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Balanced Strength
TOP FORM FITNESS COLUMN: BALANCE AND STRENGTH Josh Hewett, B.A. Kinesiology, ACE Resistance Training Specialist

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BALANCE AND STRENGTH

Strength athletes are often known for their intensity and aggressive effort in training and competition, sometimes without regard to health or physical limitations. This is what can lead some athletes to greatness and others to injury. I plan to frequently submit an article directed to strength athletes and will discuss the theme of balance: in training, in life, in our body and attitudes. I will be addressing topics including injury prevention and recovery, core strength training and muscular balancing, and I will look at different training ideas and their benefits.

Top Form Fitness articles will provide effective strength coaching tips for long term progress. You can be intense AND intelligent about your training; just because you are hardcore does not mean you have to be hard-headed.

INTRO ARTICLE:

Welcome to the first issue of TOP FORM FITNESS, where I will be discussing issues of balance within a strength training program. The theme of balance is a broad yet important one. This article will be focused on incorporating balance between functional and isolation exercises in your training.

For most strength sports the emphasis should be on developing overall functional strength using heavy, compound movements such as deadlifts, squats, cleans, presses and other pulling or pushing movements with strength implements. These exercises are known to increase neural muscular activation (NMA) and target several muscle groups (if not the entire musculoskeletal system) in each movement. Typically an athlete's core musculature and smaller joint stabilizers are also challenged during these exercises.

However, in many cases if there are weak links in your muscular system, surrounding muscles will contract in an attempt to compensate for the weaker ones, creating muscular imbalances. To prevent or correct these imbalances it is important to train our weak links in isolation.

For example, if you are right handed your core musculature (ie: obliques, lower back, glutes) will usually be stronger on the left side because as you reach, throw, swing, or push with your dominant right hand you are rotating your torso to the left. The right side of your midsection is often overstretched and weak. To compensate for this weakness the more efficient left side can become tense and feel tight in an attempt to stabilize your torso. In order to reduce this imbalance one can work on rotational exercises toward the right, static (isometric) contractions of the right low back and oblique, side bends and crunches with an emphasis on the right side.

Some other important isolation exercises include posterior deltoid flyes, external shoulder rotation, shins/toe raises (tibialis anterior), oblique torso twists, internal or external hip rotation, hip abduction or adduction, and others. Professional muscle testing can help you determine where your imbalances are in order to develop more specific and individualized exercises. Once you have strengthened your weak links in isolation they can become integrated into compound exercises, improving your strength and stability.

It is also beneficial to include isolateral (one side of the body at a time) exercises in your routine to improve the NMA of your weaker side, to improve the strength relationship with the dominant side of our body. Exercises can include single leg squats, single leg curl, one arm shoulder press, etc. Train the weaker side first and match the reps with the strong side, but use the same load.

Adding a stability challenge to your workout also recruits many of the smaller propriopective muscles and improves our muscular control and joint stability. Your core (abdominal and spinal) muscles will also be involved to a greater extent. Using equipment such as a balance board, stability gym ball, air cushions, etc. can add a new dimension to your training.

If we don't have balance we create imbalance, which can lead to physical and mental signs and symptoms, such as injuries. Neglecting to isolate your weak links, smaller stabilizers, and core musculature will slow your progress in the long run and can expose you to injury. A balanced approached to training will improve your long term progress and benefit your health.

In later articles I will approach the topic of balance between the different components of fitness (ie: aerobic / anaerobic), balancing rest and training, and creating a balanced attitude toward our sport/activity. I will also discuss technique and training for specific goals. Until then, be strong.

If you have any questions or for more information on program design, stability movements, core work, or isolation exercises, you can link to my website and contact me by email.