Research and News
Posts tagged neuromuscular training
Is resistance training on unstable surfaces effective?
May 6th
Instability training, or exercising while on unstable surfaces, has become both popular and controversial. Performing resistance training on unstable surfaces such as exercise balls, balance boards, stability disks, and foam pads has been shown to reduce force output, but increase activation of “core” muscles of the trunk (Behm and Anderson 2006). No studies, however, have directly compared training outcomes on stable and unstable surfaces.
In a paper published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, researchers performed a 7 week study of resistance training exercises in 2 groups: one using unstable surfaces and the other on stable surfaces. The researchers hypothesized that the instability resistance training group would demonstrate significantly greater gains in functional testing after the program.
Forty, college-aged, healthy untrained subjects volunteered for the study. Subjects performed squats and vertical jumps, as well as 3 machine-resisted upper body exercises: lat pull down, butterfly, and bench press. Both groups performed upper body exercises at 70% of 1RM. The stable surface training group performed squats at 75% 1RM, and the instability group performed squats at 50% 1RM while balancing on wobble boards, stability discs, or a BOSU ball. The instability group also performed 4 trunk stabilization exercises on an exercise ball. Subjects More >
Stable vs. Unstable: Using Exercise Balls with the Overhead Press Exercise
Apr 29th
“Functional Training” has become increasingly popular in both rehabilitation and fitness. “Core training” has often been considered a component of functional training because of the transfer of force through the trunk to the extremities. Unstable surfaces such as Thera-Band® Exercise Balls and Stability Trainers are often used with traditional exercise movements to integrate training of the trunk and extremities.
Canadian researchers Anderson and Behm have shown that instability training can provide similar muscle activation levels at lower resistance levels compared to training on stable surfaces. Unfortunately, however, unstable surface training also results in a decrease force output of prime movers. California State University researchers set out to evaluate the electromyographic (EMG) activity of prime movers and core stabilizers during a seated overhead press exercise. 30 healthy, resistance-trained subjects performed an overhead press with dumbbells and barbells while sitting on a stable surface and on an exercise ball. The investigators were interested in looking for differences in EMG levels between the stable load (barbell) and unstable load (dumbbell), on both stable (bench) and unstable surfaces (exercise ball). Subjects used a 10RM resistance (maximum amount of weight lifted for 10 repetitions) for each of the 4 conditions; thus, each condition had a slightly different absolute load.
As expected, More >
It’s not too late to exercise years after knee arthroscopy
Feb 22nd
Meniscus tears in the knee are relatively common, particularly in middle-aged athletic individuals. Arthroscopic surgery is often performed to remove damaged cartilage. Surprisingly, some orthopedic surgeons do not prescribe physical therapy after knee arthroscopy, feeling patients can recover on their own with a few simple exercises. Unfortunately, this may lead to long-term deficits in strength, range of motion, and function. Such deficits may predispose patients to knee osteoarthritis as well.
Scandinavian researchers wanted to evaluate the effects of a functional proprioceptive-based exercise program several years after arthroscopic meniscectomy. 30 patients at 4 years after their surgery were randomly assigned to the functional training group or a non-exercising control group. Both groups were tested for functional performance, strength, and self-reported pain and quality of life before and after the 4 month study.
The exercise group was led by a physiotherapist 3 times per week. A neuromuscular exercise program was developed including foam pads, balance boards and mini-trampolines. The program emphasized closed kinetic chain exercises, muscular coactivation, reactive neuromuscular training, and functional alignment. After 4 months, the functional exercise group had significantly better function and strength than the control group.
While improvements in strength and function can be expected in an exercise group compared to a non-exercising More >
