Whole-body vibration (WBV) is a neuromuscular training method that has recently been developed. In WBV training, the subject stands on a platform that generates vertical sinusoidal vibration at a frequency between 35 and 40 Hz. These mechanical stimuliare transmitted to the body where they stimulate in turn sensory receptors, most likely muscle spindles. This leads to the activation of the alpha-motoneurons and initiates muscle contractions comparable to the earlier described “tonic vibration reflex” (6,11,15). Initially, WBV training was used in elite athletes to improve speed-strength performance. More recently, it is becoming tremendously popular in European health and fitness clubs as an alternative training method

As WBV elicits a high degree of muscle activation, it was hypothesized that WBV would result in strength increase in previously untrained persons. These strength increases should be significantly larger than the training effects resulting from an identical exercise program performed in absence of vibration (placebo condition)

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Scientific Data

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