A balance board from Bally Total Fitness is a similar design to other balance tools, such as wobble boards and dynamic discs. Every year, 300,000 people are admitted to hospitals for broken hips and many of these were due to falls due to lost balance, according to the National Institute on Aging. Besides improving balance and reducing the likelihood of falling, the Bally Balance Board works your core.
Benefits
Bally Total Fitness' balance board is called the Tri-Level Balance Board. This is because although the board remains a steady 14 inches in diameter, you can adjust the distance of the board's platform from the ground to either a low, medium or high setting. The higher the board, the more it wobbles and the harder the exercises. Exercising on a Tri-Level Balance Board improves coordination, pelvic stability, balance and core strength. Simply standing on a balance board even reduces your chances of ankle injuries, according to SportsInjuryClinic.
Standing Exercise
Standing on the balance board without it touching the floor is a challenging exercise for beginners. It builds a foundation for other balance board exercises. Start by standing with your feet parallel on the board, about shoulder-width apart. Touch your hands to a wall or chair back if you need to, but work up to doing the exercise without holding on to anything. You may need to hold something the first few times you get onto the board. Hold your arms straight in front of you until you are comfortable placing them on your hips. Work up to 60 seconds.
Balance Board Directional Exercises
Learning to control the balance board with side-to-side, front-to-back and rotational movements improves your proprioception, which is the body's ability to sense where all its parts are without seeing them. To perform these exercises, stand with both feet on the board and tip the front toward the floor. Tilt the board backwards. You can hold onto a chair, if necessary. Then, tilt the board right to left. Each time, try to touch the board to the floor. Finally, circle the board so that the outside edge touches the floor. Go in both directions. Practice each exercise for a couple of minutes.
Single-Leg Balance Board Stand
Standing on one leg is a challenging enough exercise, but standing on one leg on a Bally balance board is a higher progression for balance training. To perform this exercise, place one foot in the center of the Tri-Level Balance Board and slowly stand with your full weight on the board. Bend your other knee slightly with the toes close to the board to touch the board or the floor quickly if necessary. Repeat on the other side. Work up to 60 seconds.
Squats
Squats on a Bally Tri-Level Balance Board are much more difficult than on the floor. This is because the floor doesn't move under you as you lower and raise your body. To perform a squat, stand with feet hip- to shoulder-width distance apart and your hands on your hips. Bend your knees as much as you cannot without falling and then stand back up. Work up to 12 to 15 squats.
References
- "NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training: Course Manual"; Michael Clark, Scott Lucett, Rodney Corn; 2008
- National Institute on Aging: Chapter 4: Sample Exercises -- Strength/Balance Exercises
- Sports Injury Clinic: Why Use a Wobble Board or Balance Board
- "Bally Total Fitness Catalog"; Bally Total Fitness Holding Corporation; 2009
Member Comments