Why do we stand on one leg to warm-up?

You don’t fall because you tripped. You fell because you couldn’t recover. Falls aren’t random. They’re the result of lost connections between brain and muscle, between balance and power. Type 2 muscle fibers shrink. Reflexes slow. Recovery becomes harder. But it doesn’t have to.

In ThriveFit, we dedicate a specific time during our warm-up to activating motor control, which is the connection between the brain and muscle. The ladder skills, the one-leg balances, and the shuffle runs are examples of movements that activate the brain’s ability to control and coordinate muscles.

Motor control is your brain and nervous system’s ability to:

• Plan a movement.

• Send the right signals to the right muscles.

• Adjust based on feedback from the joints and muscles.

It’s not just about strength-it’s about precision, timing, and stability.

Unstable or asymmetrical movements engage stabilizers. Movements that challenge balance, like single-leg work, activate deep stabilizing muscles that are often underused. Stabilizer engagement is crucial for fine motor control and injury prevention.

Isometric holds build joint control. Holding a position like a plank demands sustained neural input to maintain tension and position. The effect is a strengthening of the muscles' power at specific joint angles, helping to improve precision and stability.

So, why do we start with motor control movements, such as a single-leg balance? These types of movements prime the nervous system for better movement throughout the workout!