Stability And Instability Exercises

Stability and instability exercises have applications in various types of training. Stability exercises include activities that stabilize the exercise movement, and instability exercises require you to stabilize the movement -- i.e., use balance and coordination. Instability exercises might put more pressure on your joints, such as when moving free weights through three-dimensional space, or they may stress other sensory systems, such as your vestibular system during balance and coordination exercises. Including stability and instability exercises in most types of training generally improves your overall physical development.

General Strength Training

Stability and instability exercises have applications in general strength training, which involves using resistance to build muscular strength. Strength training is recommended for everyone. Incorporating strength training into your regular exercise routine can reduce your body fat, increase your lean muscle mass and help you burn calories more efficiently. Instability exercises, such as free-weight lifts, work a group of muscles at the same time. Stability exercises, such as weight-machine lifts, are designed to help you isolate and target specific muscles.

Max and Power Training

Max and power training involve maximizing the short-term contractile strength of muscle fibers. A max or power athlete trains to maximize the amount of weight he can move with a single repetition, which is also known as the one-rep max. Stability exercises have limited max and power-training applications. Workouts that target muscles that assist during max and power lifts might involve stability exercises. However, power training generally emphasizes instability exercises, particularly free-weight lifts. For example, powerlifting is a sport that primarily emphasizes maximizing the amount you can lift with the barbell squat, bench press and deadlift.

Bodybuilding

Training for bodybuilding involves maximizing your muscularity and the aesthetic qualities of your physique. Bodybuilding competitions judge participants based on muscle mass, body fat and proportional and symmetrical development. Stability and instability exercises both have applications in bodybuilding. Free-weight lifts, which are instability exercises, help maximize muscle mass by activating more stabilizing muscles. Machine lifts, which are stability exercises, can help you target muscular imbalances, exhaust specific muscles and fine-tune your physique. Bodybuilder and trainer Ron Harris recommends combining stability and instability exercises for developing the best bodybuilder physique.

Rehabilitation

Instability and stability exercises might have applications in rehabilitation situations, depending on the injury. Exercises that stabilize the movement reduce pressure on your joints, which helps emphasize strengthening the muscle tissue when recovering from muscle injuries. The McKinley Health Center reports that stability exercises, such as machine-weight lifts, guide you through a specific range of motion that can be particularly beneficial when rehabilitating from an injury. Instability exercises, such as balance and coordination training, can also provide benefits for regaining mobility after an injury.