Balance Simplified.
Firstly, apologies for the silence. Much has happened since I have been away. So here are some updates:
- My wife and I have purchased a new place of our own and we have been busy settling into it.
- My PhD confirmation is still in the process of being done and I am awaiting for a confirmation of the date that I am to present my proposed research to everyone.
- I am getting a couple more clients with the Training Geek (thanks for the support guys and girls!) so I am intending to slowly expand this. Stay tuned for group training offers coming up soon!
Alright. Back to business. I am going to speak about the topic of balance. In biomechanical terms, balance is referred to the establishment of stability of the Centre of Mass (COM) over the Base of Support (BOS). Whether in a stationary position (static) or during movement (dynamic), we are constantly trying to attain this stability using the various systems in our body for feedback (i.e. visual, vestibular, proprioception etc.)
In weightlifting terms, understanding the importance of balance is key to getting the mechanics of the lift right (in my opinion). From the start position to the catch position, we are constantly attaining stability in our balance system. Starting over the bar when lifting the weight off the ground involved keeping our weight on our heels and pushing our legs into the ground.
If you draw a vertical reference line along the position of the barbell, our feet remains within this vertical reference line and through the whole movement in the snatch or the clean & jerk, we are keeping the weight as close to the vertical reference line as possible which means we are keeping it within our base of support as much as possible.
Put this in everyday-activity terms. When we walk, our base of support is constantly moving but we are simply moving our COM along with our BOS. So to understand how to utilize this in our movements, we got to look at what movement we want to apply this to first.
Let's take boxing or punching for example. When we throw a punch, it is known that by utlising the hips and torso to generate the torque to be transferred to the arm later on, we can generate a more powerful punch. However, this movement is a forward motion meaning we would have our COM moving forward over our BOS. So if we are punching with our COM remaining just over our BOS, there is no horizontal force generated for the punch, making it a weaker punch and all the horizontal force would now have to come from our arms.
So think about it and have a go at picturing your COM and BOS! It will bring a new perspective to your training and how you approach your movements!
All three catch positions are different. But one thing is the same. Weight of barbell and weightlifter is over the feet. Balance. Picture from bodyrecomposition.com
Stay Balanced and Keep on Training,
The Training Geek