Balance Board Training

Step 1: Balance

Let's start with the foundation of balance board training, on which all further balance board exercises are built: balance training. You should definitely use the first exercise sessions on your wobble board to train your balance. Maybe you already have some experience with balance training through other sports. In snowboarding or surfing, good balance is just as important as in balance board training. Even if you think your balance is already well trained - please practice a few sessions on the wobble board. Why? It's simple: The more solid your base, i.e. your balance, is, the faster you will master further Balance Board exercises. And the cleaner your posture on the wobble board. If you sloppily train your balance and are satisfied with, let's say, 80 percent, you will miss the remaining 20 percent at some point, for example during your first flip or jump. Don't make it unnecessarily difficult for yourself with balance board training and rather invest a few minutes more in balance training at the beginning. It's worth it, we promise, and we know that from experience. Especially since balance training is a lot of fun anyway. Not only do you get to know your wobble board, but also your body. Some muscles and muscle groups that you may never have felt before will introduce themselves to you after the first balance board training. So it's in this first phase of training that the balance board training effect shows up pretty immediately. And that's great, because you immediately notice what you have achieved during the Balance Board Training. After the third workout at the latest, the muscles you just got to know will be your new best friends on the wobble board. They will support you in further adventures, i.e. the crazy tricks and jumps you will soon rock on your wobble board!

With which balance board exercises you can train your balance, we tell you of course also very happy. Especially the classic beginner exercises like the "Hang Ten" are well suited for this. Try them out and vary them a bit. You can give free rein to your creativity when training your balance on the wobble board. When training on the balance board, simply set yourself the goal of finding your balance again as quickly as possible after each movement on the wobble board. Feel inside yourself. Which muscles do you need to find your balance again and again? How much do you have to row with your arms, or do your abdominal muscles do most of the work? Do you tend to hunch your shoulders or stay relaxed? Get to know yourself and your body through balance training - and use this knowledge for other sports as well. You can find many more balance board exercises and tricks on wahu Facebook and wahu Instagram.

Step 2: Body tension

After balance training comes the second level in balance board training. Think of your balance board training as a house that you build piece by piece. The foundation is already there, because you have trained your balance excellently. Now comes the first floor: body tension. If you add this to your balance, you've already achieved a lot. But what exactly does body tension training mean? Let's put it this way: the more effectively you tense your body, the easier the exercises on the wobble board will be. So you don't necessarily have to activate all your muscles all the time, but rather target the muscles you need for each exercise. When learning many sports, it happens at the beginning that - mainly because of insecurity - the body tenses too much, so to speak. This is a normal reaction, but of course it is terribly tiring and makes your training more difficult. So loosen up, put the fun in the foreground and feel exactly into yourself. Training your body tension is, so to speak, the continuation of Balance Board balance training. If you do it regularly, you will notice an amazing training effect: Your success curve will climb even steeper.

For example, try the Balance Board push-up during Balance Board training. It's not easy, we admit, but it's a great way to get ahead. Because while you're doing the Balance Board push-up, you can literally feel which muscles and muscle groups you're tensing - and which ones you can possibly let go. By the way, you will notice this Balance Board effect with some other Balance Board exercises and tricks. Feel free to let us know where it works and where you might still need help.

While we're on the subject of classic workout exercises, we have another little tip for you: You can spice up your workout routine wonderfully with the wahu wobble board. Of course, not every floor exercise is possible on the wahu wobble board, but a few push-ups, squats, mountain climbers or donkey kicks are definitely worth a try. By the way, we love to see proof videos of your balance board workout. Show us and the wahu community on Facebook and on Instagram how creative you are with your balance board exercises!

Step 3: Agility

In the last step, we come to the final touch for your balance board training: agility. In your new building, agility is the first floor, so to speak, which is added to the first floor and completes your house - apart from the interior design. Why should you train your agility, i.e. your ability to react? So that you can tackle even the craziest tricks during balance board training. Because as soon as you not only maintain your balance and body tension, but also coordinate your movements at lightning speed... there are no limits to your imagination when it comes to balance board exercises. Then you can master tricks that probably seemed impossible a few weeks ago. Sound good? Then let's go for it. The best way to train your agility is with balance board exercises that involve jerky movements or small to large jumps. Perfect coordination and a lightning-fast reaction are essential here.

This can be seen, for example, in the "Hands Board Drop" exercise. This trick is a challenge, but you'll get there! Maybe not the first time, but honestly, that's how we all felt. The best thing to do is to internalize the movement in advance. Then grab your wobble board and toss it onto your roll with a flourish. As soon as it lands there in the right position, you hop right behind it, centered on the wobble board, where you must of course immediately balance yourself. For this you will certainly need your arms, but please also try to create a stable posture through your abdominal tension.

Perhaps you know this approach from other sports, for example Pilates. There is the so-called powerhouse, which is the name for the center of the body. If you activate all the muscles in this area, i.e. all the abdominal muscles as well as the pelvic floor and the back, then you will achieve a high level of basic stability. With this basic stability as a starting point, you can perform movements of any kind much more controlled and precise - of course, this also applies to the Balance Board Training. To put it bluntly, you will wobble around less during Balance Board Training due to this stable body center. Try it out! And if you like Pilates, then you can certainly transfer some exercises to the wobble board. We and the entire wahu community are eager to hear your ideas - feel free to share them via video on Facebook or Instagram.

The perfect balance board workout

Now you already know very well and can actually start directly with the balance board workout. There are really countless balance board exercises for a varied balance board workout, regardless of the level of difficulty. On the one hand this is great, on the other hand it might be a bit confusing for beginners. You will probably ask yourself: Which Balance Board exercises are suitable for my training level? And which balance board exercises should my balance board training plan consist of? We are happy to help you with our years of experience on all boards in the world - from snowboards to skateboards to surfboards.

Start Balance Board Training Loosely

Most balance board exercises for beginners are about keeping your balance and getting it back again and again. To do this, it may help you to exercise barefoot. Without shoes and socks, you'll have more feeling while doing balance board workouts.... maybe even a vacation feeling. Suitable balance board exercises here would be, for example, the squat. This is of course much more difficult on the wobble board than on solid ground. When lowering, you have to make sure you find your balance point. As soon as you succeed, you can also stretch one leg forward and balance on one leg only. This is called "low leg rise" in the jargon. Have fun with it!

Balance Board Training for Back, Shoulders & Arms

With Balance Board exercises for back, shoulders and arms you train specific muscles or muscle groups. This is especially useful if you notice tension in these areas. You can then counteract these with a Balance Board workout, for example during the "breaststroke". Yes, that's right, our next exercise is reminiscent of the breaststroke and perhaps also provides a bit of beach feeling. Lie on your wobble board with your chest and pull your body completely straight. Place your feet on your toes. Now begin to move your arms as you would in a breaststroke. First stretch them over your head, then bring them in a semicircle over your side to your hips. Your gaze will always be towards the ground to keep your spine straight. Another Balance Board workout for the back, but especially for the shoulders and arms, is the forearm support, also called "planking". To do this, rest your elbows and forearms on the wobble board while lying on your stomach, place your feet on the board, and then push yourself upwards, bit by bit. Please always make sure to keep your back straight during this balance board workout.

Balance board training for the abdomen

Of course, there are also Balance Board exercises specifically for the abdomen. Strictly speaking, as mentioned above, you actually train your abdomen with (almost) every Balance Board workout - namely by activating your core to keep your balance. The more challenging the balance board workout, the more you and your abdominals have to do for it.... and there are really a lot of crazy tricks that test your balance, body tension, coordination, and responsiveness. But even workouts that seem easy at first can be tough. For example, sit on your wobble board and then extend your legs upward at an angle. Hold this position - without wiggling - for at least 15 seconds. Sounds simple, but it's hard as hell and therefore an absolute guarantee for a toned stomach. By the way, many more cool balance board exercises and tricks await you on Facebook or Instagram.

Which balance board is right for me?

If you don't own a balance board yet and we've made you really excited about balance board training, then we're of course very happy. In this case, you'll want to know where you can buy a suitable balance board for your balance board training and what you should consider when buying one. Let's start with the most important part of your new balance board, the material. As you can imagine, this is where quality comes in. With balance boards made of thin wood or plastic we would not like to do a balance board training with jumps or flips, that is obvious. Therefore, our motto is: the more robust, the better. After all, your wobble board will be subjected to a number of forces during intensive balance board training. The wahu balance board therefore consists of twelve layers of wood and a robust surface made of real wood veneer. That can withstand quite a bit! In addition to the material, the size and shape of your new balance board is of course also crucial for training success - and especially for mastering crazy tricks. Too big is bad, because the wobble board is then too ponderous during the exercises. Too small is also unfavorable, because you then have little standing space available during balance board training. Believe us, we have tested countless balance boards in all imaginable sizes and shapes. Our favorite for balance board training, after all this experience, is a wobble board in the range of about 30 centimeters wide and 80 centimeters long. When it comes to bending and curvature, we rely on two narrow tapered ends and a dynamic Rockershape, which means a bend in both directions, for our wahu Balance Boards. So you have besides normal balance board exercises for beginners also unlimited trick possibilities as advanced and professional.

Quick checklist before you buy:

Alright, let's summarize this again in a short and crisp way in a little checklist. Before you get your first or a new wobble board, you should:

• Check the material. The more robust, the better. Preferably wood in several layers.
• Check the size. About 80x30 centimeters is optimal.
• Check the shape. Narrow at the ends. Curvature on both long sides.

Do you have any questions about balance board training or buying a balance board? The wahu board professionals will be happy to advise you. Just give us a call, send us an email or chat with us. Together we will find the ideal balance board for you and provide you with lots of tips and tricks for suitable balance board exercises as well as an intensive balance board training. We are looking forward to meeting you!