Acute effects of whole-body vibration on energy metabolism during aerobic exercise.

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of preworkout whole-body vibration (WBV) in optimizing energy expenditure and substrate oxidation during subsequent aerobic exercise. METHODS: Nine male and seven female subjects underwent six sets of 10 body weight squats on a vibration platform with either no WBV (NV), 40-Hz WBV at lower amplitude (1-2 mm) (LV), or 40-Hz WBV at higher amplitude (2-3 mm) (HV) in a randomized order. Each WBV treatment was immediately followed by 20 min of constant-load cycle exercise at an intensity that elicited 65% VO2peak. Oxygen uptake (VO2) and carbon dioxide production (VCO2) were measured continuously during both the WBV treatment and the subsequent exercise. Heart rate (HR) was recorded at the end of each set of body weight squat during the vibration treatment and continuously during the subsequent exercise. Rates of carbohydrate (COX) and fat oxidation (FOX) were calculated based on VO2 and VCO2 using the stoichiometric equations. RESULTS: During the WBV treatment, VO2 in both l∙min-1 and mL∙kg-1∙min-1 were higher (P<0.05) in HV than NV, while no differences in VO2 were seen between HV and LV and between LV and NV. These metabolic responses occurred similarly in both males and females. During subsequent exercise, VO2 was higher (P<0.05) in HV than NV at 5th and 10th min of exercise. No between-trial differences in HR, COX, and FOX were observed during either the WBV treatment or the subsequent exercise. CONCLUSIONS: 40-Hz WBV at higher amplitude augments oxygen uptake, which persists through the early portion of aerobic exercise that commences immediately after WBV. The increased metabolic effect of WBV seems load-dependent as WVB with amplitude smaller than 2 mm did not elevate VO2 significantly. Men and women respond similarly to a vibratory stimulus despite the difference in body mass.

Comparison of the acute metabolic responses to traditional resistance, body-weight, and battling rope exercises.

The purpose of this study was to quantify and compare the acute metabolic responses to resistance exercise protocols comprising free-weight, body-weight, and battling rope (BR) exercises. Ten resistance-trained men (age = 20.6 ± 1.3 years) performed 13 resistance exercise protocols on separate days in random order consisting of only one exercise per session. For free-weight exercise protocols, subjects performed 3 sets of up to 10 repetitions with 75% of their 1 repetition maximum. For the push-up (PU) and push-up on a BOSU ball protocols, subjects performed 3 sets of 20 repetitions. For the burpee and PU with lateral crawl protocols, subjects performed 3 sets of 10 repetitions. For the plank and BR circuit protocols, subjects performed 3 sets of 30-second bouts. A standard 2-minute rest interval (RI) was used in between all sets for each exercise. Data were averaged for the entire protocol including work and RIs. Mean oxygen consumption was significantly greatest during the BR (24.6 ± 2.6 ml·kg·min) and burpee (22.9 ± 2.1 ml·kg·min) protocols. For the free-weight exercises, highest mean values were seen in the squat (19.6 ± 1.8 ml·kg·min), deadlift (18.9 ± 3.0 ml·kg·min), and lunge (17.3 ± 2.6 ml·kg·min). No differences were observed between PUs performed on the floor vs. on a BOSU ball. However, adding a lateral crawl to the PU significantly increased mean oxygen consumption (19.5 ± 2.9 ml·kg·min). The lowest mean value was seen during the plank exercise (7.9 ± 0.7 ml·kg·min). These data indicate performance of exercises with BRs and a body-weight burpee exercise elicit relatively higher acute metabolic demands than traditional resistance exercises performed with moderately heavy loading.