Rocker boards are unstable on one axis. They can tilt only side-to-side or front-to-back, depending on how your body is oriented on the board. Forcing your body to compensate for this instability increases each working muscle's ability to stabilize your body, reducing your risk of falls or injury. Rocker boards also help train core strength, an important component of everyday fitness.
Balancing
Two-leg balancing is a good first exercise on the rocker board; it lets you get used to the rocker board and how your body performs while still fine-tuning your balance skills. Once you're adept at two-leg balancing, you can try balancing on one leg at a time.
Step onto the rocker board with your feet hip-width apart. Balance the rocker board, shifting your body as necessary to keep either side from touching the ground. Focus on standing up straight with good posture; don't look down at your feet. Instead, keep your chest up and focus on a fixed point in front of you.
Once you've mastered the side-to-side balance, step onto the rocker board with your toes pointed toward one side of the board. One foot should be slightly in front of the other, as if you were going to do a lunge. Because the board will wobble front-to-back instead of side-to-side in relation to your body, this is called the front-to-back balance.
Side Taps
Side taps build on your basic balancing skills, developing the ability to not just stabilize the rocker board but move it in a controlled manner. Step onto the rocker board, feet hip-width apart, and establish your balance. Shift your body so that the left side of the board lowers, slowly and in control, until it taps the ground. Shift until the right side of the board, still under your complete control, taps the ground. Continue shifting back and forth, tapping once on each side.
As you improve your balance, try doing front and back taps from the front-to-back balance position. Once you can do single taps in either stance, try doing double or triple taps on each side before shifting to the other side.
Squats
Squats work your glutes, quads and hamstrings. Doing squats on the rocker board forces these muscles to not only move your body weight but also dynamically stabilize you against the board's tendency to rock. Practice with no added weight until you get the form right: Thrust your hips down and back as if you were sitting in a chair placed well behind you. Your shoulders should travel up and down over your heels. Once you've mastered the basic squat on the rocker board, try holding a dumbbell between your legs to make the exercise more challenging.
Push-ups
The rocker board isn't only for lower-body workouts. As long as your rocker board is wide enough you can also do push-ups on it, forcing your arms, chest, shoulders and core to stabilize against the board's instability. Place both hands on the rocker board, slightly wider than shoulder width apart, balancing your body on your hands and toes. Keep your body straight from head to heels as you lower your chest down toward the board, then push up and away.
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