Choosing The Best Vibration Plate
Finding the best vibration plate for your personal weight-loss or fitness goals can be difficult. With so many brands and types of vibration plates available in the UK we created this buying guide as a starting point for your research.
3 Steps To Buying The Best Vibration Plate For Your Home:
Types of vibration plate:
TRI-PLANE VIBRATION PLATES
Best vibration plates for Weight Loss, Toning and Strength.
Also known as: Power Plates, Whole Body Vibration Platforms, Vertical Vibration.
Favoured by gyms and physio-therapists.
Exercise style: Dynamic exercises such as lunges, squats and press-ups
If you have used a vibration plate in a gym or studio, you are most likely to have tried a ‘tri-plane’ plate. The powerful vibrations move across three planes; forward and back, side to side, and up and down. These professional vibration plates are best for toning muscles, building strength, weight loss and rehabilitation. See our vibration plate benefits guide for more information.
There is extensive research to back up their fitness and rehabilitation credentials (including NASA testing).
Workouts are carried out with a range of upright exercises like squats and lunges, as well as floor exercises such as sit ups and press ups – used properly, a full body workout can be achieved in just 15 minutes.
OSCILLATION VIBRATION PLATES
Best vibration plates for budget/ entry level weight Loss at home
Also known as: iFit, FlabeLos, Crazyfit, 2D, 3D, 4D or Linear Vibration Plates
Often sold on eBay and Amazon
Exercise style: Mainly standing still whilst your muscles respond to the see-saw movement
Very popular in beauty salons; brand names include iFit, FlabeLos and Crazyfit. These vibration plates are advertised as weight loss aids, but limited for other vibration training benefits.
Oscillation plates have a see-saw motion which is less intense than tri-plane vibrations. They work simply by holding a static position – either standing straight or with knees slightly bent – and letting the oscillations do the hard work. This focuses the workout on your legs, bottom and stomach.
The vibrations are not as powerful as a professional tri-plane plate but they’re a great choice for the home user if you want to add some toning exercises and stretches to your workout.
How to buy the Best Vibration Plate:
This section should help you with features and issues to consider before purchasing a vibration plate. If you’re still unsure about anything, please get in touch with our expert team who should be able to help you make the right decision.
Make Sure You Have Enough Space
Although vibration plates are fairly compact, make sure that you have enough space around the base of the machine to comfortably carry out floor exercises. Remember that your vibration plate will also need to be plugged in so it will need to be positioned near a power socket. Vibration plates transmit vibrations to the floor so they need to be positioned on a solid floor.
Size of the Motor
This is important when choosing a tri-plane vibration plate. The frequency is how fast the plate can vibrate and it is measured in impulses per second. For example, at 50 hz the plate will move up and down 50 times in a second. The higher the frequency the harder the workout because of the force applied to your muscles and bones increases. We advise a lower frequency to start with and for working with injuries. Tri-plane plates can be used for stretching and massage by setting the machine on a low frequency (Hz) setting.
Oscillation plates are measured in speed, not Hz as the vibration they offer is different. Most will have 100 speed settings so you can increase the speed as you gain experience.
Amplitude
Measured in mm, it refers to the peak to peak displacement of the vibration. A higher amplitude increases the extent of the movement and therefore the intensity of your training.
Size of Plate
Size really does matter when it comes to doing floor exercises on a Tri-Plane vibration plate: the bigger the plate the more exercises you can do and in more comfort. A bigger plate also requires a larger motor to operate properly, so a general rule is you'll have to spend more to get both.
Money-back Guarantees
If you are buying fitness equipment over the internet make sure you have the right to change your mind once you have assembled the machine and tried it out. Most reputable companies have a 28 day money back guarantee as long as you return it in the original packaging and pay the collection costs (approx £75- £100). However, some companies have extremely steep costs to put off people who want to return their item. They may also restrict returns to within 7 days and, even worse, the machine must be unopened and unused – which makes their money back guarantee worthless. See our ‘no quibbles’ returns policy.
Retailer or Manufacturer Warranty
Often warranties are from the original manufacturer rather than the company you bought the machine from. Make sure it is clear who your warranty is with. It is also worth understanding whether your warranty is automatic or needs activating, and, if so how you activate it. If the warranty is with the manufacturer rather than the retailer it is worth checking they are in the UK and that you can actually contact them! One of the great things about buying from JTX Fitness is that we are the manufacturer and retailer so you know exactly who to call. You also have the confidence that you are covered as our warranties activate automatically on purchase.
How Much Do Vibration Plates Cost?
The price of a vibration plate is strongly influenced by the vibration style, warranty, build quality and features. Buying a vibration plate from a large brand or retailer can also add several thousand pounds to the price tag.
Entry Level Oscillation Plate: £150+
These are ideal for use 2 or 3 times per week for massage and some toning effects. The most popular model has a hand free design and remote control. They are often sold on eBay and Amazon and claim to have huge motors and powerful vibrations- but look out for the word Oscillation to describe the way the plate moves. The plate has one central pivot point and rocks up and down with a see-saw motion. This is far less intense than a Tri-Plane Vibration Plate.
Entry Level Tri-Plane Vibration Plate: £300+
These won't be as powerful as a gym Power Plate. But if you use them regularly at home you will get some great weight-loss, cellulite reduction and toning results.
All tri-plane vibration plates work best if you carry out simple exercises such as squats and lunges on them.
Beauty Salon Style Oscillation Plate: £700+
Not all oscillation plates are poor quality. The build quality of these vibration machines are much better than the entry level oscillation plates. If you look for oscillation plates with an option to add a commercial warranty (with good terms) this is an indication that the retailer believes they will withstand intensive use and suggest that the build quality and power will be worth the extra expense.
However they still provide much more limited workout options and a less intensive vibration style than gym Power Plates. They often have claims of 10 minutes of exercise being equal to 1 hour in a gym. We haven’t yet seen any research that backs these claims up.
Best gym style vibration training at home: Over £1500
You can expect a great quality home vibration plate for this budget with an intense vibration (measured in Hz), a powerful motor and a good sized workout area, suitable for home use. Build quality will be substantially better than the entry level models: look for 3 year home use warranties, 160kg maximum user weight and a 75kg machine weight.
For the best vibration plate workout at home look out for vibration plates with a large base and the vibration style found in gyms. This is called tri-plane vibration or whole body vibration. The market leader “Power Plate” offer home/ consumer vibration plates in this category for £3500. If you do your research it’s possible to compare their specification and get the same machine for much less.
Best vibration plates for commercial gyms: £7000- £12,000
Power Plate is the leading brand of vibration plates in UK commercial gyms. Depending on the size of the plate and the warranty you will need to budget £7500 to £12,000 for a new commercial model.
Vibration Plate Terminology
Oscillation Vibration Plate
This type of plate vibrates on a pivotal point: as one side of the plate raises, the other side drops. If you stand with your feet apart on the platform, your body will be 'wobble'.
Frequency Range
This is important when choosing a vibration plate. The frequency is how fast the plate can vibrate and it is measured in impulses per second. For example, at 60 hz the plate will move up and down 60 times a second. The higher the frequency the harder the workout because of the force applied to your muscles and bones increases. We advise a lower frequency to start with and for working with injuries. Low frequency vibrations can be used for massage/stretching after an intense workout.
Tri-Plane Vibration Plate
The powerful vibrations move across three planes; forward and back, side to side, and up and down. There is extensive research to back up their fitness and rehabilitation credentials (including NASA testing).
Amplitude
Measured in mm, it refers to the peak to peak displacement of the vibration. A higher amplitude increases the extent of the movement and therefore the intensity of your training.
Vibration Plate FAQ
Are vibration plates noisy?
The term ‘vibration plate’ can describe a huge variety of machines with varying degrees of power. Generally, vibration plates with lower power ratings are quieter than vibration plates with higher power ratings.
They all transmit vibration to the floor so it is worth thinking about where to put your machine. A solid concrete floor is always advisable if possible.
If the machine is going onto a wooden floor we suggest placing a mat or carpet off-cut underneath to reduce vibrations travelling through the floorboards.
How long can I use my vibration plate for?
We would advise you to only use your vibration plate for a maximum of 20 minutes per day. It’s also important to have rest days at least twice a week.
What exercises should I do?
As every person is unique and has different fitness goals and abilities, it would be misleading to give a general answer. To see some of the more popular routines and positions, we have created many free vibration plate workout videos – each video includes a visual demonstration to help you perfect your technique. They also show you which muscles you will be using.
When you buy a vibration plate our personal trainer will be happy to work with you to develop a personalised training plan. Just get in touch and tell us you need some help - it's a free service available to all our customers.
Are there any health and safety restrictions?
No, they’re very safe to use for all ages and abilities. However, we’re not medical professionals so we always recommend speaking to your GP or Physiotherapist if you are at all worried. We particularly recommend seeking advice if you’re recovering from an injury or have any existing medical conditions.
Should I Hire or Buy a Vibration Plate
If you have been toying with the idea of hiring a vibration plate instead of buying one, check out our Vibration Plate Hire Or Buy Guide to find out why we think you should always buy.
Hire vs Buy