Subscribe our newsletter and get notifications to stay update
I never thought I’d fall for the social media hype… until I did.Last year, my TikTok feed was basically a montage of one vibration plate after another, and I was skeptical.Whole-body vibration therapy is nothing new, of course — there are years of research exploring its potential benefits, from supporting circulation and muscle function to reducing inflammation.A 2021 study even found that older adults who added whole-body vibration training to their routine saw significant improvements in lower-body strength.Still, I wasn’t convinced… until I tried one myself.
After sifting through thousands of rave reviews, I decided to try out the Lifepro Waver Vibration Plate Exercise Machine.The best-selling model retails for $200 on Amazon and is compact enough to tuck away beneath the bed or in the tight corner of an NYC apartment — another major draw in my book.At first, I found the sensation to be quite … strange.
It felt like tiny pulses shooting through my body, and it took some getting used to.But after my first few sessions, I noticed I was stepping off feeling lighter, a little more relaxed and as though some of the day’s tension had simply melted away.And that was just the beginning.
After a few weeks of consistent use (daily 10-minute sessions before work), I began to discover the other benefits.After a tough workout or long run, I’d jump on the board the next day and find that my soreness and back tightness felt almost cut in half.I’ve always relied on the sauna for recovery, but I found the vibration plate to be even more effective at helping my body loosen up.Eventually, my 68-year-old mother, who has sciatica, decided to give it a try, too.After she started using it, she noticed her muscles feeling more relaxed and her core feeling a little stronger.
“It feels like I shook 10 years off my body,” she told me at one point, adding that it had also helped provide some relief from “occasional leg cramps and spasms.”Months later, she�...