If your New Year's resolution involves the words "new year, new me," you might be considering how to be healthier, happier and more fit in 2026. That might mean snagging a gym membership or taking a look at exercise trends that you can indulge in from the privacy of your own home. Vibration plates are having a moment, claiming to use vibration that can increase strength, build muscle and even help you lose weight.
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To find out if a vibration plate is your key to fitness in 2026, we reached out to fitness experts to discuss the benefits, risks and best exercises to do on a vibration plate if you decide to purchase one.
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What is a vibration plate?
Whole-body vibration plates are a form of exercise machine that shakes rapidly when you stand on them. When you stand on a vibration plate, you're engaging in a full-body vibration exercise, where your muscles are forced to contract and relax quickly.
"The purpose of vibration plates is to generate quick vibrations that cause your body's muscles to contract and relax several times per second," says Leah Verebes, a physical therapist and assistant professor at Touro University's School of Health Sciences. "At a far greater frequency, this resembles the spontaneous contractions that take place during exercise."
"This stimulates a subconscious muscle activation each time the machine moves, meaning your muscles are activating far more than they would on a stable surface," says Laura Wilson, a personal trainer at Life Time Fishers and director of training and curriculum at Power Plate, a company that produces vibrating exercise machines.
There are several ways to use a vibration plate, the most common being standing on its rectangular platform. However, you can also perform squats or push-ups on it.
Wilson says vibration plates can move in multiple directions: up and down, side to side and front to back. The harmonic vibrations move between 25 to 50 times per second, activating the corresponding muscles.
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