A vibrating plate sends vibrations to your muscles to make them contract and relax more than usual. In turn, you gain the health benefits in half the time. The best results, however, come when you pair this gym equipment with vibration plate exercises. It will be more challenging, of course, so opt to progress gradually. Better yet, start with this mix of moves to create a whole-body vibration machine workout!

Table of Contents

1. Negative Rollout

Target: Abdominal muscles

  • Kneel on the vibration plate, then hold onto the handle of your ab wheel. Make sure to adjust the floor level of your ab roller with the height of your vibration machine. Lean over while keeping your pelvis tight.
  • Next, roll the wheel, leading with your hips and engaging your glutes. Go as far as you can, then drop to the floor before returning to the original position. Each forward roll should last for 3 to 5 seconds.

Using the ab wheel can be difficult for beginners. But the negative rollout technique is an excellent starter. Once you get the hang of it, try rolling back to the starting position instead of dropping to the floor. We call this variation the basic rollout. Either move, however, is ideal for core muscle toning.

Woman doing roller exercise while kneeling on vibration machine

2. Leg Crunches

Target: Abdominal muscles

  • Sit at the centre of the vibration plate machine. Place your hands behind you and keep them flat against the plate. Your elbows should be slightly bent.
  • Next, raise your legs at a comfortable height, and hold the contraction for about 15 seconds. Your back will be leaning a bit, but remember to keep it straight. Remember, the weight load should be on your core and not on your shoulders or back.
  • Release and return to the original position, then repeat for 25 counts or less, depending on your capacity. In beginner Pilates, an exercise called the hundred applies a similar form, except you’ll be lying down and pumping your arms.

Once you have the basics down, try adding variations to your whole-body vibration machine workout. For instance, hold a weighted ball instead of placing your hands on the plate. Then twist your body to the right as you raise your legs. Return to the centre, and turn your body to the left this time. Repeat this alternating move up to 12 times on each side. We call this V-sit crunch, which works your lower ab muscle and triceps.

3. Planks

Target: Shoulder, arm, back, leg and core muscles

  • Place a cushioned mat on your vibration plate machine, then rest your forearms against the platform. You can also wear long sleeves if you don’t have a mat.
  • Next, assume the plank position by lifting your body weight off the platform. Your knees should be off the floor while the toes are touching the floor. Hold this position for 30 seconds.

I like planking as it can hit several target muscles in one go. And you can do it with other pieces of exercise equipment, like an aerobic stepper. Just make sure you have not recently suffered from lower back injuries when doing it. For a more intense vibration machine workout, you can try the pumped-up plank move.

Here, you’ll be using weights (dumbbell or kettlebell) while assuming the plank position. But your hands should be resting on the plate this time. Next, grab the weight with your right hand, then lift it while simultaneously turning your torso to the side.

Woman planking on vibration machine

4. Squats

Target: Thigh muscles (quads and glutes)

  • Stand at the centre of your vibration machine, with toes pointing forward and feet shoulder-width apart. Position yourself in such a way that you can lower your hips comfortably without losing balance.
  • Next, lower your hips as if you’re trying to sit on an imaginary chair. For balance, you can extend your arms or hold onto the bars of your machine. Keep your back straight throughout the exercise. Ideally, your hips should be at knee level, but you can squat based on your capacity and progress later on.
  • Hold each squat for about 30 seconds before returning to the original position. Rest and repeat.

You can also do one-legged squats as a variation. But if you prefer a whole-body vibration machine workout, make your squats more challenging with a kettlebell. As you squat down, raise your arms forward at shoulder level while holding the weight. Then level up your power squats by raising your arms and pressing the kettlebell overhead.

5. Push-Ups

Target: Shoulder, arm and chest muscles

  • Place your hands onto the platform, and stretch your legs out behind you. Your hands and feet should be supporting your weight. Keep your heels, hips and shoulders straight.
  • Next, bend your arms as you lower your chest towards the platform. Pause, then push back up to starting position. Rest and repeat.

You might want to place a mat on your vibration plate to protect your hands while doing this exercise. Or you can also use a tool called push-up bars. Aside from protecting your hands, these bars will also increase your range of motion so you can build muscle strength faster.

Woman doing push up on vibration machine

6. Lunges

Target: Leg muscles

  • Stand while facing your vibration machine. Then, place one foot onto the platform while the other foot stays on the floor.
  • Place your hands on your hips. Next, drop your back knee towards the floor and hold. Your thighs and core should be supporting your weight, not your knees or back. Raise your back knee to return to starting lunge position.
  • Keep lunging a few more times with your back straight, then switch legs and repeat. You can do this move 12 to 25 times per side.

A good variation of this vibration platform exercise is the quad stretch. Here, you’ll be facing away from the machine and your back foot and knee resting on the platform. Use a cushion for support or wear leggings when doing this exercise. To heighten your vibration machine workout, try lunging with both feet on the platform.

Keen to start your vibration plate routine? Pair your exercises with one of my top vibration machines!

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