Conditioning Research

My work is too busy at the moment for me to do much on this blog, but I am still keeping an eye on news and research. This study popped up last week and I thought it had some interesting implications. Altering gait by way of stimulation of the plantar surface of the foot: the immediate effect of wearing textured insoles in older fallers Conclusions - Stimulating the plantar surface of the foot by way of wearing this type of textured insole causes an immediate effect - in this case a slower, more cautious gait in older fallers. Further work is required to determine how textured insoles can be used to improve gait in older fallers. The whole study is there for you to look through. Anyway, what this made me think of was the value of being barefoot.  So much information comes from the feet, from the sole.  While shod, all that information is blunted.  Barefoot there is so much more stimulation and data that can be processed by the brain to feed into the propriocep...

I actually do this on the bus...... From nano workout. ... The Flamingo is a balance exercise you can do if you find yourself standing on an unstable platform such as on a train, bus or in an elevator. It couldn’t be more simple to do. Just lift one leg slightly and try to keep your balance without holding on to something. Public transportation are rarely known for providing a smooth ride so you are in for a challenge, but if you for some reason think it’s too easy then try to close your eyes while still standing on one leg. You will get a great balance exercise and also strengthen the muscles on your lower legs.

Balance is fascinating.  On Clarence Bass recommendation a couple of year ago I read Scott McCredie’s book Balance: In Search of the Lost Sense (2007).  It is really interesting and gives you a new appreciation for the importance of balance. In Hillfit I mention balance as a complex of three different systems: the visual the proprioceptive the vestibular - the inner ear sense that positions you in space relative to gravity, your equilibrium  One of the key things in balance in general I say is to be stronger - sometimes the muscles are not strong enough to maintain balance whatever the systems are saying. I've mentioned the proprioceptive systems before in terms of ankle sprains .  Anyway, all that is just introduction to this study which I found today. V estibular rehabilitation therapy: review of indications, mechanisms, and key exercises. Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) is an exercise-based treatment program designed to promote vestibular ad...

A record of some resources on balance / proprioception to which  I am referring  elsewhere. Below-knee cast or aircast best for faster recovery from severe ankle sprain Acute ankle sprain accounts for between 3% and 5% of all UK emergency department attendances: around 1-1.5 million per year.  Ankle Sprains: An Uphill Battle Interestingly, what makes a runner more likely to experience another sprain after the initial injury isn’t so much weakness, but a sensory issue. “After someone has suffered an ankle sprain, not only is the ligament structurally injured, the sensory receptors in the ligament are also damaged,” says Dr. Hertel. Those receptors are responsible for proprioception, which is a function of the nervous system that helps a runner sense where the foot is in relation to the ground. The Effectiveness of a Balance Training Intervention in Reducing the Incidence of Noncontact Ankle Sprains in High School Football Players Conclusion: The increased risk of...

I wanted to follow up on the post from earlier about the effect of poles on gait and how they might impact on balance and proprioception. A Warning from the British Mountaineers First of all I wanted to point out something that I noticed this on the BMC (British Mountaineering Council) website: If you use poles all of the time you’ll lose the ability to balance naturally as you step up, walk over uneven ground or boulder hop. So if you are only taking a short walk with a light pack then leave the poles behind or save them for the steep descents. Youngsters need to develop this skill, called proprioception, before they walk any distance using poles. Even the premier mountaineering organisation of Britain recognises the danger that poles pole use poses to proprioception! Todd Hargrove - Better Movement Anyway, I wanted to get the view of an expert on mobility, proprioception and human movement so I got in touch with Todd Hargrove Todd has an excellent blog - Bett...

I am using this post to gather a few referenes togther for a piece I am writing for TGO on balance. Is Balance Training Clinically Effective Balance training can be used prophylactically or after an acute ankle sprain in an effort to reduce future ankle sprains, Ankles can be strengthened to resist sprain Sprained ankles can be avoided by those at high risk through a weekly balance training program, according to new research released today at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine at the HERSHEY(R) Lodge and Convention Center. The Effectiveness of a Balance Training Intervention in Reducing the Incidence of Noncontact Ankle Sprains in High School Football Players Conclusion: The increased risk of a non-contact inversion ankle sprain associated with a high body mass index and a previous ankle sprain was eliminated by the balance training intervention. The intervention in this study was simple: Players balanced for 5 minutes on each leg...

Balance is something that I find absolutely fascinating.    It is a really complex sense with a number of different elements: vestibular (equilibrium) proprioception (body position awareness), and  vision.  These elements work together: sometimes all 3 contributing equally, sometimes we rely more on one system or two, to keep us stable.   A couple of years back I read a fascinating book on the topic: Balance: In Search of the Lost Sense :  highly recommended. Anyway, SueC has had a couple of good posts recently which are worth reading on the subject of balance: Martial arts - a balancing act -  I needed to understand a little more about what balance actually is and how the body controls it and Balance exercises - Intrinsic balance can be improved by doing exercises that focus on improving the senses important in detecting a loss of balance - Sue describes some good exercises to play with Great stuff

Balance is fascinating.  This is an interesting study that indicates that martial arts training can improve your balance.......although there may be one of those causation vs correlation things going on here ;-)   I don't think it is specifically the taekwando by the way...... Low-level Taekwondo practitioners have better somatosensory organisation in standing balance than sedentary people. I'm always intersted in balance - it is something that I think we need to maintain and train both for general functional ability and also for injury prevention.

I am increasingly aware of how poor (according to my standards) the diet of lots of old people is. The ones I know seem to take in too much cake, bread, pasta, biscuits, sweets, soups and too little meat, eggs and dairy. They have been brainwashed by too much conventional wisdom to avoid fat and therefore they are getting too little protein and fat. There is an interesting report here that old people who consume a higher level of dietary protein are less likely to suffer hip fractures than those whose daily dietary protein intake is less. In addition to increased dietary protein, Dr. Hannan says regular exercise to build stronger muscles and better balance, as well as other falls prevention strategies, such as reducing hazards in the home, can help protect seniors against falls and hip fractures.

The full study is available for this one, not just this abstract (which is below) but this is interesting - the effects of a 12 hour fast on physical abilities, specifically balance. What is not clear from either is whether the participants abstained from all liquids - even water. Anyway it seems that fasting diminished balance skills, which is a concern. Fasting is always easier if you are on a low carb diet and running on ketones, so I wonder if that would be an issue - the average person running on sugars needs constant topping up or else blood sugar issues can have effects. I wonder if hypoglycemia affects balance? In any case it is something to bear in mind if you are experimenting with intermittent fasting . The effects of dietary fasting on physical balance among healthy young women. ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The study examined the effects of dietary fasting on physical balance among young healthy women. METHODS: This study undertaken involving 22 young healthy women (age=22+/- ...

You've probably seen these in gyms. According to their site : BOSU™ is an acronym for "both sides up". The BOSU® Balance Trainer can be used with the platform side either up or down for different types of balance challenge. The solid platform is 25 inches in diameter and the dome should be inflated until it is firm. Two recessed handles on the bottom of and towards the sides on the platform make it easy to turn over or carry. This hybrid fitness product has its genesis in the field of medicine, as well as balance, functional ( oh no! you know we have been discussing functional training! ) and sports specific training. Neuromuscular physiology, which helps to define human movement, provides the science that backs this remarkably complete approach to training. The BOSU® Balance Trainer offers a different means to make exercise more appealing and effective for average people, fitness enthusiasts and highly trained athletes. Here is a study I have just seen that questions...

I like this because - like the parkour one I posted recently - it is based in the city in which I live. Some great skills here and as I was watching I was spotting some familiar places!

We have spoken about balance before, particularly thinking about how it can help to prevent injuries to the ankle and knee. Here is another new study which points in the same direction. Balance training can of course be very simple. It might sound a bit daft, but I stand on one leg as I put my socks on each day and also as I take a pee. Balance Training Improves Function and Postural Control in Those with Chronic Ankle Instability. Purpose: The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to determine the effect of a 4-wk balance training program on static and dynamic postural control and self-reported functional outcomes in those with chronic ankle instability (CAI). Methods: Thirty-one young adults with self-reported CAI were randomly assigned to an intervention group (six males and 10 females) or a control group (six males and nine females). The intervention consisted of a 4-wk supervised balance training program that emphasized dynamic stabilization in single-limb stance. M...

I've previously had things on here about both plyometrics and balance. This study brings them together and indicates that previous plyometric exercise might have a detrimental effect on your balance and potentially limit your skill in some moves. Interesting from a programme design and warm up perspective - i.e. don't have you athletes doing loads of depth jumps or bounding prior to an event that will require balance and skill...... The effects of plyometric exercise on unilateral balance performance The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of plyometric exercise on unilateral balance performance. Nine healthy adults performed baseline measurements on the dominant limb that consisted of: a 20-s unilateral stability test on a tilt balance board, where a higher stability index represented deterioration in balance performance; isokinetic plantar flexion torque at 0.52 and 3.14 rad . s(-1); muscle soreness in the calf region; and resting plantar flexion angle. Ply...

from Dave

Steve Maxwell does some hard work....

you don't see this very often. Anthony DiLuglio talks about the bent press . The Bent Press, once the barometer for measuring a man’s strength, is a long forgotten exercise in weight lifting. A staple in the days of the strongman, the lift, like the strongman himself has been relegated to nothing more than a footnote in modern body building text books, an amusing little “look how far we’ve come” editorial.

This takes quite some balance, not to mention leg strength (spotted on Chasing Strength )

I've posted before on research that highlighted the importance of balance training in preventing injury. Here is another study on the same topic from the British Journal of Sports Medicine. the balance training it seems helps to prevent injury by improving your sense of where your joint is..... Effect of proprioception training on knee joint position sense in female team handball players Background: A number of studies have shown that proprioception training can reduce the risk of injuries in pivoting sports, but the mechanism is not clearly understood. Aim: To determine the contributing effects of propioception on knee joint position sense among team handball players. Study design: Prospective cohort study. Methods: Two professional female handball teams were followed prospectively for the 2005–6 season. 20 players in the intervention team followed a prescribed proprioceptive training programme while 19 players in the control team did not have a specific propioceptive training p...

Zola Budd I've had one or two posts about running shoes in the past, the ultimate message of which was that simpler shoes are better. As I was reminded this weekend at an RKC kettlebell workshop this is also a principle worth bearing in mind for some types of lifting. Thinner shoes - or even going barefoot - allows your proprioception to improve: there is better feedback in terms of balance. That at least is the position of the Pavel / RKC school. Anyway, Ross and Jonathan over at the Science in Sport blog have had a couple more posts on the science of running shoes. I really enjoyed yesterday's post: Running shoes, barefoot running and muscle tuning: The intelligent biomachine and implications for running They make some interesting points and note that the business aspect of the running shoe industry might sometimes produce its own problems! Of course, problems do develop and injuries do happen, and when they do, it's fascinating to wonder whether in fact the cau...