If you remember the mid-20th century, or you’ve seen pictures of silly trends, you know about vibrating belt machines meant to slim people down fast. Now, decades later, there’s a new trendy vibrating apparatus that people are raving about.

A vibration plate is a machine that rapidly shakes when stepped on. The person standing on it has to contract and relax their muscles quickly to remain standing. A person can stand on it, use it for squats, or do push-ups on top of it.

“The purpose of vibration plates is to generate quick vibrations that cause your body’s muscles to contract and relax several times per second,” said Dr. Leah Verebes, a physical therapist and assistant professor at Touro Univ.’s School of Health Sciences. “At a far greater frequency, this resembles the spontaneous contractions that take place during exercise.”

According to personal trainers, they are beneficial but aren’t a replacement for exercise. “Vibration plates are not a magic bullet or a replacement for traditional exercise,” warned Michael Betts, a personal trainer and director at TRAINFITNESS. “The benefits are modest and work best when combined with other forms of training.”

The plates can help aspects of health like balance, circulation, bone density and lymphatic drainage. However, you can’t expect weight loss or stronger muscles without adding a balanced diet and additional exercise to your routine. While they can be a helpful tool, they aren’t magic beans.

Using vibration plates in combination with exercise may be helpful. A study using older adults has half the group do strength in combination with using a vibration plate and half the group just do strength training. Both groups gained stronger muscles. But, the people who used vibration plates also saw increased physical performance.  

The long-term safety of vibration plates is unknown. They are not recommended for people with bad backs, people who are pregnant or people with balance issues. You should always check with your doctor before changing your routine. They cost around $150 from a reputable source, so you want to be sure it’s safe for you before potentially throwing away your money.

Your doctor may tell you it’s a great use of your money that could aid your health and well-being. Or they could tell you it’s not an excellent fit for you. It’s not a scam like the vibrating belt machines of yore, but they aren’t great for everyone.