Shoes or No Shoes When Using a Vibration Plate?

A very common question we are asked by our users is whether or not to wear shoes when using their Vibration Machine. This is a revised post from an original article I did in 2017 Lots of the marketing out there shows pictures of people wearing shoes while on a vibration machine. Common too if you are using at a gym or club to see this.

In gyms, clubs, corporate workplaces and trade shows where lots of people are using machines it can be a hygienic concern. For your own long term use and for any service providers, there are multiple reasons to drop the shoes…

Shoes to a degree dampen and absorb the stimulation and may actually prevent the stimulation from being correctly transferred to the body. Your running or walking shoes usually have arch supports, you may even wear insoles, orthotics or support if you have issues with your feet or other medical concerns. These are worn to correct foot and ankle problems without surgery.

A vibration machine with more acceleration (g-force) can offer similar corrective benefits just by your feet being directly in contact with the plate. Our feet & hands have all those little muscles, tendons & ligaments and when training on higher frequencies we activate more of them but in a passive, ultra low impact way.

I personally have seen more overall improvement without the use of footwear. Conditions like plantar fasciitis often disappear over time as well and improvements in circulation, swelling & pain, sensation related to neuropathy and an overall improvement in the strength and structure of the feet & ankles.

This trainer and so many of my clients obviously prefer no shoes or socks for most applications. We weren’t born with shoes on and as we sit more and more our feet can lose proper function. We do very little in the way of specific exercises for our feet or our hands until there is a problem with them. Use them for their intended purpose on your machine, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Put a little more spring in your step – literally!

User Tip: If you suffer with tired achy feet, try just standing on your machine with your feet 2-3 inches apart for the center point. If mobility or fatigue is a concern try seated in a bar height stool to get started.

Turn your machine up to a higher frequency *16-25 HZ for pivotal style platforms and *30-40HZ for lineal platforms for 1-2 mins as needed to relieve pain, swelling and leave you feel refreshed and recharged to get on with your day.

Thanks for learning more about the many ways to use your amazing machine.

*Frequencies and amplitude vary between pivotal and lineal style platforms. Reach out if you are looking for specific info about settings applicable to your platform.