Saturday, May 9, 2009

Vibration Plate Exercise Better for Weight Loss, Belly Fat


Results from a study performed by the European Association for the Study of Obesity show that vibration plate exercises work better for sustained weight and belly fat loss than aerobic exercise and dieting, or dieting alone. The new study emphasizes that performing vibration plate exercise properly is essential. Combined with calorie restriction and aerobic activity, the results are encouraging, and may provide an alternative to using weights, because vibration machines contract muscles.

The researchers looked at the effect of the Power Plate 51, studying four groups of people over six months. The groups were given dietary counselling, delivered daily, and personalized for calorie restriction. One group only dieted, another dieted and performed vibration plate exercises, a third group performed aerobic exercises combined with calorie restriction, and a fourth group was used as a control, doing nothing for weight and belly fat loss.

Lead author of the study, Dirk Vissers, a physiotherapist at the Artesis University College and the University of Antwerp in Belgium led the study, and says this is the first time vibration plate exercises have been compared to other types of weight loss. The study showed that vibration plate exercise machines that are becoming popular in gyms work well for sustained weight loss, when used properly, and with supervision.

Vissers says, vibration plate exercise machines “are increasingly found in gyms across the industrialized world and have gathered a devoted following in some places, but there has not been any evidence that they help people lose weight. Our study, the first to investigate the effects of vibration in obese people, indicates it's a promising approach. It looks like these machines could be a useful addition to a weight control package." Vibration plate exercise was better for weight and belly fat loss, perhaps because the vibration adds something extra to workouts.

The study yielded better results for those performing vibration plate exercises, combined with dieting when compared to dieting alone. Vibration plate exercisers also lost more weight than the group performing aerobic exercise with calorie restriction. The group properly instructed on the use of vibration plate exercise machines not only lost the greatest amount of weight and belly fat, but they sustained most of the weight loss at one-year follow-up. Dieters did lose weight, but weight loss was not sustained. The control group in the study only gained weight.

Vibration plate exercise, over six months, yielded an eleven percent weight loss, trimming approximately seven percent of belly fat. After twelve months, total weight loss was sustained at 10.9 percent. The aerobic exercise group, who swam, ran, and performed resistance training three days a week lost seven percent of their initial body weight, sustaining weight loss at 6.9 percent after twelve months.

Vibration plate exercises resulted in trimming 47.8 sq. cm of belly fat when combined with a calorie-restricted diet alone, during the first six months of the study. Physiotherapists helped the group in performing lunges, calf raises, abdominal crunches, squats and pushups. Aerobic exercise and dieting resulted in 24.3 sq. cm of belly fat loss.

The researchers hope to continue studies on obese people, using vibration plate exercises on larger groups. Vissers explains if vibration plate exercises seem easy, you are not performing the exercises correctly. "Supervision in the beginning is imperative and the longer the better. What we see in gyms very often - people just standing on the machine holding the handles - is not going to do anything."


Calorie restriction, combined with proper use of vibration plate exercises might work better than aerobic exercise and dieting because of increased circulation to abdominal viscera, changing the harmful effect of hormones that lurk in belly fat. You can watch a short video about vibration plate exercise below.


What is the Power Plate? - Click here for more free videos
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