Vibration training refers to any type of physical training that uses a whole body vibration trainer to intensively exercise the body. It isn’t new – believe it or not, it can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks who created a manual vibration training contraption using a saw and cotton wool to treat people with bad limbs.

In recent years though, it has really become a hot, trendy workout as celebrities and fitness professionals alike are trying and loving the results that they’re getting from it. What’s even more important is that the benefits are numerous and may include:

• increased bone density

• speed up metabolism

• developed muscle tone

• increased circulation

• improved flexibility

• reduction in cellulite

• encourage lymphatic drainage

• induce feelings of calm and relieve stress

• reduction in stiffness and joint pain

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As you can see, the benefits of it are numerous and at present, more studies are being conducted to research the longer term health benefits that vibration training can mean for the whole body.

In fact, it has been researched extensively by NASA and the Russian Space Institute as a means of training their astronauts while under the stresses of zero gravity in space – a situation which causes muscles to deteriorate and bones to start weakening.

They found in study after study that using vibration training to train astronauts meant that they were able to stay on space missions much longer than normal. It was usually the case that when astronauts went into space, they had to return to Earth quickly because their muscles started wasting away, causing weakness and brittle bones within the body.

Other notable doctors and scientists studied the effect of vibration training which confirmed many of the benefits mentioned above. Rehabilitation centres and physiotherapy units use it to help increase strength and flexibility in elderly, sick and health-challenged individuals.

One of the reasons why vibration trainers are so effective in giving muscles a deep and thorough workout is that the vibration trainers themselves utilise a moving plate which varies in its intensity, forcing the muscles in the body to contract and relax repeatedly just to keep the body balanced on the plate.

Because of this, vibration trainers are ideal for people who have limited movement due to conditions such as arthritis and other muscular-skeletal problems. Some studies have found that patients with a low mood and those suffering from stress and depression seemed to feel much better after completing vibration training. And because it is so intense, it means that workouts are short – you can have a total body workout in just ten minutes – perfect for time crunched individuals.

With all these benefits, it’s easy to see why vibration training is so popular and a great choice for busy and ailing individuals.