Guide To Buying Balance Boards

Most CrossFit athletes swear by a good balance board but they are not the only ones who can benefit from it.

• If you are a weight trainer or a powerlifter, you can also use balance boards to supplement your core and ankle strength, which can help during heavy squats or deadlifts.
• If you are a home or commercial gym owner, balance boards are a useful accessory, as they are cost-friendly and their benefits are difficult to replicate.
• Balance boards are tools of rehabilitation, and you can use them to improve your posture and balance.
• You can also use them to strengthen your ankles and other supporting muscle groups to prevent future injuries.

You can use an upside-down Bosu ball as an alternative to balance boards, but they are not as challenging and also suffer on the portability front.

Balance boards are generally found in rehabilitation and conditioning environments because they are almost exclusively used to recover from lower-body injuries.

1. However, everyone can use them to improve balance, correct posture, strengthen the lower body and core.
2. They are especially helpful in recovering from ankle-related injuries.
3. Most sportspeople use them to condition their bodies against sports-related injuries.

Some of the balance board exercises you can perform using a balance board (ordered in increasing level of difficulty) are:

1. Balancing the boards front to back and side to side
2. Mini squats
3. Glute bridges
4. Planks
5. Push-ups
6. One-legged squat

Yes, you can pair balance boards with standing desks to counteract the drawbacks of a sedentary lifestyle.

• A balance board used with a standing desk helps you keep your posture in check and keep your core engaged for the better part of the day. It also helps prevent lower back pain and the onset of spondylitis.
• However, remember to choose a board that doesn’t require a lot of effort, thus distracting you from your work. If you are over 6 feet, you will find a bigger board more comfortable.

A balance board is very basic in its application.

1. You just need to stand on it with your feet shoulder-width apart and try to balance yourself while rocking forward and backward.
2. As you progress, you can incorporate slightly difficult exercises like mini squats or one-legged squats.
3. If you want to target your upper body, you can place the balance board under your hands and use it to perform push-ups and planks.

The biggest drawback of balance boards is ironically also one of the reasons it’s such a great fitness tool:

• It requires you to balance on an unstable surface, thus making it unsafe for people suffering from balancing issues due to lower back or ankle injuries.
• Therefore, you should never use a balance board for rehabilitation purposes without the guidance of a medical professional.

• Yes, you can use a balance board to train your abs. Although, using a balance board normally keeps your core engaged anyway, you can perform additional exercises to help further target your core and build your abs.
• Some popular exercises are:

1. Balance board planks
2. Balance board mountain climbers
3. Balance board squats