Conscious Choice Seattle: Balancing Your Workout

July 2005 | Great Fit

Balancing Your Workout

By Bob Condor

While working out at my neighborhood gym, I noticed a fit-looking guy
balancing on a sort of disk with an inflated bottom. I was told he was balance training. What’s that all about? —Henry on the Internet

Since life seems to be one long balancing act, some exerciser friends of mine can’t imagine using a balance board to wobble and teeter while trying to maintain control.

“Just too much tilting for me,” says a yoga regular who lives in a Chicago suburb. “I want peace in my workout, not more mayhem. I get enough from raising teenagers.”

Even so, that fit-looking guy you saw at the fitness center is actually building more stability into his life with balance workouts. He was likely using a product called the Bosu (it is short for “both sides up”) that can be used as a balance board one way and a stability ball (great for ab exercises) when flipped.

Balance training is hotly debated among fitness trainers. Some old-school trainers contend strength training, especially squats and lunges with or without weights, will significantly enhance the body’s core muscles. That improvement in turn gives you better balance, coordination, agility and, not unimportantly, a fighting chance to not get injured the next time you slip. Other trainers use balance-board products to liven up client exercise routines and/or upgrade the more advanced athlete’s range of motion and reaction speed.

Bottom line is that either alternative is effective. Any workout that focuses on the core muscles in the abdomen, back, and upper legs will improve your overall capability and—bonus!—burn more calories because you are working the largest muscles in the body. What trainers are targeting with balance workouts is a nervous system reaction called proprioception. It basically means how your body is able to correct and stabilize itself. Jumping on a Bosu (about $129 and up at various Internet sites) accomplishes great proprioception, but so does using free weights. In contrast, you get little proprioception effect on weight machines.

Balance boards or disks typically prompt three basic core strengthening movements: front-and-back, side-to-side, and rotating. Once you master these standing exercises, you can move to squats and lunges for a power session that will produce noticeable changes in strength after even a few sessions. Another power booster: Use the balance board with your eyes closed; it creates a deeper layer of proprioception. If you don’t want to fool with a balance board—just one more piece of equipment to pile in the closet—then try squats and lunges with your eyes closed.

One caution: Some balance-board products are more difficult to use than others (see box). Try out one at the health club or your local community fitness center, if possible.

You can turn to other activities for balance training. Northwestern University researcher Timothy Hain has conducted studies linking tai chi to improved balance; also, physical therapy research shows aquatic exercise classes are effective balance builders. Whatever you choose, life might feel just a little more steady with some balance training.

Bob Condor is the well-balanced editor of Evergreen Monthly.

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