Why Balance?

I see a lot of trainers use various balance and stability equipment in their training, anything from bosu balls, foam blocks, and half foam rollers. Sure these things are great for developing balance but is it necessary to develop balance at the expense of decreasing work output? Why do we need to balance so much?

Think about going through your daily activities, is there any point in time where you say hmm...I want to balance on one leg and open this door, or I'm going to balance on one foot to lift these boxes up. No! We would never say that, so why do we train on one leg on an even more unstable surface? Sure it is good sometimes to do one legged squats as they are great for developing balance. Balance is one of the 10 components of fitness. But if every exercise you're doing is on some sort of unstable surface, then you are compromising your work output. You wont' be able to do much work. You can't lift as much on one leg on a foam block, your reps will be much slower, therefore your power output is lower = lower intensity.

And if you're number one goal is weight loss, toning, or muscle mass. Work output is what we should focus on, I'm sorry, but it takes precedence over balance. So get your butt off that machine, get on two feet (not one foot on a piece of foam) and start lifting stuff!

WOD 19Aug09

4 Rounds For Time
Run 400m
15 OVHD Squats (M: 45# W: 20#)
10 Burpees

Strength:
3 x 5
Strict Press
3 x 5
Hang Power Clean*
*Work Speed Through Middle

Inspiration: “If you sacrifice early, you’ll win late.” -Charles Haley