A basic way to understand proprioception is to think of it as your body’s internal GPS. It is a sort of sense of where your body is in space, it allows you to perceive your position in different scenarios. Have you ever gone through the process of unloading your groceries and suddenly moved your head out of the way of an open freezer door? That is an example of good proprioception. Have you ever rushed out the door while getting ready and managed to stub your toe on the couch? That would be bad proprioception, often labelled as being clumsy.
It may not be something we are always aware of, but it is constantly working to give us feedback, and it plays a huge role in training whether you are an athlete sharpening your skills, or trying to improve your level of fitness. It is a neurological system telling us how hard you are pushing, if your joints are aligned, and how to self correct while in motion.
Why should you care if it is good or bad?
Having a well developed spatial awareness through proprioception can do more than protect you from bumping your head on a low hanging ceiling. It can make sure you are moving properly during your training to best adapt to the exercises, when combined with the cues from your coaches.
What this could look like:
Let’s say the exercise we are trying to perform is a simple body weight squat, and we know the overall point is to essentially sit down and get back up. With a lack of proprioception we can’t tell which muscles are supposed to be engaged, if our knees are collapsing, our back is arching or our hips are shifting.
That’s what a proprioceptive gap feels like. You’re moving without real feedback.
You’re driving fast with a fogged-up windshield.
It should be rather self explanatory why having a fully functioning feedback system of proprioception is beneficial for athletes. It helps them
- react faster
- avoid injury
- more efficient under pressure
- better navigate open environments.
Even if your not a conventional “athlete” proprioception contributes to
- good posture
- combatting chronic pain
- improving strength imbalances
- reducing any fear of movement
I’ve seen many people struggle to perform exercise not because of a lack of strength but because there was this shortcoming in body awareness.
Reconnect brain to body
Wherever we are starting from, the good news is that proprioception is trainable, and it can all be done with the walls of Iron Performance Center. Here’s a few ways we can go about it.
Be slow, Be controlled
If you’re struggling to keep your balance through an exercise the solution is rarely to add to load too. Alot of people starting out on their strength and conditioning journey will begin with alot of exercises that incorporate
- Tempos with longer eccentrics to develop control
- Positional holds to highlight how the body should feel in the correct positions
- Proper breathing to increase stability from the inside out
Does this do a good job of building strength? Yes, but it also gives the body time to understand how a movement is supposed to feel, instead of rushing to work just to get it done.
Implementing cues for internal awareness
Having cues like “Chest Up!” and “Hips Back!” can be great when correcting movement during a set, especially when these cues are clearly understood. What could be even more valuable is taking a quick moment after a set is complete to debrief about what is meant to be accomplished through the exercise or reflecting on any imbalance you might feel. Ask yourself questions like:
- Where are you feeling this exercise?
- Which side feels stronger?
Train using more than just weight
What I wish more people understood is that the nervous system is your control center. It’s what decides how fast you move, how well you react, how stable you feel and how safe your body thinks a movement is.
So yeah, lifting weights is great. But if your nervous system isn’t dialed in? You’re leaving a lot on the table. That’s why we build in drills that might look a little weird from the outside, but they serve a real purpose.
Lose the mirrors
A great starting point for training your spatial awareness is removing any external feedback your body can identify, this could be in the form of mirrors or checking your stance mid lift, this creates a sort of messy picture when referring to feedback. What works better is tapping into the way your body truly feels during a lift and using that information to improve.
Controlled instability
You may also want to take advantage of some band resistance while holding positions, or gentle pushes while holding a compromising stance. That’s what we call perturbation training—we’re teaching the body to handle little “surprises” and recover instantly. Honestly, It’s not when things go perfectly that you get hurt, it’s when something unexpected happens, your foot lands wrong, your dog pulls on the leash, someone bumps into you at the airport.
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At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how much weight you can throw on a bar if you don’t know what your body’s doing under it. No matter what level you’re at the biggest game changer across the board will be awarenes. Proprioception isn’t a “bonus” or some fancy, next-level thing, It’s a fundamental skill that can be underdeveloped in some.
When you start tuning into how you move, where your body is in space, and how your nervous system responds—you start training smarter. You move better. You get hurt less. You build real confidence, not just numbers.