Balance boards, or “wobble boards,” are a great piece of equipment that can make your workouts more versatile, more challenging and, simply, more fun!
Whether you’re considering buying a balance board or you have one and you’re looking for new moves, this list of balance board exercises is sure to deliver!
These 10 balance board exercises are going to allow you to build up both your balance and strength across your entire body.
We have also made sure to include variations from beginner to advanced wherever possible.
Quick List:
- Forward/back tilts
- Around the clock tilts
- Single foot side to side
- Squat
- Lunges
- Incline Push Ups
- Calf raises
- Mountain climbers
- Plank
- Wall sit
1. Forward/back tilts
A staple move that everyone should master on a balance board is the forward/back tilt. This is a simple move but one that can really strengthen your legs and ankles.
To perfect a forward/back tilt, try holding on to a stable structure to begin with.
Ensure to make your movements slow and sustained. Once you’ve mastered this, you can perform this exercise standing on one leg.
2. Around the clock tilts
A more complex tilting movement is the around the clock tilt. This move requires another degree of balance and stability.
Stand with your feet on the outer edges of the balance board and lean to each of the four corners of the board to transfer your weight and move in a full 360 degree circle.
3. Single foot side to side
To target and strengthen individual legs, stand one leg in the center of the board and elevate your other leg up so your knee moves slightly towards your torso.
Tilt the board from side to side. Don’t worry if you can’t touch the floor at first. Instead, simply work on building up your strength and balance with slow movements.
4. Squat
Even a simple movement, like a body weight squat, can really burn the quads and glutes when a balance board is added.
To perform a balance board squat, extend your arms out in front of your body and squat down until your thighs are just beyond the point where they are parallel to the floor.
Once balance board squats become second nature to you, you can try raising weights above your head at the same time as you squat. These “push squats” are a real challenge!
5. Lunges
Similarly, balance board lunges, which can be performed both to the side of and behind the board, are a great move to tone and build the glutes and legs.
Ensure that your foot is grounded at the center of the board and that you focus on using both legs equally throughout the entire range of movement.
6. Incline Push Ups
Moving on now to a killer upper body exercise…
Using a balance board to perform incline push ups is an amazing way to vary your shoulder, chest and tricep workouts.
Place your hands on either side of the balance board and complete your push up, focusing on getting as low as you can to the board.
If you find this difficult at first, you can begin the movement balancing on your knees.
Equally, if you find that you quickly master the incline push up, you can perform a decline push up by raising your legs onto a platform.
7. Calf Raises
A balance board is a really great way to target your calf muscles- muscles that are often overlooked in traditional training routines.
Calf raises are pretty simple to perform. Stand on your board and move until the board tilts backwards.
Then use your calf to propel the board until it leans forwards again and repeat.
8. Mountain Climbers
Since we have moves in here to target every body part, we definitely couldn’t skip abs! Performing mountain climbers with a balance board really works to strengthen the abdominal muscles.
Place your hands on either side of the board and tense your abs as you bring alternate legs in towards your torso and back out again.
9. Plank
Combine mountain climbers with high and low plank variations for an ab workout you won’t forget any time soon!
To perform a high plank with the balance board, extend your arms out fully on the balance board with your legs extended out back behind you.
Ensure that you draw your stomach up towards your spine. A low plank, on the other hand, is performed on your elbows.
You might find it easier to start out with this variation. Once you master both, switching between the two is a real test of your balance and strength!
10. Wall Sit
We all know how challenging a wall sit can be, even without a balance board! Adding in the board will really burn the entire lower body.
Figure out where your legs will be grounded in reference to the wall and position your balance board there.
From here, rest your hands against the wall to stabilise yourself as you position your feet on either side of the board and get into the squat position.
Try to perform this wall sit for around a minute. This will be more than enough to begin with!
Balance boards, overall, are a really great addition to any workout routine!
It’s super easy to construct a challenging workout out of a few key moves and we hope this article has shown you how…
Chris is an experienced Calisthenics practitioner focused on isometric exercises and street workout. He founded thehybridathlete.com in 2017, which was subsequently acquired by theyhybridathlete.com
He is based in Portland and has been working out using solely his own body weight and bars for the past 6 years.
