Thoughts on vibration plate

StevePH

Well folks, would like to know what ye think about the use of vibration plates (in the context of building muscle).

For the past 6 months I've been tryin to put on weight - currently 5'8, about 12 stone - traditionally have had skinny legs but they're now buildin up)
Whichever the muscle, I'm doin sets of 5 compound exercises (preceeded by good warmups) and drinkin 1.5/2 drinks of lean mass shakes a day in addition to a well balanced diet.

Anyway. to the point...as well as finishing sets by fatiguing muscles with drop sets, I then go to the vibration plate to fatigue them some more. Eg after a few sets of incline presses/dips etc i do press ups on the vibration plate or I do 'static squats' on the plate after legwork (roughly 4 x 30 sec intervals on press-ups and 4 x 60/70 sec intervals on legs)

Q. Is the vibration plate used in this way over the top or is it a good way to completely work the muscle worked on that day?

colman1212

I see a lot of people using the vibration plates in my gym at the moment but I just don't get it really. I think its just another gimmick. I could be wrong.

Low rep heavy compound lifts + lots of calories = Increase in weight and strength.

It's simple, I wouldn't go overcomplicating things.

Also if you are trying to put on weight, i'd stay away from high rep exercises and anything that resembles cardio as you are just burning much needed calories.

Brian?

They're a gimmick, if you want to build muscle: lift heavy and eat more.

Why do you think you need to fatigue your muscles more? If you're doing heavy enough sets of 5, the drop sets are pointless. They could also be counter productive, lengthening your recovery time.

jurahnimoh

They tend to only get you toned, lift weights and plenty of exercise is the better option by far

metamorphosis

It's good for muscle massage after hard training sessions. That's it.

StevePH

Thanks for the feedback. I'm happy to be corrected if I'm headin the wrong direction.

Re the drop sets - maybe I'm usin the wrong terminology but an example of how I'm training is to do sets of 5 presses (after 3/4 warmup sets) then finish that exercise by dropping the weight 3/4 times and doin high reps (12ish) till it burns. I'm doin this in the hope that the muscle is bein worked as much as possible....

colman1212

Low reps are for strength. High reps are for size.
From my experience, you're better off focusing on one thing at a time, either strength or size. Trying to do both is counter productive as mentioned by Brian.
Stick with the low reps for the moment and forget about the drop sets. What does your program look like? you doing starting strength or stronglifts or something?

marathonic

I've an aunty that swears by them. However, she went from doing absolutely nothing to doing planks, v-sits, push-ups, lunges and all those other excercises on the poster you get with them.

Personally, I think she'd have had the same results if she just done the bodyweight excercises and better results if she'd spend the money she spent on this on a few dumbbells or kettlebells.

However, if it gets her motivated to actually do something when she'd possibly have given up if she hadn't bought the machine/gimmick, I suppose it's a good thing (this is not a recommendation for the product).

I agree with briankeating. Why use the vibration plate to fatigue your muscles more when you could just start your recovery and possibly progress quicker on your main compound lifts?

StevePH

colman1212 wrote: »

...What does your program look like? you doing starting strength or stronglifts or something?

Not training for strength or competing or anything like that. Just have a personal goal to put on some 'good' weight. In an attempt to put on this weight I'm going to the gym 3 times a week. I day for legs, 1 day for chest/shoulders, 1 day for arms/lats (45min sessions)....and eating well!

Now....possibly, I'm cancelling out potential gains with the following....

Once (maybe twice) per week, I have a 20min swim on a day that I'm not in the gym. I also cyle to work (7km in and 7km out) about 4 times per week. After a leg day I don't cycle or swim, allowing my legs to recover.

Already I'm thinking you're gonna tell me to drop the cardio if i want the weight gains...but its kinda engrained in me to keep so active. But happy to hear feedback.

marathonic

No need to drop the cardio in my opinion. I also cycle about 65 mile a week to and from work and am putting on gains. Just make sure your diet and excercise plan is good.

Add some calories if you're not putting on weight. Some calorie dense food includes Oats (I have some at home before leaving and more when I arrive at work), Peanut Butter (I buy the 1kg tubs from myProtein or Holland and Barrett as it's much cheaper) and any type of unsalted nuts (although these tend to be more expensive).

colman1212

I suppose it depends on the person. I generally find it hard to put on weight. If I was cycling 14k a day and doing 3 gym sessions a week, I'd have to be eating an insane amount of food. I would think it's counter productive from my experience but see how you get on.

SanoVitae

When used properly, it's an excellent conditioning tool. I've used it to train extremely fit squash players and they swear by it. It can be used to make bodyweight exercises like press-ups and lunges much tougher than they already are.

When you train hard and go straight from one exercise to another for 30 minutes, you get a fantastic workout. If it's not intense enough, you can either increase the vibration/acceleration setting or increase the load (e.g. hold dumbbells or kettlebells during the exercises).

Ultimately, it's just an exercise tool, like anything else - a kettlebell, a dumbbell, a rower etc. You can get great results with or without it. While it's not the miracle worker that those who sell them would have you believe, neither is it the "gimmick" that others claim it to be either.

OP - if you want to put on muscle, you're best of concentrating on lifting weights and eating enough food. Vibration training definitely has its uses but it's not what you need for what you're hoping to achieve.

Hope that helps.

chris139ryan

not a fan of these at all, why not just do cardio then heavy weights and adjust your diet rather than them stupid yokes

colman1212

chris139ryan wrote: »

not a fan of these at all, why not just do cardio then heavy weights and adjust your diet rather than them stupid yokes

Always do cardio after weights as opposed to before. You need your energy for weights, can burn yourself out then afterwards on the cardio.

SanoVitae

colman1212 wrote: »

Always do cardio after weights as opposed to before. You need your energy for weights, can burn yourself out then afterwards on the cardio.

It all depends on what your training goals are. If your goals was fitness/conditioning, you could do the weights first and then really push yourself by doing tough cardio like rowing straight afterwards.

Try rowing at maximum intensity when your legs and back are already fried from the likes of deadlifts and squats. Not pleasant.

Brian?

StevePH wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback. I'm happy to be corrected if I'm headin the wrong direction.

Re the drop sets - maybe I'm usin the wrong terminology but an example of how I'm training is to do sets of 5 presses (after 3/4 warmup sets) then finish that exercise by dropping the weight 3/4 times and doin high reps (12ish) till it burns. I'm doin this in the hope that the muscle is bein worked as much as possible....

How long have you been training? What program are you following?

notsure1

Complete gimmick.

StevePH

Thanks for the advice on reps. Will stick to low reps and plenty of food

By the way, to all who think the plate is a gimmick - I wouldn't agree. It won't build muscle but a machine that can exhaust muscles the way a plate can must be doin something worthwhile.

My thoughts now are that it serves as a great warmup - in particlular it can give ye a v thorough warmup for legs (with lunges) before a heavy leg session.

daveyc21

StevePH wrote: »

Thanks for the advice on reps. Will stick to low reps and plenty of food

By the way, to all who think the plate is a gimmick - I wouldn't agree. It won't build muscle but a machine that can exhaust muscles the way a plate can must be doin something worthwhile.

My thoughts now are that it serves as a great warmup - in particlular it can give ye a v thorough warmup for legs (with lunges) before a heavy leg session.

It exhausts muscles by forcing them to contract isometrically but because there is no increase in load per se they wont increase muscle size or strength they will simply make you better at standing on a vibrating plate. they reason your muscles fatigue is because they are reacting to the world around them vibrating!! The same principle if you are trying to stand still and three guys are standing around you pushing you in different directions. You would get tired quickly but you wouldnt expect to put on muscle from it. you may actually have hit on something here about using them as a warmup because they activate muscles on a low threshold they may work well as helping you get tighter before squats, deadlifts etc.