Balance Exercise Equipment

Balance exercise equipment provides what sport and fitness coaches and physical therapists call unstable surface training. While many balance-training devices are rooted in physical therapy and sports conditioning, recreational and commercial fitness centers now typically offer balance exercise programs. In fact, the bosu was actually designed for the mainstream fitness market.

Origins

The stability ball and the Indo board are two of the earliest types of balance equipment. During the 1960s, Dr. Susan Klein-Vogelbach, a Swiss physical therapist, used stability balls for postural correction. American physical therapist Joanne Posner-Mayer studied in Switzerland and brought the exercise method to the United States. In 1975, a surfer named Hunter Joslin created the prototype of the Indo balance board. A swimming coach introduced Joslin to balance boards when he was 11 years old. While working in a surfboard and skateboard shop, he came up with the idea of Indo Board by placing a skim board on a roller.

Types

The fitness industry's love affair with core-and-balance training began in the mid-1990s. At fitness conferences, presenters such as Mike and Stephanie Morris introduced Resist-a-Ball or stability ball training workshops. Alex McKechnie, physical therapist to the Canadian World Cup soccer team, created the Reebok Core Board, an adjustable balance board. David Weck's bosu balanced trainer combined the benefits of stability ball and balance ball training. Participants can use the rubber dome-shaped side for abdominal, leg and upper body exercise. When you turn the bosu over and stand on the platform side, the bosu functions like a balance board.

Expert Insight

The widespread use if balance exercise equipment prompted studies about its benefits. Spinal stability, core and abdominal muscle activity and enhanced proprioception or spatial awareness are three of the major areas of interest. Jacqueline M. Carter and her research team reported that a 10-week stability-ball training program improved spinal stability in sedentary individuals. The study appeared in 2006 in the "Journal for Strength and Conditioning Research." A 2007 study in the same publication compared the stability ball crunch with the traditional crunch. E. Strenlicht and his research team observed a significant increase in abdominal muscle activity during the stability ball crunch. A 2004 "Journal of Geriatrics study showed that a five-week balance board training program improved ankle stability in senior citizens.

Misconceptions

Aspen Colorado ski instructor Weems Westfeldt, who created the Sports Diamond, differentiates between balance and bracing. Bracing requires tensing the body to maintain stability. A rigid, tense body may be able to statically stabilize on balance equipment, but this type of balance has no carryover to functional activities. True balance is dynamic and is seen in the transition between movements. The core muscles are engaged, but the rest of the body is relaxed.

Prevention/Solution

Take a progressive approach to balance equipment training and make sure that the equipment is safe and appropriate for the exercise. Few people have adequate balance for standing on a stability ball, but the bosu or balance board are suitable for standing exercise.