In the last Tip of the Week we looked at a simple yet effective way to develop balance in the gym. I introduced the concept of training proprioception and the neural pathways involved in making the types of instantaneous adjustments that allow us the keep our balance on an unstable surface or platform, be it a 2x4 on balance cushions or a SUP board. Even while doing our strength training we can still work on our balance and continue to fine tune the proprioceptors in our feet and lower legs. I've been doing this for a while and it works quite well and also injects a little variety into your weight training.
At least once a week I do all my standing exercises while standing on one foot. I've included a couple of videos so that you can see that it's possible to perform exercises you regularly do on two feet while only standing on one. Initially you'll want to use weights that are lighter than you'd normally use, but in time as your stability improves you'll find it's possible to use weights which are as heavy (or very nearly) as those you'd normally use.Start with a weight which is considerably lighter than you would normally lift. Stabilize yourself in your good lifting posture with both feet on the ground. When you're ready to start your set, carefully lift one foot off the ground. I usually just bend my knee and lift my heel towards my butt a bit so that my entire foot is off the ground but not far off. Then I begin my set. Initially you may flop around a lot and feel like you're going to topple over. You may have to put your foot back on the ground momentarily to prevent losing your balance completely.
You'll find yourself "feeling" the ground with the foot you're standing on. That foot is much more "aware" than it normally is when you're standing on two feet. You'll also notice that your lower leg gets tired during your set, both on the posterior side in your calves and the anterior side in the tibialis anterior which runs up your shin. Proprioceptors in these muscles are being called upon as well. These muscles are also making the almost constant, subtle, instantaneous contractions that allow you to maintain your balance. The heightened proprioception and increased muscular endurance you develop in these muscles will both be useful on your SUP. The other area you'll really feel this (other than the main muscle group the exercise is targeting) will be in your abs, obliques and low back. These are muscles which make up your core and they have a tremendous impact on your ability to stabilize. If you think about performing the exercise with the same meticulous form you'd use to do the exercise letter perfect while standing on both feet, then you'll really feel these core muscles engaging when you're performing the exercise on only one.
As useful as performing your exercises on one foot is for developing balance and stability, I wouldn't do my standing exercises this way all the time. If you're going to use very heavy weight or lift explosively, I think it's important to keep both feet on the ground to reduce the chance of injury should you lose your balance. You're a lot more likely to lose your balance with a really heavy weight and its a lot harder to correct your balance with a heavy weight as well. The likelihood of getting injured increases dramatically any time you use heavy weights and/or lift explosively. Doing those lifts from an unstable position just increases the risk further.
Some of my favourite exercises to do on one foot are:
- Standing biceps curls (see video)
- Standing overhead press
- Standing lateral raises
- Standing triceps exercises like triceps press down
For variety and to add another level of difficulty you can do these one legged lifts standing on a balance cushion or BOSU ball. Again, I want to stress that the more unstable you are making your base the more careful you should be with the amount of weight you lift.
I spend a lot of time in the gym working on developing and/or maintaining the various components of strength required for high level SUP racing, especially in the winter when I am frozen off the water for the most part. During the racing season I still try to get into the gym 3 times per week to maintain strength. I figure there's a lot of important types of training we need to do and, for most of us, there is rarely enough time to do it all. Any time we can train multiple components of fitness (like balance and strength) at the same time it's worth doing. Try incorporating this into your gym routine.
