Vibration Training

[Guest guest]

Always an exciting group, this one !

I enjoy the reading and the thinking generated. Anyway, since I was involved

in the topic of vibration training (yes, I am a co-author of some of the

papers cited), I would like to share some of my views.

1. First, I have to say I definitively do not like the abundant use of

complex terms for one main reason: they often tend to create confusion and we

all lose the big picture. The big picture is a biological phenomenon to

explain and try to understand. It is now almost 4 years that I have been into

the study of vibrations (Mel...you know how hard it has been ! ) and believe

me.....we are far from mastering even 20% of the knowledge we should have

about this intriguing phenomenon.

2. To be in line on what I just said...and to make it even easier for

everybody, vibrations are just " vibrations " and no other type of machine

training (no matter the name, the equipment, the motion and so far and so

forth) is even approximately close to vibration methods.

3. In some messages I saw already mentioned the parameters of vibrations:

amplitude, frequency, acceleration, please consider that in all the studies

actually present in literature (and believe me I have read almost all of

them....) there is a broad range of combinations of the above mentioned

parameters used in the experiment. The final result is virtually complete

confusion and an honest admission: we do not really know what is going on !

Or better, we do know some effects, but we are not sure of many other things.

So...in this view of the problem let's make a statement:

VIBRATION TRAINING CAN BE GOOD OR BAD, DEPENDING ON HOW WE APPLY IT !

......doesn't it sound the same for ...let's say ....weight training ? Yes !

Of course, we know that weight lifting is beneficial.... but we also know

that if you do too much or use it inappropriately, it can be dangerous ...

conversely, if you do not do enough...it is useless ! Vibrations are just

the same ! If you do too much (amplitude ? Frequency ? Acceleration ? Their

combination ?) can be dangerous, If you use small applications ....probably,

the effects are close to nothing.

What is the right amount of work we should do ? How can we individualise

training ? I am working on these answers, and probably I have some good ones,

I promise to publish them as soon as I can !

4. In the first paper we wrote (Bosco, Cardinale, Tsarpela et al. 1998,

Biology of Sport) we found increase in vertical jumping ability following 10

days 10 min per day of vibration treatment. The enhancement was similar to

what already observed following 2 months of weight training. How come ? Easy

answer which we wrote.... Think about how much time it takes to lift an heavy

weight...(let's approximate it to 1 sec per lift). We stimulated the system

with vibrations for a total of 100 minutes...start counting now how many

lifts we should have done to provide the same training stimulus with weight

lifting...that is " probably " why we found this enhancement in such a

" relatively " short time.

5. Mel is right....in our papers we were dealing with the " effects " of whole

body vibrations or local vibrations on mechanical power of lower limbs, upper

limbs, hormonal profile and so far and so forth. We did not study

side-effects; we know only very little about it in sport, and the extent of

our research is to be intended only for the same applications of vibrations

(same amplitude, frequency, acceleration).

Mel is right, some organs resonate to externally applied vibrations, we know

the brain at 5 Hz, for example. To

summarise, we know from the literature that the physiological responses to

vibrations are many, including those to the cardiovascular, neuromuscular,

hormonal, skeletal, sensory system, and internal organ systems. Some reports

indicate beneficial effects, others (mostly ergonomical studies in which

subjects are exposed to

low-frequency vibrations for many hours per day) pathological effects. But

also if we look at weight training we get at least the same percentage of

beneficial and pathological responses.

Again, I want to point out that our biological system reacts to change in

homeostasis. Vibrations applied with platforms or locally applied act as a

huge perturbation to our homeostasis. However, also running also offers such

a change in homeostasis, since at heel contact we get at least 15Hz

vibrations in the lower limbs (Nigg, 2001). Weight lifting provides another

big change in homeostasis; plyometrics also offers a change in homeostasis.

In fact, all these perturbations determine an hormonal response (we are an

" advanced " animal.... it means all perturbations are determining " defense

responses " just like in lower level animals). We are all subjected to

gravitational acceleration in real life (homeostasis) and when we increase it

(by vibrations, plyometrics, weight lifting) we are perturbating our normal

gravitational status.

Now we know from Selye that we adapt relatively quickly ...if proper rest is

allowed between stimuli, or we go in an overreaching and later overtraining

syndrome (and also risk of injuries) on the other side. Let's start from

there and try to understand what is going on.

Sorry for not putting many references but, believe me, there is a huge body

of studies also in languages different from English. Let's not lose sight of

the fundamental point ! People involved in training should be people with

a strong scientific knowledge (since we deal with human bodies) and with a

great practical mind (so we use both sides of the brain). Let's not spend

our time in making terms which are often useless to the scientific and the

practical mind; let's try to understand phenomena and explain our biological

reactions in clearer terms.

More than two cents....I hope enough for a stimulating discussion !

Sincerely,

Marco Cardinale

Italy