Should You Feel Sore After Using Power Plate

This question came in through our community - “I just started using Power Plate and noticed that I’m feeling more sore than normal. Should I feel more or less sore after using Power Plate?”

When getting started using Power Plate, you may not know exactly what to expect. You may be thinking that you’ll feel more sore afterwards, or could be assuming you’ll feel light and loose. This post is going to help you determine how you may feel after a session on your Power Plate.

Power Plate is Whole Body Vibration. Whole Body Vibration provides a way to accelerate coordination and skill development. This happens by destabilizing the body when on your Power Plate so that you are forced to jump into action to restabilize. There are many different ways that you can use Power Plate, whether it be for warmup and recovery, stretching, or your workout.

After working out on Power Plate, you may initially feel more sore since your body may not be used to recruiting those stabilizing muscles. Because Whole Body Vibration is a new modality to many, there is a level of “tolerance” that builds up over time. With consistent use, you can expect to feel less and less sore, and will begin to reap the numerous benefits of using Power Plate.

Power Plate Master Educator Scott Hopson, says, “during the initial week or two of working out on Power Plate, soreness can occur because the nervous system and muscular system are working differently to typical ground-based training. This is a normal and healthy adaptation period. However, if the soreness continues it could be due to other factors, such as:

• Progressing too quickly with vibration (too many exercises, too much volume of work, etc)
• We dehydrate quickly with vibration given the amount of work being done in less time.
• Wrong settings. If we want to feel looser with more mobility, less stress, etc., then we need to follow the correct settings for different uses, e.g., flexibility vs. stability vs. strength vs. endurance vs. recovery. We have all of these settings on the free Power Plate App. I highly suggest downloading and using the App! 

 Power Plate has been proven to increase circulation, which can help with muscle soreness. In this study, it was proven that massage on Power Plate can significantly improve the circulation in the arms and legs. Just five minutes of massage on Power Plate, which can be done before or after your workout, increases blood flow, and thus circulation, which is important for repairing muscles, recovering after exercise, and improving oxygen supply.

If you are feeling sore after your sessions on Power Plate, be sure to download the free Power Plate app, where you can find numerous trainer-led recovery videos. The app is free from the App Store or Google Play.