In almost any other context, instability is a bad thing. When it comes to fitness however, it’s a really useful addition! Throwing some instability into the mix is both useful and functional, helping you to develop real-world strength and joint stability.
By adding an element of instability into your training you improve strength, joint health, muscle engagement and athleticism. You also reduce your chance of injury.
What does instability mean in a fitness context?
When we talk about instability in fitness we mean exercises performed on an unstable base. We know from research that exercises performed with an element of instability can help increase muscle engagement compared to stable-surface training.
Instability can be provided in various forms, using different items of equipment to make the exercises more challenging.
The unstable element of the exercise can be added to the upper or lower body depending on the type of equipment you are using.
Applying instability to a workout
There are various ways you can add instability to your training. Here are a few of the more common ways…
Suspension Trainers
Suspension trainers are an excellent way to add instability to a workout. They are safe and easy to use for upper body, lower body and core exercises. They are light weight, easy to store and can be taken on the road with you, meaning you can train pretty much anywhere with one!
Common instability exercises with a TRX include Atomic Push Ups, Hamstring Curls, Planks. They all add an extra layer of difficulty because you need to engage additional stabiliser muscles to maintain control of the exercise.
Gymnastic Rings
Gymnastic rings are similar to suspension trainers but they’re better used for upper body and abdominal exercises. They are thicker and stronger than the suspension trainers, so are more capable of supporting your entire body weight comfortably.
The most common uses for gymnastic rings in the gym include pull ups, dips, muscle ups, push ups and the plank. If you’re an advanced exerciser you can incorporate more of the gymnastic style movements and exercises into your workout.
Swiss Ball
Swiss balls have been around in gyms for over 30 years - they’re the original instability training tool. They’ve been somewhat superseded by the suspension trainer in recent years, but that’s not to say they’re not useful. The main reason they’ve been seen less is purely down to versatility and practicality - there’s more you can do with a suspension trainer, plus they’re easier to move around.
Swiss balls are commonly used in place of a bench, so they are great for helping to increase core engagement in exercises such as bench press and shoulder press. They’re equally at home with core work for planks and the like.
Bosu Ball
The Bosu ball is basically a half-Swiss ball, with a stable plastic base supporting a half-ball. It is primarily used as a rehab tool, where physio’s and sports therapists use it to rebuild strength and stability in certain joints after injury. The half and half nature of it means you can adjust the way you use it, providing different levels of stability.
It’s most commonly used for ankle, knee and hip stability drills. It’s also regularly used for push ups and core work. It lacks the overall versatility of the others, but for its specific job of lower limb stability training it’s fantastic.
Benefits of Unstable Surface Training
Instability training increases muscle engagement, which helps to improve joint stability and health. By having strong and stable joint they’re more robust and less susceptible to injury.
The unstable surface training helps you to become more athletic too. In sports you won’t always be in a perfect position, so training on an unstable surface helps you with balance, correcting position and adjusting movements in real time.
The final benefit is real-world strength. On lots of weights machines strength is only trained in perfect alignment. For example a chest press movement is always governed by the machine, so you never need to correct your position. With instability training you’ll often need to correct your position mid-lift, which requires extra demands.
Staying safe with Unstable Surface Training
There’s a risk of injury with unstable surface training if you don’t do it right. Work at an appropriate level, so don’t try to do anything ridiculous such as standing on a Swiss ball doing shoulder presses - it might look impressive on YouTube, but there’s a great chance you’ll end up in casualty instead!
Safe approaches require a gradual build up, so start safe with basic exercises and light weights, then build yourself up to more challenging, demanding exercises over time.
If you’re in East London and would the AdMac Fitness personal trainers to train you, contact us on 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
