The Great Balance Debate...Revisited

[Bill Hartman]

An open challenge...If you think supplementary balance training is a MUST...Try this

(Silas Chen AKA Fitone and I have initiated some PM discussion and thought it would be good to bring it here)

Flip-flop your belief system (I do this all the time when considering new information) for a second and come up with as many reasons why supplementary balance training may NOT be useful.

Here's some food for thought...

Balance is not a specific ability but rather a combination of abilities, reflexes, and sensations dependent on the needs of the activity and abilities of the individual at any one time.

Does supplementary balance training enhance a specific activity more than the chosen activity itself. In other words, would swiss ball squats improve balance on a tightrope. How to tightrope walkers train? Balance on a tightrope. What's the best way to improve balance on the Subway? Ride the subway.

Does unstable surface training improve balance on a stable surface? Search for proof, not opinion or "I think" or "I feel". Just because it SEEMS like it should does not make it so.

Question everything!

Bill Hartman, H.A.R.T.M.A.N. certified

P.S. Level one HARTMAN certification can be achieved with appropriate responses to the above (and 4 easy payments of $199.95). Your answers need not agree with the instructor (Geez, I crack myself up ).

[fitone]

I know your not chewing me out. And, I thank you for thinking that I am a bright guy. Like I said in the post I do understand where you are coming from. But there this mis consiption about fitness out there portray by the media. How many clients ask you "How do I get a six pack". Or, how do I get a bigger chest where they really should be working on their back muscles so they can stand up more straight and make then in turn their chest would even look bigger.

As, far as Indo Board training and Swiss Ball squats will they benifit in outside world. Maybe maybe not. Because, we really haven't tested these on a mass clients. I think there should be a study done on these equipments.

Also, I remember when O-lift was frowned apponed now its seems like its coming back in for force. W/ the help of on-line and print mags.

As, far as the Indo - Board is concern I think its a fun tool to have certin clients on if they are adavance enough. Because, its fun and addicative. By the way if you run into Neil Pire (he works for Plus One where I work at and is the Director of Training over here at Plus One) at the NSCA conf.

Tell him I said hi and have him get ass back to work

Bill I think we should debate this in the forum I think in the end people will benfit from this.

In Health,

Silas Chen

PS By the way my health is fine a I get a little tired every now and then but all in all I feel great.

[Jean-Paul]

Ah, balance has come back and reared its ugly head.

Well, now that I have burned all of my Chekkite white robes and replaced them with the deep red robes of my new master, who - with just 10 easy payments of $19.99 - has allowed me to reach level two in the H.A.R.T.M.A.N. Institute... That means I get the next level up tatoo! It was such an easy test... All I had to say was "YOUR Kung Fu is best," and "I am not worthy!" about 40 times and he tapped my shoulder with his golden putter, a full brother.

Thanks Bill... your program has changed my life. I used to be 4'11" and 387 pounds, but now I am 5'9" and 200 pounds of corregated steel!

JP, Level II/H.A.R.T.M.A.N. certified

[Bill Hartman]

There have been several studies done but they tend lack good design. They don't compare equivalent forms of exercise. I'll dig some stuff up as an explanation (if I can remember where it is).

Bill

[Bill Hartman]

JP...Where's my money?? (It's $199.95 x 4 by the way)...

Questions:

Why do you need a gadget at all to do effective balance training?

Why do the "gurus" promote products rather than application of simple to use strategies (like imperfection training or perturbation) that are most likely more effective than boards, balls, and two by fours being sold for $50 bucks at Perform Better?

Now don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of making lots of money. I just think there needs to be substance in return for cold hard cash. Not 'guru-speak', bad theory, and BS.

Bill Hartman, Level 139 HARTMAN certified (will someone please come up with an appropriate acronym for my new cert. [profanity excluded please] [img]smile.gif[/img] )

P.S. Level 2 certification requirement test question: provide an example of specialized training which will increase proprioception for almost any activity and requires no equipment or complicated instruction. (Hint: eliminate one of your senses).

[Jean-Paul]

Level 2 certification requirement test question: provide an example of specialized training which will increase proprioception for almost any activity and requires no equipment or complicated instruction. (Hint: eliminate one of your senses).

Uuuh... Close your eyes when you do certain exercises?

[Jean-Paul]

H ealthy
A ctivity
R equired
T o
M eet
A ttractive
N ymphos


Okay, I guess that isn't there yet, but I am working on it. I guess this one is a combo of fitness and porno! Hee hee! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I will work on this one some more.

[bryanc]

Well, in the literature, balance is an incredibly...difficult subject. There are plenty of static balance measures, but virtually no dynamic balance measures (none that are validated anyways), so any studies aiming to look at the effects of balance training on dynamic balance have always always fallen short. So, in effect, currently, it's not actually possible to conduct a study looking at the effectiveness of "blah" training on dynamic balance because we have no way of measuring it.

But here's another potential wrench in the debate: Is "balance" training incorporated into programs to actually train _balance_ (i.e. the ability to stay in a position under unstable conditions--a rough definition, I admit), or is this training incorporated for other reasons? At least one study (which I admit to not having read fully) claims that static balance (as measured by postural sway) is a significant predictor of susceptibility to ankle sprains in basketball players (Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. 10(4):239-44, 2000 Oct). And there are a number of studies looking at balance and falling risk (albeit in the elderly).

So balance training for balance's sake? Perhaps not great. Balance training for injury prevention? Perhaps a little better (though the evidence is still conflicting). What we call "balance training" may in fact be useful for other things other than "balance", and perhaps the entire term "balance training" is really a misnomer. It's common protocol at the national sports centres in Canada to incorporate this sort of training (though static hold on a labile surface is an advanced progression) into most athletes' programs because they often lack the structural strength to perform other activities that are required to train for their sport.

[Bill Hartman]

Great point Bryan...Here's what I'm wondering regarding the whole "balance training" and injury thing. What if it's not an issue of balance (I don't think it is), but rather an issue of not being able to coordinate musculature to decelerate and hold joint position against momentum. It becomes less a "balance" issue and more of an agility and strength issue.

Bill Hartman

[bryanc]

Well, there's building evidence that the _a_ reason why females are more prone to ACL injury is that they're more prone (for whatever reason) to planting their foot and therefore their leg in vulnerable positions--which may have to do with proprioceptive deficits. "Balance" training in these indivduals may have benefits towards preventing this, since the proprioception is one of the theorized roles of the cruiate ligaments. But it is less an issue of agility and strength as it is an issue of body awareness, it seems--though I'm sure agility and strength do factor in the equation somehow.

[Bill Hartman]

There was a presentation on adolescent program design today. The guy giving the presentation listed quite a few factors that COULD be the cause (it's actually the focus of his PhD) from structural (hip anteversion, compensatory tibial rotation, genu valgum, etc) to hormonal to indequate deceleration/landing strategies.

Bill

[bryanc]

True enough. However, the increased risk definitely extends beyond adolescence. One of the big questions in ACL research currently is determining what makes the difference. It's just so sad to walk into clinic to see young people (who aren't even 25 yet) with arthroscopic or surgical scars on both knees sitting in the waiting room. But we're getting way off topic now =).