Stability Training
Episodes covering stability training — protocols, research, and expert discussions.
Foundation training focused on joint centration, core stability, and movement quality that should precede strength training
Stability training should come before strength training - experts recommend up to six months of stability work before picking up a weight. This seems extreme until you understand what stability actually means: the ability to create force in the safest manner possible while maintaining joint centration.
Most people load strength on top of dysfunction. They squat with poor hip mobility, deadlift with compromised spine position, press with unstable shoulders. This works... until it doesn't. Injuries accumulate, movement quality degrades, and by 50-60, people can't do basic movements without pain.
Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) is the gold standard here. Based on developmental kinesiology (how babies learn to move), DNS restores fundamental movement patterns that adults have lost. Research shows DNS training improves functional movement scores 12x better than traditional fitness training.
The investment in stability pays dividends for decades. It's not sexy, but it's the difference between being mobile at 80 and being in a wheelchair.
Science & Mechanisms
What Is Stability?
Stability is NOT just core strength. It's the ability to: - Maintain joint centration under load - Regulate intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) - Coordinate muscle activation patterns - Control movement through full ranges of motion
Key Concepts:
- Joint centration: Optimal alignment where joint surfaces have maximum contact
- Intra-abdominal pressure: 360-degree core engagement, not just abs
- Developmental patterns: Movement patterns from infancy (rolling, crawling, etc.)
- Proximal stability: Stable core allows powerful limb movement
DNS Principles:
- Based on developmental kinesiology (baby movement patterns)
- Restores integrated stabilization system
- Emphasizes diaphragmatic breathing for IAP
- Trains positions before movements
Research:
- DNS training improved Functional Movement Screen scores 12x vs traditional fitness
- Core stability reduces injury risk across sports
- Stability deficits predict future injury
- Proper IAP regulation essential for spine health
Why Adults Lose Stability:
- Sedentary lifestyle disrupts movement patterns
- Sitting compresses hip flexors, weakens glutes
- Shallow breathing reduces IAP capacity
- Compensation patterns develop over years
Episodes
Strength coach Joel Youngkins challenges the common belief that training on unstable surfaces improves athletic balance. Drawing from his experience coaching at Youngstown State...
Legendary strength coach Joe DeFranco covers two topics in this solo episode. First, he critiques the current obsession with stretch-mediated hypertrophy, arguing that while len...
Andrew Huberman speaks with Dr. Stuart McGill, distinguished professor emeritus of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, about the most common sources of back pain a...
Heather and Katie from Bar Path Fitness break down why mobility and stability training are essential for anyone who wants to train for longevity. They argue that training throug...
Coach Jason Fitzgerald interviews Jay Dicharry, a physical therapist, biomechanics researcher, and author of Running Rewired, about what stability actually means and why most ru...
Health coach Jen Trebek and her co-host RJ make the case for stability as the fourth pillar of fitness alongside cardio, strength, and flexibility. They highlight a striking sta...
Dr. BJ Leeper, a board-certified orthopedic specialist and USA Triathlon coach, joins the TriDot podcast to explain the performance pyramid framework and why movement quality is...
Sal DiStefano, Adam Schaefer, and Justin discuss why traditional strength training is surging in popularity and how beginners should approach it. They attribute the trend to two...
Dave Asprey interviews Brandon Harris, creator of Jawzrsize, a jaw exercise device born from Harris's personal experience recovering from a jaw injury that left him wired shut f...
Peter Attia presents a live AMA celebrating his book Outlive, diving deep into the centenarian decathlon framework -- a personalized set of physical tasks you want to be able to...
Peter Attia presents an early version of his centenarian decathlon framework, explaining how he developed the idea of backcasting from age 100 to determine what physical capabil...