Benefits of Balance Training

The Many Benefits of Balance Training
By Ryan Krane

In order to improve your balance, and a little thing called proprioception (which I'll explain in a moment), in comes BALANCE TRAINING. But what is proprioception, you ask? It's just a big word for the body's ability to use information about your body and joints are in space.

So what can balance training do for you exactly?
There are numerous benefits, actually! Through balance training, your agility is much increased. Furthermore, your risk of falling over is lessened, due to your improvement in being able to properly balance yourself and better proprioception. Your overall coordination, posture, and balance are all boosted through the proper training. Thus, you'll get injured less, become stronger, and your stability will increase, even as you grow older.

Now that you know more about balance training and how it can help you, how about trying out some exercises to get the ball rolling? Try using a balance/exercise ball, and exercises that require standing on one foot. Yoga and Pilates are two great ways to improve your balance, but try that if you're willing to work on something more challenging!

Here are some visual examples of how we train our proprioception at bootcamp:

Using a stability ball

Using a Bosu

Using your own body weight

Don't Resist - Lift Weights Today!

On Tuesday, I shared how Resistance Training can reshape your body and boost your metabolism permanently. 

Today I am sharing several other benefits to body and health


Healthy Bone Density: 
Do you know millions of people are diagnosed with Osteoporosis every month? Do you also know one of the top ways to prevent having this deadly disease occur in your own body? Doctors say that resistance training is one of the best activities you can do to strengthen your bones and repel Osteoporosis.

When your muscles are resisting against the weight that is pushed or pulled your bones are also being tugged on by your tendons and ligaments. This tugging results in your bones building themselves stronger to compensate for your muscles being stronger. If your muscles were stronger than your ligaments or tendons then they would snap right off of your bones. Your body was designed in such a way that it learns from the stimulus given to it and it adapts to perform better.

Other Benefits to Resistance Training
•    Increased Strength
•    Improved Coordination
•    Raised Self Esteem
•    Renewed Confidence
•    Feel Good Endorphins
•    Feel Younger Than Ever

Come back Monday for a Beginners Guide to Resistance Training!

Balance a Healthy Lifestyle

Balance training is important for everyone, from athletes to casual exercisers.

Good balance and a strong core go hand in hand, and a strong core usually means better posture, less back pain and improved performance during exercise and athletics. Plus, the better you balance the less likely you are to fall or injure yourself. If you haven't thought much about maintaining—or enhancing—your balance, now is as good a time as any to start.

1. Change Your Base of Support. Balance is your ability to maintain your center of gravity over your base of support. When you're standing up, your legs are your base of support. The wider your legs are, the wider your base is and the easier it is to balance. The closer your legs are together, the narrower your base of support is and the harder it is to remain balanced. One of the easiest ways you can challenge (and therefore help improve) your balance during any standing exercise is to gradually narrow your base of support until your feet and legs are together while you perform your exercise. Bring your legs closer together while you do standing biceps curls, shoulder raises, squats or other upper body moves. Be sure to keep your abs pulled in tight and make sure you're not leaning backward as you perform your exercises.  Note: You can also widen or narrow your base of support while lying on or sitting on a stability ball to perform exercises, so try this progression when you're on the ball, too!
2. Try It on One Leg. Once you've mastered doing an exercise with a narrow base of support, you're ready for the next challenge: balancing on a single leg. Instead of standing on both legs during some of the same moves above, try it on a single leg. Start by just lifting one heel (keeping your toes on the floor) while doing your upper body moves or working up to a single leg squat. As you get better, lift that foot off the ground completely. From there, you can play around with the position of your lifted leg—holding it behind you, in front of you, to the side or, for a greater challenge, moving that leg while you balance on the other leg and perform upper body movements. Just be sure to alternate legs to keep your strength and muscle tone balanced between both sides of your body. Tip: You can also experiment with momentary one-leg balances. For example, on a forward lunge, lift your front or back leg for a moment each time your push up out of your lunge. 
3. Close your eyes. Your sense of vision is a big part of the balance equation. It works hand in hand with the vestibular (inner ear) and proprioceptive systems to maintain balance and prevent falls. By staring at a single focal point (minimizing your head and eye movement), you'll balance more easily. If you move your gaze or take vision out of the equation altogether, it's harder to balance. This option is definitely a challenge—not something for beginners and not something you can do in any given situation. You'll want to make sure you're in a controlled environment and that your body is planted (don't attempt this while walking or hiking or moving through space). You can start by just standing up tall and closing your eyes without moving. Over time, combine the narrow base of support with some one-leg balances while closing your eyes. You might be surprised how challenging it is to simply stand with your eyes closed, let alone stand on one foot or while doing a biceps curl. Just be sure to use your best judgment and listen to your body when trying this technique. Safety first!