Core
Core muscles––broadly defined––are all those muscles that align, stabilize and move the trunk of the body. When the core is strong and flexible, bodily stresses are well-distributed, the spine is well-supported, and we’re able to move more efficiently.
Proprioceptors are sensory units (receptors) within our muscles, tendons and joints.
So, what does all of this have to do with The Balance Rider? The explanation is simple, if not especially brief.
As to the Core . . . There are any number of exercises that target the superficial core musculature, but not so many effective variations or aids for maximizing strength and efficiency of the deeper muscles that live beneath such larger, more readily accessed cousins as the abdominals, gluteus muscles, hip adductors and abductors.
The Balance Rider gets to the true core of the core, so to speak, by challenging the muscles that lie closer to the center of the body . . . muscles that are more about the business of stabilizing than they are about weight bearing. Included among these are: the psoas, a long muscle that runs down the front of the spine and attaches at the top of the femur; the multifidus and erector spinae, both deep spine muscles; and the transversus abdominis, the deepest of the abdominal muscles.
In exercise, challenge––especially when diversified––equals gain. The Balance Rider offers natural diversity by virtue of the fact that it is response oriented with no predictable pattern of motion. Certainly the superficial muscles are also engaged and ultimately strengthened, but because of what The Balance Rider asks of the body, the “focus” is on the inner core. As it happens, the pelvic floor and the diaphragm are also beneficiaries of this unique conditioning.
Read about Proprioception >
