Balance board is a general term applied to almost any rocker or wobble board. Rocker boards resemble a sturdy version of a child's seesaw, rocking in one direction or the other along a central axis. Wobble boards are usually a flat, circular platform with a round, raised divot on the bottom that allows the board to--well, wobble--in any direction at all. Exercising on balance boards helps improve core strength, proprioception and balance.
Balancing
Just keeping the balance board balanced on its center axis can be a challenge at first. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, equally spaced away from the board's axis or fulcrum point, knees slightly bent, and practice balancing until you're able to keep all parts of the board's platform from touching down for at least two solid minutes. Keep your hands off your legs when you do this--no bracing--and maintain upright posture. If you need a little help with balancing at first, position the board near a wall or sturdy piece of furniture you can lightly touch or lean on for support.
Once you can balance on the rocker or wobble board for at least two minutes, practice deliberately rocking it from side to side without letting the platform actually touch the ground; control the board so that it stops short of the touch down every time. If you're on a wobble board, you can also practice this from front to back, and practice rotating or rolling your balance around the board. You may need to let the edge of the board contact the floor all the way around the edge of the board at first, but work up to simply rotating your weight around the board, wobbling it in a complete circle, without letting it actually touch down.
If that's old hat, you can then repeat all the exercises above standing on one leg only; make sure to work both legs for an equal period of time.
Upper Body Exercises
Any upper body free weight exercises designed to be done while standing can also be done on a balance board. Use slightly smaller weights than usual so that you can maintain proper form while on the balance board. Step on to the balance board, position your feet and get the board balanced before beginning the exercise. Your goal is to keep the board evenly balanced throughout the entire exercise.
Some good upper body exercises to try on the balance board include front and lateral raises, shoulder presses, biceps curls, overhead tricep presses and tricep kickbacks. Once you've mastered these exercises on the balance board, lighten the weight again (by quite a bit, this time), and try doing the exercises while standing on the balance board with just one foot.
You can also do cable machine exercises, including lat pulldowns and tricep pushdowns, while on the balance board; just position the balance board underneath the pulley (you may need a very high pulley to do lat pulldowns while standing).
Leg Exercises
Squats are relatively straightforward to do on a balance board; you just need a board that's wide enough for you to plant both feet firmly on the platform, shoulder-width apart. Practice with a reduced range of motion, gradually going lower with each squat as you learn to control the motion and stay balanced on the board. Remember that as you squat down, your hips should push out behind you and your shoulders should stay centered over your heels.
One can also adapt lunges for use on the balance board; just place your front foot on the balance board and slowly sink down into the lunge, moving very slowly to ensure you keep control of the motion and being careful not to bend either knee more than 90 degrees.
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