An Oft Hidden Fitness Treasure
Perhaps one of the most neglected areas of fitness training is balance work. Sure it’s not “sexy”, won’t give you ripped abs and buff muscles, but from a functional perspective it’s very important!
I generally try to incorporate some type of balance work with all of my clients (as well as in my own training), even if it’s just during the warm-up phase of the workout.
Often people who aren’t elderly or suffering from a neurological disorder don’t really think much about balance and take it for granted.
However if you consider the older population, one of the most common ways they get injured, often seriously, is to lose balance and fall. In their more fragile state, often exacerbated by osteoporosis, falling can have serious and long term negative consequences.
When To Start?
For more middle aged clients I stress that the time to start working on balance is now! The sooner one can make balance training part of their lives the better chance they have of maintaining it in the future.
Even for clients in their mid-twenties and younger, balance training can help them with performance, whether they are seriously competitive athletes or weekend warriors, balance plays a key role in functioning at a high level.
Walking Is A Balancing Act?
Balance is not only involved in “obvious” balancing situations but is actually a key element in walking. This requires dynamic balance as you shift from one foot to the next.
Balance is an integrated process that takes place on vestibular, neuromuscular and musculoskeletal levels.
So basically, you need to have a good internal sense of equilibrium (vestibular), the ability for your nervous system to communicate clearly with your muscular system (neuromuscular), and the strength and flexibility to execute the commands of the nervous system (musculoskeletal).
There are many ways to practice balance, progressing from simple to more complex.
Note: Before moving into any balance position, I always instruct my clients to move systematically up their kinetic chain (the linked, interdependent segments that contribute to movement).
To do this, you start from the sole of the foot and make sure it is rooted firmly with a solid base of contact from the big toe to the little toe to the heel. Then move up through the ankle, knee, hips and lower torso (abdominal and lower back region) etc.
By doing this you don't haphazardly move into the balance position but you make sure you are strong and integrated from one joint to the next.
Basic Balancing Progressions
The most simple example would be standing on one leg with the other leg barely raised up from the floor.
A somewhat more complicated combination type balance would be standing on one leg while hugging the opposite knee in towards your chest (“Knee Hugs”).
A favorite, relatively simple combination exercise is to stand on one leg as you tilt your body forward while extending the opposite leg behind you to a comfortable degree. This is called an “Inverted hamstring” exercise. This not only works balance but strongly works the core musculature as stabilizers as well.
This particular exercise is quite similar to a variation of a Yoga pose often referred to as “Warrior 3” Pose. In fact, most styles of Yoga contain many excellent poses (called "asana") to practice balance.
The next level would be adding some movement, such as standing on one leg while you reach the other foot forward, backwards or to the side, further challenging your base of support.
It's Good To Be Perturbed!
Beyond that you can add different types of “perturbations” such as balancing while moving a medicine ball right, left and center or having a partner toss you a medicine ball while you continue to balance and then throwing it back to them.
Often I’ll have clients take a step, have them catch and toss the ball back before they step forward to the next foot. This way they are moving dynamically, having to momentarily stabilize, and then continue.
This can also be done moving laterally (from side to side) either stepping or even "bounding" to the support leg and balancing while catching and tossing the ball.
All these exercises are not only very effective, but they happen to be a lot of fun as well, and exercise should be as enjoyable as possible!
Getting Wobbly?
Balance can also be challenged using devices such as sitting on Stability (aka “Swiss”) Ball, using various slant boards, half foam rolls or BOSU trainers (which look like half of a stability ball on a flat base) among others.
There is some controversy as to the actual “carry over” of using these devices into functional activity but that is beyond the scope of this post.
Personally I do use stability balls and the BOSU balance trainer, but my purpose is more for challenging core stability rather than for pure balance, though surely there are balance elements involved in those types of training .
Some "Bullet Points" Related to Balance
• Balance is a component of all movements.
• Functional balance in a dynamic process involving multiple neurological pathways.
• The ability to reduce force at the right joint, at the right time, and in the right plane of motion, requires optimum levels of functional dynamic balance and neuromuscular efficiency.
• Balance training has been shown to be particularly beneficial to improve dynamic joint stabilization.
• Dynamic joint stabilization is the ability of the kinetic chain to stabilize a joint during movement.
• Improvements in dynamic joint stabilization can decrease injury and help improve performance.
(these are summarized from the NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training Manual third Edition)
Scott Fishkind
Time4You Fitness
http://www.time4youfitness.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment