Summer Cartwright is a marathon runner, certified cycling instructor, and the senior commerce editor at Shape. She has raced in the Houston Half Marathon, Brooklyn Half Marathon, Columbus Marathon, New York Mini 10k, and dozens of other events. She has expertise in running shoes, performance gear, and recovery equipment. Previously, she's worked with brands including Cosmopolitan, InStyle, Real Simple, Well + Good, and Best Products.
For a quick refresh: Vibration plates enhance workouts by transmitting energy to your body and essentially forcing your muscles to contract and relax. So when you do a workout move on top of these gadgets, you get an extra challenge. Imagine doing a plan or squat on a vibrating surface. That's the kind of oomph added with one of these babies. Also,"I liked the way the unit was intuitive," says one tester of this LifePro device.
"The plate is wide enough for standing and plank exercises," says one tester. "You can do a normal squat with a wide stance comfortably. There are no handles but it did come with two resistance bands. The bands were stretchy and long enough to optimize a full-body workout while on the plate.