Trinny Woodall says a vibration plate is 'wonderful' way to energise in the morning - but what does it actually do?

Despite prioritising her health with plenty of sleep, Trinny Woodall says she still sometimes wakes up feeling "sluggish" in the morning. But like us, she knows that exercise is one way to shake off the feeling and energise first thing.

Recently, she took to Instagram to share a quick 10-minute workout, which she says "can completely shift your energy for the rest of the day". “You know when you just don’t have time to do anything, but you feel ‘I’d like to do something to wake up my body," she says.

It's in times like these that she uses her vibration plate. "When a full workout just isn't on the cards, this is my go-to 10-minute routine. I’m using a vibrating plate and a pair of light weights and focusing on simple, intentional movements. Wonderful for getting one’s blood going and shaking off morning sluggishness.”

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You may remember these devices from days gone by, but like all trends, vibration plates come back into fitness fashion. Looking at these with 2026 vision, do they actually work? And what do vibration plates do?

What does a vibration plate do?

Vibration plates are designed to force all your muscles to contract quickly and simultaneously when you're standing, sitting, or exercising on the plate. As you're shaking, your muscles have to work harder to stabilise your body.

While research on the effectiveness of these plates is limited, the belief is that they increase the number of calories you burn, improve circulation (which in turn helps your muscles recover faster), and boost bone density.

They aren’t weight loss devices - you're not going to lose fat simply by standing on one. However, they may make regular exercises like squats and lunges harder without adding additional weight or repetitions. This increases the amount of energy your body uses to complete the movement. The more energy your body uses, the more calories you burn.

As for bone density, PT and founder of Ladies Who Crunch, Nancy Best, says that using one of these devices "has been shown to improve bone density, so it can be a great way to counteract the musculoskeletal impact of ageing".

As the muscle contracts, it pulls on the bones. These tiny pulls trigger the body to produce osteoblasts (bone-building cells), which build more bone tissue.

She says: "As our bones become more brittle, lower-impact forms of exercise are important. The vibrations on the machine might feel intense, but they are totally safe for this stage of life."

A study published in the Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine also found that whole-body vibration had more of a positive impact on pain and physical strength in patients with knee osteoarthritis than strengthening exercises alone.

Trinny's 10-minute vibration plate workout

• Calf raises: Standing on the plate, push up quickly onto your toes and then lower back down slowly.
• Arm raises: You can also do these without weights, too. Trinny suggests doing 12 reps and keeping your eyes “focused on something ahead of you”.
• Bicep curl to shoulder press: With her feet flat on the plate this time, she raises the weights up to chest height, then out to the sides and up above her head into a shoulder press with her heels raised. She suggests doing 12 of these, too.
• Y to T exercises: These are done bent over, with a straight back, and arms raised out in front in a ‘Y’ shape and then to the side in a ‘T’. Trinny advises doing 10 of these, while standing on the vibration plate.