Vibration Training: From Space Exploration

to Fitness Club















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Vibration Training: From Space Exploration to Fitness Club Nick Grantham 2006

All right reserved. No portion of this manual may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including fax, photocopy, recording or any
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manual may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher, except
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For information contact:
Smart Fitness
E-mail: nick@smartfitness.org.uk
Website: www.smartfitness.org.uk












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Disclaimer
This report is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor as a substitute for
medical treatment. Programmes outlined herein should not be adopted without consultation with
your health professional. Use of the programmes herein is at the sole choice and risk of the
reader. The author is neither responsible, nor liable for any harm or injury resulting from this
programme or the use of the exercises described herein.



Acknowledgements
Thank you to my wife Kate for sticking with me every step of the way and a huge thank you to
my daughter Erin, (she wont know it yet shes only 18 months old!) but her smiles and hugs
are just what I need when Ive been in front of a computer for hours compiling reports!











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Contents
Section One: Introduction 4

Section Two: What is Vibration Training? 4

Section Three: The Concept 5

Section Four: Training Effects: 6
Performance Enhancement 6
Rehabilitation 8
Health 9

Section Five: Training Variables 10

Section Six: Scientific Updates (2005-2006) 11
Improvements in Flexibility 11
Increased Muscle Activation 12
The Story So Far 12

Section Seven: Conclusion 13

References 14

About the Author 16


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Introduction
Move over, wobble board -- the vibration platform is here. The world of sport has thrown up
many interesting and some bizarre training and rehabilitation methods over the years. Some
fashions come and go within a year, while other techniques and aids stand the test of time and
become incorporated as part of the mainstream repertoire of health and fitness professionals.
Which way will vibration training go?

In the past 10 years there has been an increasing interest in the somewhat strange concept of
vibration training and its potentially positive impact on athletic performance. Can simply
standing on a vibrating platform improve ones strength, power and flexibility? Is this a gimmick
providing a short-term fix, or can athletes and coaches expect to see some valuable long-term
training adaptations? Is vibration a useful rehab tool? Heres the balance of research to date.

What is Vibration training?
The origins of vibration training stretch back almost 40 years and the pioneering research
studies had little to do with sport and more to do with mans quest to go deep into outer space.
Early work by the Russian space agency looked at the use of vibration training in combating the
effects of zero gravity conditions on the musculoskeletal system. It didnt take long for scientists
working within sport to start using vibration training with a variety of athletes (rowers, track and
field, gymnasts and ballet dancers) (2). Although this pioneering research indicated that
vibration training had the potential to enhance both strength (4) and flexibility (8), it was another
10 years or more before the international sports science community dusted off the old research
papers and began to take a closer interest in this training intervention. Since the late 1990s
several types of vibration training methods have been trialled, ranging from the effect of
vibrating cables and dumbbells on isolated limbs, to the use of vibrating platforms to invoke
whole body vibration training.
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As research into this area has taken off, so too has the commercial market for vibration
platforms. A brief internet search will reveal half a dozen different makes of platform, each
offering a unique training modality. Among the advocates for vibration training within the
sporting world are teams from American Football (Tampa Bay Buchaneers), Ice Hockey
(Anaheim Mighty Ducks), Baseball (Chicago Whitesox) and Football (AC Milan). Support is not
limited to team sports. Endurance athletes are keen to get in on the act with non other than the
legendry Lance Armstrong reputedly jumping onto a platform as part of his training. Former
Marathon runner and head coach of the Oregon Project (Nikes team of elite Marathon runners)
Alberto Salazar is also a fan and has incorporated sessions on the vibration platform into his
athletes gruelling training schedules. European proponents include, not surprisingly the
European and Russian Space Agencies as well as athletes such as Austrian skiing star Herman
Maier. Lead Physiotherapist for the Scottish Rugby Union team, Stephen Mutch, is a firm
believer in the potential of vibration training and has used it as part of the rehabilitation
programme for players competing in the years six nations tournament.

The concept
Vibration is a mechanical stimulus characterised by a recurring motion back and forth over the
same pattern. When an athlete stands on a vibrating platform, the repetitive movement presents
a strong stimulus to musculoskeletal structures (2) due to the muscle stiffness changing in
response to the vibration, which researchers believe produces physiological adaptations to
accommodate the vibratory waves.

We do not clearly understand the exact mechanisms for enhanced athletic performance and
injury prevention. Potential adaptations include:
increased excitation of peripheral and central structures (pre-activation of
musculoskeletal system, resulting in improved readiness for the training stimulus).
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increased synchronisation of motor units;
stimulation of GTO (golgi tendon organs), inhibiting activation of antagonist muscles;
increased hormonal secretion;
variation of neurotransmitter concentrations (dopamine, serotonin); and
excitation of sensory receptors such as muscle spindles, leading to improvements in the
stretch reflex cycle (4).
Not all strength and conditioning specialists are convinced. Some coaches argue that similar
performance gains can be achieved using much simpler and less expensive training devices.
Juan Carlos Santana, a leading authority on functional training suspects that similar adaptations
can be achieved using a variety of alternative training tools. He argues that vibration training is
essentially training on an unstable surface so why not get your athlete to work out using a
stability ball, wobble board or bodyblade. Theyre all unstable. He may have a point, but more
research is required before we can provide a definitive answer.

Training effects: the evidence
You name it and research teams throughout the world have probably investigated it. The main
problem in trying to make sense of the bottom line on all the research is that there has been
such a wide variety of devices, protocols and subject groups tested. The research falls into
three main areas: performance enhancement, rehabilitation and health. Below, we highlight
some of the key findings for each area.

Performance Enhancement
Enhanced physical preparation is arguably the birthplace of vibration training and is where most
of the research has been conducted. It was in the late 1990s that claims started to circulate that
10 minutes of vibration training could produce the same training effect as completing 150 leg
presses or half squats with loads of three times body mass twice a week for five weeks; and
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that 10 days of vibration training was the equivalent to completing 200 drop jumps from a height
of 60cm, twice a week for 12 months!

Here was a new training method that could potentially revolutionise the way athletes trained.
Between 1998 and 2005 more than 15 papers examining the performance enhancement
potential of vibration training have been published, with widely varying results. Some studies
have found little or no significant performance gains. One recent study from Norway failed to
show significant improvements in strength and counter-movement jump height (standing vertical
jump). In this study researchers wanted to compare the performance enhancing effects of
squats on a vibration platform with conventional squats. Fourteen recreationally trained men
took part in the study over a five-week period; one group performed the squats on a vibration
platform while a second group squatted on dry land.

Testing at the start and end of the study consisted of one-repetition maximum (1RM) barbell
squat and maximum jump height in counter movement jump (standing vertical jump).

At the end of the study the Norwegian team concluded that despite no significant differences
between groups, their preliminary research findings did suggest that the vibration-assisted
squats were superior (11). Until now the majority of studies have looked at the use of vibration
platforms without the use of additional external. This study throws up a potentially interesting
development in the application of vibration training and could herald the beginning of a new
chapter in the application of vibration platforms for strength and power development.

For every paper that fails to show improvements there are several that show vibration training in
a more positive light, with beneficial adaptations such as increased muscular power (8),
flexibility (8), strength (4), balance and hormone release being demonstrated.
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Rehabilitation
Professionals working in sports rehabilitation have been quick to set about establishing a role
for vibration training within injury treatment and rehab. Initial work has already investigated the
effect on bone health and ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) rehabilitation strategies. At the start
of this year it was reported that the Edinburgh and Scotland flanker Allister Hogg had used
vibration training during his rehab from a knee injury sustained during a cup match.

Recent work by Haas and Scmidtbleicher (6) investigated the effect of vibration training (5 x 60
seconds) on ACL rehabilitation during the 6
th
and 10
th
weeks post injury/surgery. Eight
professional athletes with ACL ruptures took part in the study, during which proprioceptive
capacity of each leg was monitored pre- and post-intervention using a two-dimensional
oscillating platform. The athletes were asked to stand on each leg for 45 seconds while EMG
activity was recorded. All subjects showed improved post-intervention balance control
compared to pre-test measures with the most significant improvements occurring in the anterior-
posterior direction and it was concluded that vibration training could be used to optimise
recovery from an ACL injury.

Animal studies opened up another promising line of injury prevention and rehab research in
2001, when they showed that vibration loading might be an efficient and safe way to improve
mass and mechanical competence of bone. But a more recent study in 2003 failed to live up to
the promise of the earlier work. In Finland a group of researchers took 56 healthy young men
and women and introduced vibration training into their weekly routine over an eight-month
period. The subjects were randomly assigned to a vibration group (4 min/day, 3-5 times per
week) or a control group. Pre- and post-trial assessments measured mass, structure and
estimated strength of bone at distal tibia and tibial shaft, using peripheral quantitative computed
tomography (pQCT); and bone mineral content was measured at the lumbar spine, femoral
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neck, trochanter, calcaneus and distal radius, using DXA. Serum markers of bone turnover
were also taken before, during and after the monitoring period. Despite the promising animal
studies, the Finnish research group failed to demonstrate any significant effects on the bones of
young healthy humans (12). Work in this area continues with researchers cautioning that more
experiments are required before scientists can be sure that vibration therapy is effective for
people. It sounds obvious, but animals are different to humans!

Health
Researchers are also exploring the possible health benefits of vibration training. Initial studies
indicate that whole body vibration may have a positive impact on proprioceptive control of
posture in stroke patients (13). Balance was assessed in 23 chronic stroke patients over four
trials. Subjects were asked to stand quietly on a dual plate force platform, (unlike the majority of
commercially available units this one operates using two vibrating plates which allows the user
to place one foot on each plate), with eyes open and closed and while performing a voluntary
weight-shifting task, so that the researchers could assess their balance skills. Four
assessments were carried out at 45-minute intervals. Between the second and third
assessments, four repetitions of 45-second whole body vibrations (30Hz oscillations at 3mm
amplitude) were given. The findings were encouraging: subjects showed an increase in their
weight-shifting speed while maintaining the precision of movement.

Recent research in the US has also shown that whole-body vibration training may be effective in
the rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord dysfunction (5). A series of case studies conducted
at the New York School of Medicine assessed the impact of whole-body vibration training on
three subjects with various spinal injuries. The subjects were otherwise unable to stand without
the use of long leg braces locked at the knees. The researchers monitored standing time with
and without whole body vibration, degree of volitional trunk movement, trunk and body control,
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ability to transfer, and carry-over to voluntary walking. By the end of the study all three subjects
were able to stand with minimal assistance (progressively increasing the duration of standing
time) and two were able to walk independently, using walking aids. The American research
team concluded that whole-body vibration training might be an effective tool in treating patients
with motor dysfunction of spinal origin.

Vibration training has also been used to improve the symptoms of Parkinsons disease (7).
Research has shown that patients using vibration training (3-5 sets, 45-60 seconds with 30-60
seconds recovery at a frequency of 4-7 Hz) have experienced improvements in one or more
symptoms (tremor, rigidity, balance, postural stability), and that these improvements were seen
as quickly as 10 to 60 minutes after the intervention. The duration of the improvements were
dependent on the individual and the effects continued for between 2 and 48 hours.

Training variables
When developing a vibration training programme a number of variables can be modified:
Frequency (measured in Hz, the repetition rate of the oscillations): a higher frequency
increases the forces being generated and thereby the loading of the musculoskeletal system.
Amplitude (measured in mm, peak to peak displacement of the vibration): higher amplitude
increases the extent of the movement resulting in increased training intensity.
Duration (measured in seconds or minutes): how long each bout of vibration training lasts.
Position: the body position can be either static or dynamic, working through a variety of ranges
of movement.
External Loading: recent research has suggested that external loading (such as barbells) while
on a vibration platform could elicit superior strength gains compared with conventional training
(12).

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Based on the best available research to date, the table below provides an overview of potential
vibration treatments.
Table 1: Range of research-based variables used for vibration training
Variable Loading
Frequency 15-60Hz
Amplitude 1-10mm
Duration 40-240s
Repetitions 3-10

Note, however, that the research is in its infancy and the scientists are still trying to find out
what are the most effective combinations to enhance athletic performance. Some researchers
even suggest that the ideal vibration training method is dependent on the individual athlete (11).
As ever, there is no one-size-fits-all or magic quick fix in training and rehab.

Scientific Updates (2005 2006)
Research into vibration training is developing all the time. While I was putting this report
together three more studies were published! Two of these studies were only published at the
start of this year. Heres a brief overview of the main findings:

Improvements in Flexibility?
Researchers based in Norway recently investigated the effects of vibration training on range of
motion of the hamstrings. The subjects (12 male, 7 female) stretched three times per week for
4 weeks using a contract release method (5 second isometric contraction with each leg 3 times
followed by 30 seconds of static stretching. Before each stretching session one of the groups
would squat on a vibration platform (knees at 90 degree) for 30 seconds at 28Hz, 10mm
amplitude, 6 times per training session. The results showed that both groups improved
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hamstring flexibility, however, the vibration group showed a significantly larger increase (30%)
in ROM than the control group (14%). They concluded that vibration training may have a
positive effect on flexibility of the hamstrings when combined with a flexibility programme (14).

Increased Muscle Activation?
Researchers in Belgium recently looked at the effect of vibration training on leg muscle activity.
Subjects performed 3 squat variations:
1. High Squat (knee angle 125 degree, hip angle 140 degree)
2. Low Squat (knee and hip angle 90 degree)
3. 1-Legged Squat (knee angle 125 degree, hip angle 140 degree)
The subjects were divided into two groups the vibration group stood on the platform for 30
seconds (5 seconds pre vibration 20 seconds of vibration 5 seconds post vibration).
Vibration was applied at 35Hz, 2.5mm amplitude, 4 repetitions in each squat position were
completed for all subjects. The results indicated that the vibration training resulted in increased
activation of the leg muscles. In particular, the 1-Legged Squat evoked the most muscle activity
(10).

The Story So Far
Researchers in Scotland reviewed the current knowledge base on Vibration training. What did
they come up with?
1.Vibration training may be an effective intervention for reducing the ageing process in
musculoskeletal structures.
2. Vibration training may be an effective rehab tool for people that have not exercised for some
time.
3. More research is needed to understand the neurophysiological mechanisms involved in
muscle activation.
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4. Optimal amplitude and frequency need to be identified.
5. Vibration training seems safe when standing on the vibrating platforms for a relatively short
time with the knee semi-flexed to limit transmission of vibrations to the head.
6. Prolonged exposure to vibration training can have a negative impact on health and proper
care should be taken when exercise programmes are prescribed (3).

Conclusion
Should we all rush out and buy vibration platforms for our gyms and clinics? Despite the
mounting body of evidence in support of this modality, the jury is still out. Marco Cardinale and
Carmelo Bosco sum it up in their review paper, in which they recommend that studies should
continue to explore the effects of long-term vibration training on different physiological
parameters and should define appropriate training protocols (2).

The bottom line? There isnt one. Vibration training could yet be the next big thing to
revolutionise performance enhancement, injury prevention and rehabilitation. But so far, the
men in white coats cannot give us a green light and anyone using this technique will be doing
so with their fingers firmly crossed behind their backs.









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References
1. Bosco, C., Cardinale, M. & Tsarpela, O. (1999). Influence of vibration on mechanical power
and EMG activity in human arm flexor muscles. European Journal of Applied Physiology 79:
306-311

2. Cardinale, M. & Bosco, C. (2003). The Use of Vibration as an Exercise Intervention. Exercise
and Sport Science Reviews 31(1): 3-7

3. Cardinale, M. & Wakeling, J. (2005) Whole Body Vibration Exercise: Are Vibrations Good for
You? British Journal of Sports Medicine 39: 585-589

4. Delecluse, C., Roelants, M., & Verschueren, S. (2003). Strength increase after whole-body
vibration compared with resistance training. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
35(6): 1033-1041

5. Gianutsos, J.G. Motor Rehabilitation of Spinal Cord Dysfunction by means of Whole Body
Vibration. Unpublished research.

6. Haas, C.H., & Schmidtbleicher, D. Effects of randomised vibrational stimuli in ACL ruptures.
In review

7. Haas, C.H., & Schmidtbleicher, D. Effects of whole body vibration on motor control in
parkinsons disease. In press

8. Issurin, V.B. Liebermann, P.G. & Tenebaum, G. (1994). Effect of vibratory stimulation training
on maximal force and flexibility. Journal of Sport Science. 12: 562-566
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9. Mc Bride, J. M., Porcari, J.P. & Scheunke, M.D. (2004). Effect of vibration training during
fatiguing resistance exercises and subsequent muscle activity during maximal voluntary
isometric contractions. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 18(4): 777-781

10. Roelants, M., Verschueren, S.M.P, Delecluse, C., Levin, O. & Stinjen, V. (2006) Whole Body
Vibration Induced Increase in Leg Muscle Activity During Different Squat Exercises 20 (1): 124-
129

11. Rnnestad, B.R. (2004). Comparing the performance enhancing effects of squats on a
vibration platform with conventional squats in recreationally resistance trained men. Journal of
Strength and Conditioning Research 18 (4): 839-845.

12. Torvinen, S, et al (2003). Effect of 8-month vertical whole body vibration on bone, muscle
performance, and body balance: randomised controlled study. Journal of Bone Mineral
Research. 18(5): 876-884

13. van Nes, I.J.W., Geurts, A.C.H., Hendricks, H.T., Duysens, J. (2004). Short term effects of
whole body vibration on postural control in unilateral chronic stroke patients: Preliminary
Evidence. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 83: 867-873

14. van den Tillar, R. (2006) Will whole Body vibration Training Help Increase The Range of
Motion of the Hamstrings? 20 (1): 192-196




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About the Author
Nick Grantham is committed to helping athletes optimise their potential
through the provision of individualised, athlete centred strength and
conditioning programmes. Specialising in the area of fitness training and
athletic preparation Nick has helped numerous athletes achieve their goals
through his unique understanding of sport science and athletic preparation.

Nick has an honours degree in Sport Science and a masters degree in
Exercise and Nutrition Science from the University of Liverpool. As well as being accredited as
a Sport and Exercise Physiologist (Support) with the British Association of Sport and Exercise
Sciences he is a certified Strength and Conditioning Coach with the National Strength and
Conditioning Association. Nick is recognised by the British Weight Lifters Association and is a
founder member of the UK Strength and Conditioning Association.

Nick began his coaching career at the Lilleshall Sports Injury and Human Performance Centre
where he worked for the British Gymnastics Team. Since then he has continued to work as a
strength and conditioning coach, successfully implementing his innovative training strategies.
Nick has trained many of the countries elite athletes including Olympic and Paralympic finalists,
World, European and Commonwealth Games medallists and professionals in a multitude of
sports including Netball, Cricket, Hockey, Skiing, Professional Football, Rugby League, Rally
Driving, Boxing and Ultra-Endurance Running.

Nick continues to develop his knowledge of advanced training concepts and strength and
conditioning systems and has had the unique opportunity to observe worlds best practice at
some of the leading training establishments in the World, including the Australian Institute of
Sport, US Olympic Training Centre and Cirque du Soleil. A sought after expert Nick has
presented seminars and practical demonstrations on strength and conditioning for the Football
Association, the National Sports Medicine Institute, the British Olympic Association and the UK
Strength and Conditioning Association. Nick has articles published in leading sports publications
including a monthly column in Sports Injury Bulletin.

Nick has become recognised as a specialist in athletic preparation and has helped athletes of
all levels achieve their personal goals and ambitions.