tuesday trainer – balance

The fact that you welcomed Travis’ post with open arms yesterday means that we can be friends!  YAY!  I love friends!  (And if you missed his guest post, go back and read it!  Part II will be featured next Monday!)

It’s Tuesday!

That means one thing.

Well probably more than one thing.  For me, the day holds a fitmixer workout, 2 Fitness Orientations at the gym, homeschooling H & C and Peter Pan rehearsal tonight.  I *think* we have rehearsal.

For you, the day holds Tuesday Trainer.  (I refuse to believe you do anything on Tuesdays besides wait for TT to come out, then read it over and over and over and talk about how cool LL is.  Re-fuse.)

 

The theme for this week is BALANCE!

Balance training is the foundation on which we build any good training program!  It’s where you start.  It’s also where you return – when you want to take your training to the next level!

BALANCE TRAINING 101

WHY SHOULD I USE BALANCE TRAINING?

In training our balance, we are training our muscles AND our minds!  Balance is FUNCTIONAL, meaning that your body is constantly using stabilizer muscles in daily tasks without you knowing.  To TRAIN for balance is to improve the body’s response mechanisms and increase training functionality in proprioceptively enriched environments.  Big words – proprioceptively enriched.  Easy to understand though.  It basically means an environment which challenges the internal balance and stabilization mechanisms of the body (NASM).  I’ve created a jpeg below that will show the variables that you can use to create a P.E.E..  (Yes, that’s the acronym.  Stop laughing.)

HOW DO I INCORPORATE BALANCE TRAINING?

Balance training can occur at various levels of fitness, whether you’re currently focusing on stabilization, on strength, or on power.  We can all use balance.  It’s just a matter of knowing how to incorporate it.

I turned to my trusty NASM book to brush up.

You might fall over and bump your head during balance training, but at least YOU get to control the variables!

WHEN/HOW OFTEN SHOULD I USE BALANCE TRAINING?

As often as you strength train.  More specifically, I try to include balance moves after my warm-up and initial stretch.  For roughly 5-10 minutes, try to solely focus on balance moves, then move on to your weightlifting routine.  You can also incorporate them INTO your weight sets.  Perhaps as “active rest”.  You decide what works best.

WHAT TYPE OF BALANCE EXERCISES SHOULD I DO?

You should do today’s Tuesday Trainer submissions. Duh.

The Moves

Tree Pose – Rhonda, kidsrunningwild

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Leg Circles – Christin, christinjoyful

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Single Leg Deadlift – ME

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Single Leg Balance Squats – Tamara, fitknitchick

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Warrior III – Kristin, eathealthybehappylivewell

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Awkward Airplane – Kristin, STUFTmama

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Speedskater – Angela, happyfitmama

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SuperSkaters – Ashley, vibrantlifehealthandwellness

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Flamingo Squat – Sherice, foodieluvsfitness

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Pistol Squats – Lindsay, cottercrunch

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Plank Punches – Janetha, mealsandmoves

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A round of applause for our TT trainers!!  Love you guys!

Come back Thursday when I’ll announce next week’s theme (and host a fun giveaway!).  And don’t hesitate to ask me any PT questions you might have – here to help!

QUESTION:  Would you say you have good balance?  Are you a klutz like me?  <-still stunned I teach Step Aerobics and they haven’t fired me yet!

splendid…lindsay