As a strength coach, I make it a point to know what is going on in my industry. Just like a doctor keeps on top of the newest drugs and treatment discoveries, a good strength and conditioning coach investigates new exercise methodologies and modalities. Sometimes you can tell right from the start that the new product or method is a joke, like the shake weight or those belts that electrically zap your abs and magically take you from Queen of the Buffet to Halle Berry in 20 minutes per day. And sometimes the new method can stick around for a while before people see that it’s not worth their time, such as P-90X, Cross Fit, or Zumba.
While each of the aforementioned methods and modalities merits an article of their own, the topic for today is balance training. I read a piece in a recent issue of the NSCA publication Strength and Conditioning Journal that reviewed the pros and cons of stability training, with a focus on implementing the stability ball. The take away message, and the general thesis of this post, is that there is no reason or value in training with a stability ball.
Squatting on a stability ball is stupid, and you will only end up hurting yourself and your career. If you can pull it off, good for you; but what does that accomplish? Not a whole lot. You can’t load any exercises on a ball as much as you can without the ball, and if you do pick up a dumbbell while on a stability ball you risk having an even bigger accident! So if you’re trying to impress that cute volleyball player across the gym, squat two times your body mass instead.
The evidence shows that working with a stability ball does not allow for a high enough load to promote any training adaptation in the trunk muscles (the muscles that support the spine and hips) for the healthy population. In fact, there is more activity in the trunk muscles during a HEAVY squat or deadlift than in any “core stability” exercise that was reviewed.
Every time you step into the weight room, think about what your goals are. Ask yourself what each exercise does to help you get to your goal, then determine if it’s a good choice. Power cleans are hard and they come with some risk, there’s no avoiding that. But they come with HUGE rewards. However, an overhead dumbbell shoulder press on a stability ball: high risk, low value. Jumping from one stability ball to another, stupid. Sure, maybe you’ll look cool in the gym standing on a stability ball, but you‘ll look like a fool when you‘re on the sidelines for the next eight weeks with a dirty injury and a dumb excuse.
This type of balance training is only going to create injuries, and if you’re an athlete that is the last thing you need to have in your program. If you really need to incorporate more stability, try a split stance, unilateral training, multi-planar movements, or plyometrics. They are smart, they are safer, and they are way more effective.
Go on YouTube and search “Swiss ball fail” and watch a few videos; that should convince you. Let’s hope this type of balance training, which has lasted way too long in my opinion, goes the way of the XFL.
Stay strong, squat low, lift heavy.
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