Balance: It's More Than Just "Not Falling"

At Vero Strength, we train for longevity and balance is a key part of that.

When people hear “balance,” they usually think of standing on one foot or maybe even walking a tightrope. The dictionary definition is: an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady. Many people have come in for our free assessment saying they want to work on balance because they are feeling unstable on their feet. For those that are older, falling is a legitimate fear. But no matter what age you are, you must train for balance.

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True balance is about more than simply not falling. It’s about stability, strength, coordination, and control.

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Below I go into some important components of balance, why it matters and how we, at Vero Strength, develop it. For those of you who are members, you will get some clarity on why we program certain exercises and training phases.

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Strength & Stability: The Foundation of Balance

Optimal balance, is about having the strength to support yourself in all positions.

  •   Weak muscles lead to instability. If your stabilizing muscles (like your core, glutes, and small foot muscles) aren’t strong, you’ll struggle with control.

  •   Strength training improves balance. Lifting heavy teaches your body how to generate force and stay stable under load.

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The best way to build balance is through unilateral movements, free weights (because you control the weight in a natural movement pattern vs. a machine), and dynamic positions where your body is actively shifting and adjusting rather than a fixed stance.

How we train this: single-leg exercises, offset-loaded carries, and core work to reinforce stability.

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Proprioception: Knowing Where You Are in Space

Your ability to sense where your body is—and adjust accordingly—is a major component of balance. This  is called proprioception.

  •   Why it matters: When lifting, jumping, or even walking on uneven ground, your body constantly makes micro-adjustments to stay stable.

  •   How to improve it: Training barefoot, doing tempo work, and adding movements that challenge different planes of motion (lateral, horizontal, vertical) can sharpen your body awareness.

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How we train this: Controlled eccentrics (lowering and pauses in exercises help reinforce movement patterns and improve stability. Exercises like Bulgarian split squats and offset and suitcase carries help, too.

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Reaction Time: The Ability to Adjust on the Fly

A huge part of balance is how fast you can correct yourself when things don’t go as planned.

  •   Those with great balance react quickly. If you stumble, can you catch yourself? If a lift goes slightly off track, can you adjust mid-movement?

  •   Slow reaction time leads to instability. If your nervous system isn’t trained to respond quickly, you’re more likely to lose control.

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How we train this: Jumping variations, med ball slams with direction change and Olympic lifting to build fast-twitch stability.

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True Balance = Strength, Awareness, and Control

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Balance is about building a body that’s strong, stable, and adaptable in every movement.

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At Vero Strength, we train for life, not just for gym performance or aesthetics. Having good, strong balance means you can enjoy things like hiking, skiing, cycling golf, pickleball and more. And you're better equipped for daily activities from carrying groceries to yard work to playing with kids/grandkids to getting up from the floor. And this translates to quality of life!