Benefits of Balance Training (NASM)

Why is it all meat heads in the gym fail to train the small muscles surrounding their joints?  They always place their joints under a tremendous amount of weight and just expect their joints to take on the load.  Little do they know if they practiced stabilization of the joints with the proper exercise the stronger they will become in their compound movements and feel more stable and secure under the weight maintaining form…. There for placing more emphasis on the muscle they are actually trying to target.

Balance Training has been shown to be particularly beneficial to improve dynamic joint stabilization.  Dynamic joint stabilization refers to the ability kinetic chain to stabilize a joint during movement.  Some examples include:

  • The rotator cuff stabilizing the head of the humorous on the glenoid fossa while performing a push-up.
  • The Gluteus Medius and adductor complex stabilizing the hip when performing a squat
  • The posterior tibialis and peroneus longus stabilizing the foot and ankle complex when performing a calf raise.

Balance and neuromuscular efficiency are improved through repetitive exposure to a variety of multisensory conditions.  An example of this would be having a client balance and squat on a bosu ball.  This helps facilitate the nervous system to achieve maximal sensorimotor integration, resulting in the selection of the proper movement pattern.

The main goal of balance training is to continually increase awareness of his or her limit of stability (or kinesthetic awareness) by creating controlled instability.  An example cold range from having a 65 year old client balance on one foot on the floor, to having a 25 year old client balance on a half foam roll or Dyna Disc.