Substrate usage and energy expenditure during an acute exercise bout after habituation to whole body vibration training

This study examined how whole body vibration training impacts energy expenditure and substrate utilization following eight weeks of core training. Healthy subjects (26 +/- 6 yrs) were randomized into a vibration (n = 12) or non-vibration (n = 12) group. Each group participated in identical training but only the vibration group received the vibration stimulus. Metabolic data was collected during the last exercise session. There was no significant difference in energy expenditure (kcal/kg/min) between groups (p = 0.396). However, the vibration intervention group utilized 8.8% more carbohydrates and 8.9% less fat than the non-vibration control group (p < 0.05). While these findings suggest that WBV training may not be an effective exercise intervention for fat utilization, the enhanced carbohydrate utilization suggest it may be beneficial for strength training in healthy recreationally active normal-weight adults.