What are the best balance board exercises?
Start sitting, then rock on two feet near a wall. A board isn’t a shortcut to stronger legs. But for one group, a home board plan cut repeat ankle sprains by about a third.
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What are the best balance board exercises?
The easy ones first, then climb. Sports injury therapist Mike Walden starts people sitting down, with the board under their feet. Then you stand, rock and hold.
Walden suggests bare feet on a rug or mat, not a wooden floor, where the board can slip. Keep a wall or chair in reach. The NHS gives the same tip for its own balance moves.
| Level | Exercise | Aim |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sitting | Board under your feet. Slowly turn it round in each direction. | A few circles each way. |
| 2. Two feet | Feet shoulder-width apart. Rock front to back, then side to side. Hold a chair if you need to. | 2 to 3 minutes. |
| 3. Two feet | Circle the board with its edge always touching the floor. | 2 to 3 minutes. |
| 4. Two feet | Hold the board level, edges off the floor. | Over 2 minutes. |
| 5. Harder | Small knee bends, then deeper squats. Arms out, turn from side to side. Throw a ball at a wall and catch it. | Edges off the floor. |
| 6. Hardest | The same moves with your eyes closed. Then one leg: rock front to back, then side to side. | 1 minute each way. |
Sources: Sports Injury Clinic; NHS
Wobble board or balance board? A wobble board is round and tips every way. Walden says rocker boards and wobble cushions (balance pads) work in a very similar way, so the same ladder fits.
Try levels 1 and 2 today, with the chair in reach.
What is a good balance board workout?
Run the first four levels back to back. It takes about 10 minutes.
A 10-minute wobble board workout for beginners
- 1
Sit and circle
A few slow circles each way, board under your feet.
- 2
Rock
2 to 3 minutes, front to back, then side to side.
- 3
Circle standing
2 to 3 minutes, edge always on the floor.
- 4
Hold level
As long as you can. Work up to over 2 minutes.
Source: Sports Injury Clinic
The times are Walden’s. Putting them in one 10-minute block is a simple start, not a study finding.
How often? In an ankle sprain trial, athletes trained 3 times a week for 8 weeks, up to 30 minutes a time. They were encouraged to use it as part of their warm-up.
Over 65? The NHS says do things that improve balance on at least 2 days a week.
Put 3 short sessions in your diary this week. Move up a level when the last one feels steady.
What are good BOSU and half ball exercises?
A BOSU is a half ball with a flat base. You can stand on the dome, or flip it and use the flat side.
| Move | How | Who teaches it |
|---|---|---|
| Sit to stand (dome up) | Feet hip-width apart, heels one to two inches in front of the rim. Squat down to sit on the dome. Press through your feet to stand. | Bernadette O’Brien, a BOSU master trainer, in her active ageing class. |
| Push-up (flat side up) | Hands on the rim, body in a plank. Do a push-up without letting the dome rock. | Shannon Fable, who coordinates BOSU master trainers. |
| Balance pad or wobble cushion | Use the wobble board ladder above. | Walden says cushions work in a very similar way. |
Sources: ACE; Sports Injury Clinic
The sit to stand is the gentlest start. The push-up needs a steady plank first, so see core exercises if planks are new to you.
Add 5 slow sit to stands to the end of your board workout.
Does a balance board make your legs stronger?
Not more than the floor does. The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology says a wobbly base can cut the force, power and speed you lift with. So it doesn’t advise boards as the main training for athletes.
Your core works hard on a board. But the same group says squats and deadlifts on solid ground can work it just as hard or harder.
In a 7-week trial of 40 people, weight training on wobbly kit and on solid ground gave similar results overall. Both groups improved. The authors said it may be as good for people new to weights.
Want stronger legs? Squat on the floor first. See leg exercises, then use the board for balance.
Who gains most from a balance board?
That group is active people who’ve sprained an ankle before. In one trial, 522 athletes aged 12 to 70 with a recent sprain had usual care (the normal rest and treatment). Half also got a board and an 8-week home plan.
| Group | Sprained again |
|---|---|
| Usual care plus 8-week board plan | 56 of 256 (22%) |
| Usual care only | 89 of 266 (33%) |
Source: Hupperets 2009
People reported the sprains themselves. The benefit showed up in athletes whose first sprain hadn’t been medically treated. People started only after usual care, once back in their sport.
In volleyball players, a board plan cut ankle sprains only in those with a past sprain. Players with an old knee injury had more overuse knee injuries on the board plan. The authors said a past knee injury may be a reason not to use one.
Just sprained it? The NHS says avoid hard exercise, such as running, for up to 8 weeks.
Over 60? Start with the NHS floor moves in balance training for healthy ageing.
Your balance board week
- Use bare feet on a rug or mat, with a wall or chair in reach.
- Start with levels 1 and 2: circle the board sitting down, then rock for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Hold the board level for over 2 minutes before you try the harder levels.
- Over 65? Do things that improve balance on at least 2 days a week.
- Had a sprain? Finish usual care first. The trial plan was 3 times a week for 8 weeks.
- Pregnant? The NHS says do not do activities where there’s a risk of falling.
Sources: Sports Injury Clinic; NHS: older adults; Hupperets 2009; NHS: pregnancy
Over 65 and building strength too? See strength training for seniors.
When to speak to a GP
Haven’t exercised for some time, or have medical conditions or concerns? The NHS says speak to a GP first. Also get help if:
- You’re worried about your balance or getting about, or you’ve had a fall. See a GP.
- A sprain is getting worse, or not feeling better after treating it yourself. See a GP.
- An injury is very painful or getting worse, or swelling or bruising is large or growing. Get help from NHS 111. The same goes if you can’t put weight on it or walk more than a few steps. Also if it feels very stiff or is hard to move, or you have a very high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery.
- You heard a crack, or the injured part has changed shape or points at an odd angle. Call 999 or go to A&E. The same goes if it’s numb, tingling or has pins and needles, or the skin looks blue or grey or feels cold.
- You or someone else has fallen and can’t get up, or may have hurt the head, back, neck or hip. Call 999. If you’ve fallen and may be in pain, injured or unwell, get help from NHS 111.