Which Of Your Client Use a Balance Training Device
There is ongoing debate about the purpose of stability training devices. Tell us about your experience with wobble boards, Bosu trainers and stability disks. Did you experience improvements in fitness that were reflected in your/your client’s everyday function? Should these devices be used by everyone?
http://sweatscience.com/bosu-balls-wobble-boards-stability-balls-dyna-di…
http://www.mysimplicitytraining.com/blog/?p=1362
IMO, balance is a critical component of fitness that we don’t spend enough time working on with our clients. We don’t need to be hopping on one foot on a BOSU with our eyes closed while someone throws dumbells at us in order to have an effective balance program. Michol Dalcourt did a nice lecture on this, where he talked about putting a client in a safe position make a mistake, then they cab learn about body awareness, proprioception, and how to move better within those constraints. For that reason, I keep my balance challenges with a low risk of injury but an opportunity for clients to make and learn from mistakes.
I use a variety of unstable surfaces for training classes and clients. I have clients who need to be reactive quickly, i.e. to not fall off a stand-up paddle board, to not get pulled over by an 80 pound dog, to not fall on ice, not to slip on wet stairs while carrying bags of groceries.
Lately, I’ve enjoyed incorporating lunges and one legged balances on an air-ex pad. Very simple movements to ensure proper recruitment, engagement, and balance.