The forgotten factor.

It's always great to see so many people working out hard at the Pentagon Athletic Center, running hard and lifting weights to improve their health and physiques. But if you've ever noticed, all the machines and most free-weight exercises that are performed are uniplanar. That is, the weight is pushed or lifted straight up and straight down. Take the leg press, for example. You sit on the seat pad and straighten the legs. Great exercise for strengthening the quadriceps.

But what happens when your body is faced with not working in a single plane of motion? Maybe you've had the experience of running down the street and not noticing the curb. Barn! Your foot hits the street and turns over, and you are left grasping your ankle in serious pain.

Could you have possibly prevented such an injury through training? The good-news answer is yes! Or, at least, you could have minimized the trauma to your ankle, knee, or hip.

Balance Training Aids in Adjusting to Multiplanar Demands

The forgotten aspect with exercise training, along with stretching, is balance. Through balance training, your body is better able to make adjustments to imposed multiplanar demands. The joints in your body have balance detectors, or proprioceptors, that allow the body to realize what position it is in space. If you perform motions only in one plane, the body will not be fully able to compensate for stresses from other planes. In other words, the body will be slow in reacting, thereby inadequately compensating for the altered body position.

On the other hand, if you train appropriately, your body will detect the altered body position faster, thereby correcting for it and reducing strain to the body's ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Take the example of the ankle sprain. If you incorporate balance training in your workout, as soon as your body detects a misstep, it will fire muscles that will protect the joint and realign the body into a safer body position.

Balance Training Requires No Special Equipment

So now you might be wondering how you do balance training exercises. All you really need to employ is your body weight. First, simply stand on one leg that is slightly flexed at the knee (Figure 1). If you can stand easily without excessive ankle or knee motion, perform a set of 20 mini-squats on alternate legs. To make this exercise harder, simply do it without the aid of your shoes.

Still no problem? Find an uneven surface to stand on, such as a telephone book, a foam or rubber mat, or a mini trampoline. The instability of the surface will really work your ankle and knee joints. If you're still looking for a challenge, perform the exercises with your eyes closed. The eyes also are proprioceptive organs and, without their input, the body will struggle to correct its alignment.

If you have not realized it yet, all the variations discussed so far are still uniplanar movements. Now, to get more advanced, add perturbations to these exercises. Stand on one leg and bend forward from the waist to touch your nose to a wall. You can also turn your head and torso as you perform a single leg squat. The quicker the motion, the quicker your body must adapt to the imposed demands. Otherwise, you would lose your balance.

There are endless variations that you can use to challenge yourself Standing on balance boards and performing exercises on them is fantastic and quite fun. Have you ever tried squatting with one side of the bar not as heavily weighted as the other? How about walking across rolled foam pads with your eyes closed and a weighted dumbbell in one hand? Your imagination is the only limiting factor.

If you are interested in learning more regarding such exercises and training, contact the Fit To Win Office or your local health professional. They will be glad to show you exercises that will enhance your performance and rehabilitation program, as well as give you a very exciting workout.

David J. Holes is a health educator for the Fit To Win program at the DiLorenzo TRICARE Health Clinic. In addition to his duties in planning and instructing health promotion classes, he also serves as a staff exercise physiologist/personal trainer for the program. He thoroughly enjoys working with people and helping them understand how to lead a healthy lifestyle.

He received a dual B.S. degree in physiology and kinesiology from the University of California and an MA. degree in exercise physiology from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota. He holds personal training certifications from ACSM, NSCA, ACE, and the American Academy of Health Fitness and Rehabilitation Professionals.