Whole body vibration does not cause weight loss

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Thursday, January 03, 2008 7:09 am Email this article
Whole body vibration does not cause weight loss in women according to a 6 month done by researchers from Belgium. Subjects

Subjects : 48 women

The study involved 48 untrained women with an average age of 21-years-old.

 

Study Design

Study design : 3 groups — vibration with exercise, fitness training and control group

The study analyzed whether whole body vibration had any effect on body composition or on muscle strength.

Eighteen of the 48 women engaged in exercises while on the whole body vibration machine called a “Power Plate” three times per week.

Another 18 of women engaged in 15-40 minutes of aerobic exercise and leg pressed and leg lifts three times per week.

The other 12 women were the control group and did not engage in training.

During the 6 months, “there were no significant changes in weight, in percentage body fat, nor in skinfold thickness [ body fat ] in any of the groups,” the researchers noted.

 

Muscle Mass

Muscle Mass increased by 2.2% in Vibration Group

Muscle mass increased by 2.2 percent in the whole body vibration group, but none in the other two groups.

 

Strength

Leg strength increased in Vibration Group plus exercise more than the fitness group

Muscular strength also increased more in the whole body vibration group than the fitness trained group—24 percent versus 17 percent according to one measurement.

 

Conclusion

Conclusion : Whole body vibration plus exercise did not cause weight loss or fat loss, but causes slight increase in muscle

“In conclusion, 24 weeks whole body vibration training did not reduce weight, total body fat or subcutaneous fat in previously untrained females,” the paper concluded.

“However, whole body vibration training induces a gain in knee-extensor strength combined with a small increase in fat free mass.”

“The gain in strength is comparable to the strength increase following a standard fitness training program consisting of cardiovascular
and resistance training.”

REFERENCE

Roelants M, Delecluse C, Goris M, Verschueren S. Effects of 24 weeks of whole body vibration training on body composition and muscle strength in untrained females. Int J Sports Med. 2004 Jan, 25(1):1-5.

AUTHOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION

Christophe Delecluse, Ph.D.
Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics Laboratory
Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy
Department of Kinesiology
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Tervuursevest 101
3001 Leuven, Belgium
Phone + 32 16 32 90 76
Fax + 32 16 32 91 97
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Articles on the same subject can be found here:

• Vibration, Whole Body