Efficacy of whole body vibration as a modality to induce changes in body composition and muscular strength in post-menopausal women

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of whole body vibration training (WBVT) as a modality for inducing changes in body composition and muscular strength in sedentary, overweight/obese postmenopausal women. The WBVT program was compared to other training regimens commonly used as weight loss strategies or to increase muscular strength. These training regimens were aerobic training (AT) and circuit resistance training (CT).;The postmenopausal women (48 to 60 years of age) were randomly assigned to one of the following exercise training regimens: WBVT, CT or AT. Participants performed their training regimens three times per week for 8 weeks. The training regimens were progressive in nature with increases in training intensity and duration occurring throughout the 8-week period.;Body composition and bone mineral density data were obtained by DEXA analyses. Upper and lower body strengths were determined by one repetition maximum (1-RM) chest press and leg press, respectively. A treadmill VO 2peak test was performed to assess aerobic capacity.;The following statistical analyses were performed: a 3 x 2 repeated measures ANOVA, with three levels of exercise modalities (WBVT, AT, and CT) and two levels of time (pre and post); one-way ANOVA on change scores; and, because sample size was small, non-parametric analyses.;There were no significant effects of any of the training modalities for percent body fat, lean body mass, bone mineral density, or VO2peak. The 1-RM for lower body strength increased for all three training modalities. The 1-RM for upper body strength increased for the CT modality.;The results indicate that 8 weeks of WBVT is as effective as CT and AT training regimens for increasing lower body strength in post-menopausal women. None of the 8-week training modalities influenced changes in body composition, bone mineral density, or VO2peak.