Picture a house being built. What does it look like? Is there a concrete foundation? Are there support beams in the frame? Has the wood been weathered so it can withstand rain? If so, more than likely this house is stable and baring any catastrophic event it will stand for a very long time. In many ways the human body is like a house. There are a lot of muscles that their function is to stabilize other muscles. For example, the spine erector is a muscle in the back that its job is to keep the sine upright when one is standing. Also there is the 4 muscles of the rotator cuff that stabilize the shoulder and the surrounding muscles. Stabilization needs to be present in everything that one may do, from walking to athletics there is not a phase in life where stabilization is not needed.
When one ages their muscle mass will naturally decrease. Not only for the prime movers, but also for the stabilization muscles (McGraw Hill 2018). When the stabilization muscles start to deteriorate this is when people will start to walk with a crane, walker, or may need a wheelchair to get around. One way to combat this is to simply take time each day to walk around. Whether that is 15 or 60 minutes it is important continue to strengthen the muscles needed to walk. Another way is to make sure that you are doing activities that require some sort of overhead movement to target the muscles in the upper body. In doing this one will help decrease the depletion of muscles and live an active lifestyle for a longer period of time.
Stabilization is important when it comes to lifting weights. Without stabilization one increase the risk of injury at high loads. Most training programs will start out with an initial stabilization phase lasting anywhere from 2-8 weeks (NASM 2018, ACE 2017). The stabilization phase plays as the foundation of any training program. Without stabilization there is no way that someone could lift over 300 lbs without a serious risk for injury. After the stabilization phase the phases that proceed it build off of the foundation. There is the endurance phase, then the hypertrophy phase, followed by the maximal strength phase, and finally the power phase. There is an order to achieving one's goals and it all starts with being stable. Stabilization is the foundation to the framework of training with hitting a 1 repetition PR being the furnishing of the house. Without the proper foundation the rest of the house will crumble no matter how good the furnishing looks.
In athletic contests the more stable one is, the less likely they are to get an injury. In fact about 75% of ACL tears are non-contact injuries (NASM 2018). The tear is caused my rapid deceleration and the surrounding muscles are not able to stabilize the knee fast enough to prevent a tear. Now freak accidents do happen and just because one has incredible stabilization does not mean that they will not get injured, all that is being said is that the more stable one is the less likely they are to get injured. Stabilization of the core also helps with power output. The core is made up of a lot of different muscles and their main function is to stabilize the body and be the basis for powerful movements. The stronger the core the more powerful one can hit or the faster they will get from point A to point B. The faster one is, the better they are at their sport (more than likely).
All in all stabilization is important in four major categories. Stabilization is important for everyday movement, lifting weights, prevent injury, and create power. The more stable one is, the better overall quality of life they will have in everyday life or in their athletic careers.
Resources
ACE personal trainer manual & study guide</em>. (2016). United States: ACE Personal Trainer Manual Study Companion Team.
Clark, M., Sutton, B. G., &amp; Lucett, S. (2018).&nbsp;<em>NASM essentials of personal fitness training</em>. Burlington, MA: Jones &amp; Bartlett Learning.
Rippetoe, M., &amp; Bradford, S. E. (2017).&nbsp;<em>Starting strength: Basic barbell training</em>. Wichita Falls, TX: Aasgaard Company.
Saladin, K. S., &amp; Gan, C. A. (2018).&nbsp;<em>Human anatomy</em>. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
