seconds. Position your client so that the target muscle(s) are horizontal to gravity. For example, squats position the quads horizontal to gravity, push ups hold the chest and triceps horizontal to gravity. In the beginning, just hold that position. As your client gets stronger, add a little movement above and below that horizontal position – but never stand or straighten your client's limbs completely. As they get stronger at this, you can add weights, or transition to higher amplitudes.

For pain relief or relaxation, lay the client's “meaty bits” (eg. Quads, glutes) across the machine and choose a frequency of 40-50Htz (ask the client where they feel most comfortable – more is not always better), LOW, for 30-120 seconds. Generally speaking, the muscles will enjoy the vibration, but the joints may bounce – this hurts, and is the reason why we don't put “bony bits” on there until the clients is really comfortable with the technology. Also be mindful of how close the head is to the vibration plate. Some people love lying their upper back on it, other feel ill. Generally speaking, an oscillating platform is better for upper body massage because the middle hardly vibrates (where you lie your head and spine). There is no benefit to forcing your clients into positions that make them uncomfortable.

For pelvic floor dysfunction, choose a frequency of 30-40Htz (ask the client where they feel most comfortable – more is not always better), LOW, for 10-30 seconds. Have the client perform their kegals (if they can), or ask them to move through positions that challenge their balance. Anytime you're moving your femur or lower back you're also moving the pelvic floor muscle group.

You can participate in a free Discover Power Plate course here: https://powerplate.com/pages/training-education-online-discover-workshop?srsltid=AfmBOooBkttzp1d8A3FPTfAa2U2vH0MpNiXMOKc_SjPgxc8sXKa-EYWl

This course will take you deeper into the nuts and bolts of using the machine, introducing a client safely, and broad training specifications for both men and women.