Happy New Year JKC readers! I hope all of you enjoyed the holiday season.
I wanted to share with you my latest article in the January/February 2010 issue of Canadian Running titled "Stand Your Ground." The article discuses the truth about unstable surface training while strength training. I'm proud to say this is my 3rd article in this national magazine.
Click the link here ======> http://tinyurl.com/ybrwkuh
This concept doesn't just apply to runners. Too often I see athletes and other gym go'ers standing on BOSU trainers and other balance discs while doing exercises such as lunges, squats and overhead presses. The mentally is that "I will work my core while strengthening my legs."
Some people even stand on exercise balls while squatting!!
Some people call this functional training; however, they are way off. Sure some sports are played on unstable surfaces, but the exercises I just described are NOT functional training. When you're in the strength phase of your programming get off that BOSU and stand on stable ground! The term "functional training" actually applies to non-machine exercises that incorporate core stabilization and joint stabilization. The exercises can use body weight as resistance or dumbbells or barbells or even weight vests. The body building era made machines and muscle isolation popular, so the industry came out with the term "functional" training to mean non-body building exercises. Such "functional" exercises include squats, deadlifts, chin ups, pushups, dips, lunges, step-ups to even tire flips.
Now, don't get me wrong, unstable surface training is important when rehabbing an ankle sprain or foot injury, but keep balance trainer in the physio clinic!!
Check out my article and let me know what you think:
============> http://tinyurl.com/ybrwkuh
Thanks for reading,
Jon-Erik Kawamoto
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