The physical nature of life is a very complex thing. When training for such complexity we must seek to train in a way that will most closely resemble the environment that we will be performing in. Whether that is training for an athletic event or something as simple as walking down the street. We are going to introduce the idea of training out of neutrality. Within nature, the idea of living and surviving in a “neutral” state does not truthfully exist. From walking with one foot slightly higher than the other, reaching overhead as our body is twisted and bent, to lifting something with our back slightly bent, we perform many activities and motions that take our bodies out of its perceived neutral state. So why must we expose our bodies to these non-neutral inputs in a training environment?

As human beings, our bodies have an incredible ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment. We are designed to do everything from run to climb to swing. However, if we do not expose our bodies to non-neutral stimuli, our bodies slowly lose their ability to function in these situations. When this happens, and we expose ourselves to a situation where we are unable to adapt, and it most often results in an injury. What this means, is we must find ways to expose ourselves to various non-neutral situations or we must recreate them in a controlled setting to help prevent future injuries.

A great example of working in a non-neutral environment is trail running or hiking.  While on a trail run, or hike, you are faced with an ever-changing environment.  Rocks, inclines, declines, and loose gravel all create a non-neutral environment that is constantly changing.  This can be compared to a “neutral” environment which is running or walking on a sidewalk.  Each step taken on a trail has the person either angled up, down, or landing with their ankle in an everted or inverted position (ankle turned out or in).  Nothing about working on a trail is neutral.  Now what does any of this have to do with training?

With conventional training, we focus on exercises such as squats, lunges, and leg press for our lower body and exercises such as bicep curls, lat pulldowns, and rows for our upper body. Now these exercises are great for their intended purpose, to help us become stronger. However, in terms of helping us outside the confines of general strength they all have one key flaw. The general setup for each is placed in a “neutral” position. This “neutral” builds our body strong in one plane, the “neutral” one. This is all great until we are presented with a non-neutral position and must adapt and have strength in such a position.

In the end what does this all mean? Along with our standard based training, we must start to incorporate exercises that place us in these “non-neutral” positions. They are more often than not very specific and common when it comes to various sports and activities, but which can be seen in something as simple as stepping off a curb. An example of trail running, or hiking was previously introduced. In both activities, stepping up onto a rock with our foot in either an everted or inverted position is extremely common. One potential training solution is a modification to a simple box step up through the addition of a slant board. By stepping onto a slant board, we are effectively able to place our feet in the vary inverted or everted position that will experience during our activities.

Training, whether strength or mobility, is not only important to help us excel in the activities that we wish to participate in, but also is important to our general health and well-being. By focusing some of our training away from a “neutral” position, we can prepare our bodies for the greatest ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment, as well as allowing us to have strength and control in such environments.