The Effects of Ten Weeks of Lower-Body Unstable Surface Training on Markers of Athletic Performance

Abstract

Initially reserved for rehabilitation programs, unstable surface training (UST) has recently grown in popularity in strength and conditioning and general exercise scenarios. Nonetheless, no studies to date have examined the effects of UST on performance in healthy, trained individuals. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 10 weeks of lower-body UST on performance in elite athletes. Nineteen healthy, trained members (ages 18-23 years) of a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I collegiate men's soccer team participated. The experimental (US) group (n = 10) supplemented their normal conditioning program with lower-body exercises on inflatable rubber discs; the control (ST) group (n = 9) performed the same exercises on stable surfaces. Bounce drop jump (BDJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ) heights, 40- and 10-yard sprint times, and T-test (agility) times were assessed before and after the intervention. The ST group improved significantly on predicted power output on both the BDJ (3.2%) and CMJ (2.4%); no significant changes were noted in the US group. Both groups improved significantly on the 40- (US = -1.8%, ST = -3.9%) and 10-yard sprint times (US = -4.0%, ST = -7.6%). The ST group improved significantly more than the US group in 40-yard sprint time; a trend toward greater improvement in the ST group was apparent on the 10-yard sprint time. Both groups improved significantly (US = 2.9%, ST = -4.4%) on T-test performance; no statistically significant changes were apparent between the groups. These results indicate that UST using inflatable rubber discs attenuates performance improvements in healthy, trained athletes. Such implements have proved valuable in rehabilitation, but caution should be exercised when applying UST to athletic performance and general exercise scenarios.

The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Thermal Protective Clothing on Functional Balance in Firefighters

“…A recent study of simulated firefighting activities identified aspects of muscular strength, endurance, power, and abdominal strength related to performance but did not measure balance (Michaelides, Parpa, Henry, Thompson, & Brown, 2011). While the effects of physical training and performance on balance have been studied in athletes, it is unknown whether physical training mitigates the effects of TPC/SCBA on firefighters’ balance (Cressey, West, Tiberio, Kraemer, & Maresh, 2007; Filipa, Byrnes, Paterno, Myer, & Hewett, 2010). Therefore, we investigated potential relationships between physical characteristics and physical activity patterns on firefighters’ functional balance when wearing TPC and SCBA.…”

Comparison of static and dynamic core exercises’ effects on Stork balance test in soccer players<p> Futbolcularda statik ve dinamik core egzersizlerin Stork denge testine etkisi

“…9-12 yaş 17 çocukta 6 haftalık haftada 3 kez uygulanan core stabilizasyon planı, tam mekik ve şınav gibi core testleri geliştirmiştir (Ahmadi, Hidari, Mahdavi, & Daneshmandi, 2014). Bu gelişim yalnız core stabilizasyon antrenmanları ile değil, diğer tipteki temel direnç antrenmanları ile de meydana gelmektedir (Cressey, West, Tiberio, Kraemer, & Maresh, 2007;Oliver & Di Brezzo, 2009; Schiffer, T., Kleinert, J., Sperlich, B., Schulte, S. and Stru der, 2009). Bu da core kasların izole çalışmaktan çok kinetik zincirdeki önemini ortaya koymaktadır.…”

Mixed Martial Arts: History, Physiology and Training Aspects

“…Training on unstable surfaces has recently become very popular in sports [27], and the training of MMA athletes is no exception. Videos uploaded on sites such as Youtube ® show MMA athletes employing instability implements in their training sessions.…”

“…Such effects have been observed acutely [27,30] and may lead to a chronic attenuation in the performance of specific tests such as countermovement jumps and displacement speed [27,29,30]. Chulvi-Medrano and colleagues [30] examined the force production and activity of paraspinal muscles in the deadlift exercise performed under stable conditions and later with the use of two instability implements, BOSU ® and T-Bow ® .…”

“…In terms of chronic adaptations, Cressey and colleagues [27] reported that 10 weeks of training with additional exercises on unstable discs resulted in attenuation of increments in power and displacement speed in football athletes when compared to a group training on stable surfaces only. The authors concluded that complementing the conventional training with instability implements might result in attenuations of increments in strength and muscle power.…”