Balance Training Tips from Z Health

Fresh back from my R-Phase Certification in San Francisco. It was a special privilidge to spend the final 3 days of my R training under Dr. Cobb, the founder of Z Health Performance Systems. Christina thinks I have become an elitist. That my views of other training modalities has skewed any hope of a balanced approach to functional training. Despite my new learning exuberance nothing could be further from the truth. The key is to find balance and purpose in all things. Nothing works always - some things work better than others - the bottom line is that our training must be efficent and purposeful. Every training session must have a goal that when combined with other goals will encourage good change through better movement. Our lives are filled with fitness options - from Zumba to Aerobics and everything in between. The key is to find out what works best for our body today. And then to perform what works effiecienty - utilizing perfect form, dynamic postureal alignment, using the proper amount of tension and speed of movement. Now for the kicker - avoid those things that the body doesn't like. Bad movement, painful movement, scary movement, or any external variable that our body percieves as threat. We can save the whys and hows for the next post - but for now - look at one example of a Z drill that is designed to improve balance. This is taken from the Z Health page. Please check out thier site when you get a chance.

In Health,

Captain

Real-World Balance Training

Falling is a huge fear in a lot of people (right up there with public speaking, spiders, snakes, and believe it or not, clowns).
Balance training is a great way to help prevent falls.
We have a simple, but not easy, balance training program that we teach in our Essentials of Elite Performance workshop.
It doesn't involve Bosu balls, wobble boards, or any other training device. While these are great tools, they aren’t the Z-Health favorite for balance training.
Why?
Because unless you spend the rest of your day living on a Bosu ball, wobble board, or other similar device – by doing balance training on one, all you are doing is getting better at balancing on that device. Most of us spend our time on a (relatively) stable surface called planet Earth. So, since that is where we spend our time, that is the type of surface we should use for our balance training.

The Drill

Make sure there is something nearby to grab on to for balance
Stand on one leg
Turn your head to the left, and hold for 10-15 seconds
Bring your head back to neutral
Turn your head to the right, and hold for 10-15 seconds
Bring your head back to neutral
Tilt your head forward, chin to the chest, and hold for 10-15 seconds
Bring your head back to neutral
Tilt your head backwards, and hold for 10-15 seconds
Bring your head back to neutral
Tilt your head to the left, and hold for 10-15 seconds
Bring your head back to neutral
Tilt your head to the right, and hold for 10-15 seconds
Bring your head back to neutral
Switch legs and repeat.
Many people, when they start, can’t hold any of these positions for more than a few seconds without having to hold on to something or touch the other foot down. That’s a very normal place to start, but 10-15 seconds is where you eventually want to be.

Eyes Closed

Now, start over, but this time with eyes closed!
Why eyes closed? Because we blink, sneeze, get stuff in our eyes, and squint in to the sun. It’s important to be able to do this eyes open and eyes closed.

P.S. About those Bosu's... we're not saying throw them out. They are fun to play on and can be a valuable rehab tool in the right context, so they have a place. But, for balance training, give this a try and see what you think.

If you have any questions about anything in this article, give us a call at 888-394-4198 or email us at info@zhealth.net and we can give you a hand.