Happy Saturday all, I'm sure many of you will be passing this over while you enjoy that morning cup of coffee. For those that take the time to stop and read this quickie, thanks for doing so and I hope you enjoy.

We all know that balance is important in life in general, let alone in things like recovering from a lower body injury. Many of us have struggled with gaining balance and stability after such an injury. With those, usually comes a ton of physical therapy and retraining of the movements you lost. Unfortunately most people lean way too heavily on things like, unstable surface training, to regain and/or maintain balance and stability. Unstable surface has a place in PT, that's OK, it's the rest of the professionals out there leaning on similar training that I'm sure can do better. As a side note, the bosu ball is one of my mortal enemies. If you in fact find me working out of a facility that has a boss ball in it, just assume I’ve been taken against my will and that I need to be rescued.

Here are three exercises that you will see way better results from, in terms of improved balance and stability, as opposed to continuing to smash your nose into a brick wall with “unstable surface” training.

Single Leg Standing Battle Ropes: Definitely jacked this from someone, might have been Ingrid Marcum. In either case, it’s easy, grab yourself a rope and stand on one leg. You can do side to side like I’m doing, you can use two ropes and do that too, or you can do your regular rope waves that your use to. In either case, your joints are going to be worked to keep you from falling on your backside. Did I mention it works everything untestable surface claims it’s doing.
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We all know that one of the most important movement patterns that needs needs needs, did I say needs? Yes, needs to be included in a training program, not to say the others aren’t important, but I’d say it’s the one that gets forgotten by those that aren’t quite in the know.

With that, most of us can agree that one of the best exercise for this movement pattern is the deadlift, in some variation. Most coaches will nod their heads with the next point, many clients are either intimidated or even refuse to do a deadlift. Well damn what do we do, just pass over it? Hell no, we’re all smarter than that, we get the hinge pattern done somehow!

For those that may be fresh out of ideas and what to do for this pattern instead, here’s some ideas, I tried to list them in some order of progression;

(Note; if you feel any of these in your back either ask for help with technique or try going back to another progression)

Glute Bridge
This is the most basic of hinges, push those heels into the ground and track crack an acorn between your glutes.
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RDL (BB/KB/DB)
Squeeze the handles/bars real hard to keep those shoulders locked in, don’t go down beyond the point where your back starts to round (usually around knee caps to mid shin).