A Balanced Approach

Proprioceptive exercise develops better balance and core strength – which leads to improved joint stability, greater athleticism and fewer injuries.

By Matt Fitzgerald

Form & Function Department, November 2006

Balancing Acts
BOSU Exercises
Balance Disc Exercises
Foam Roller Exercises
Wobble to Win

Next time you go to the gym, look around. What do you see? Most of the people around you are probably lifting weights with both feet firmly planted on the floor, or they’re using a sturdy support such as an exercise bench. But you may also see a growing number of brave (and perhaps a bit off-balance) folks exercising on small, wobbly platforms, foam cylinders, or air-filled discs or half-spheres.

What are those balance-challenging pieces of equipment, anyway? Do they provide benefits not available on a bench or the floor?

As a matter of fact, yes. Adding exercise components that challenge your “proprioception” — or sense of balance and where your body is in space — improves coordination and reaction time. It conditions important core and stabilizing muscles, and it improves both joint stability and neuromuscular efficiency — key fitness factors that tend to decline with age.

Thanks to these effects, proprioceptive exercise has been shown to accelerate injury rehabilitation, reduce the likelihood of future injuries and enhance sports performance.

Balancing Acts (Back to Top)
To get meaningful benefits, you should do at least one proprioceptive exercise affecting each major joint area (ankles, knees, hip, shoulders and spine) at least twice a week. The simplest way to get the job done is to sprinkle proprioceptive exercises throughout your regular resistance workouts. For examples, see the exercises below. 

Put the greatest emphasis on proprioceptive exercises that mimic the movements you make in your favorite activity. For example, if you’re a runner, focus on proprioceptive exercises involving single-leg balance and alternating leg movements.  

A word of caution: If you’re new to proprioceptive exercise, don’t try to take on too much too soon. Start slow, and use less resistance or weight than you typically do.

You might start out by simply standing on a BOSU Balance Trainer or balance disc to get a sense of how it feels (test it out with two legs at first, then go to one). Once you’re comfortable, you can progress to the exercises we’ve outlined on the following pages. Good luck — and good balance!

BOSU Exercises (Back to Top)
BOSU Balance Trainers are inflated half-spheres made exclusively by one company — BOSU Fitness, LLC. Many fitness clubs have them, but you can also purchase one for your home from a variety of exercise equipment stores and online retailers (including www.bosu.com). Suggested retail price is $100. Each trainer comes with an exercise video and booklet on how to do complete BOSU workouts. Most BOSU exercises can be performed with either the platform side up or the “bubble” side up (BOSU, in fact, is short for “both sides up”) — including the examples below.

BOSU 1: Backward Lunge

Benefits: This exercise will strengthen the stabilizing muscles in your hips and lower legs and is a great way to improve performance in sports that involve running. It’s also a good quad strengthener.

Procedure: Begin by standing with both feet on the BOSU. Lift your right foot and take a long step backward, touching your toes to the floor behind you. Now bend both knees until your right knee comes within an inch or two of touching the floor (make sure your left knee does not extend past your toes; it should be aligned with your ankle). Then return to the start position. Do eight to 10 repetitions with each leg.

BOSU 2: Squat
Benefits: Like a classic squat, this exercise strengthens the buttocks, hips and thighs. When you add the balancing component, however, you add more of a challenge to the muscles responsible for maintaining stability in the hips, knees and ankles, thus enhancing the strength, responsiveness and resiliency of these joints.

Procedure: Stand just forward of center, toes pointed slightly outward, arms at your sides. Lower your butt toward the floor like you’re going to sit on a chair. Avoid rounding your lower back and keep most of your weight on your heels. It can be helpful to extend your arms out in front of you to counter your weight as you sit back. Squat down as far as you can without feeling strain in your knees or lower back (go no farther than the point where your thighs are parallel to the floor). Contract your thighs and buttocks and slowly stand upright. Complete 10 to 12 repetitions.

Balance Disc Exercises (Back to Top)
Balance discs are air-filled plastic wafers just large enough to stand on. They’re made by a number of manufacturers, including SPRI (www.spriproducts.com), Harbinger (www.harbingersports.com) and FitBALL (www.fitball.com). Retail prices range from about $20 to $30.

Note that balance discs and wobble boards (not shown) can be used interchangeably. Exercises performed on a wobble board tend to be slightly more challenging. Popular models include the Classic Balance Board (www.fitterfirst.com) and the Reebok Core Board (www.performbetter.com). They’re available at many exercise equipment stores and online retailers. Prices range from $30 to $170.

Disc 1: Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Benefits: This exercise provides the shoulder-strengthening benefit of a conventional dumbbell shoulder press but requires more work from the shoulder stabilizers and abdominal muscles, resulting in greater stability in the pelvis, hips, lower spine and shoulders during activities involving arm actions (such as swimming).

Procedure: Stand on a balance disc with a dumbbell in each hand (it’s advisable to start with a lighter-thanusual weight). Begin with the dumbbells at ear level, palms forward. Press both dumbbells straight overhead. Activate your abdominal muscles to maintain neutral posture and lower spine stability. Pause briefly with your arms overhead and return to the start position. Do 10 to 12 repetitions using a weight you could lift a maximum of 12 to 14 times with perfect form.

Disc 2: Proprioceptive Triceps Pushup
Benefits: This exercise strengthens the chest, triceps and upper back, and increases the stability of the shoulders and spine.

Procedure: Assume a pushup position with both hands on a balance disc. Lower your chest down to within 1 inch of the disc and then press back to the start position. Engage your abdominal muscles to maintain neutral spine posture and stability in your trunk. Repeat this movement at least 10 times, stopping when you feel you could complete only two more with perfect form. If you cannot do 10 or more repetitions, do a modified pushup with your knees on the floor.

Foam Roller Exercises (Back to Top)
Foam rollers used to be found exclusively in physical therapy offices. Now they’re standard equipment in many gyms and are available for purchase at many exercise equipment stores and online retailers (www.performbetter.com). Foam rollers come in several sizes and two shapes (cylinders and half-cylinders). The following exercises involve a 3-foot cylinder. Expect to pay $15 for a basic roller and up to $35 for a more durable version.

Roller 1: Bridge
Benefits: This exercise will strengthen and improve your control of core stabilizing muscles, including abs, lower back, pelvis and buttocks.

Procedure: Lie face up with both knees sharply bent and both feet resting on a foam roller positioned at a perpendicular angle to the line of your body. Press your feet into the foam roller and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from knees
to shoulders. Hold this position for 10 to 20 seconds (concentrating on not letting your hips sag) and then return to the start position for two seconds. Repeat the exercise twice more.

Roller 2: Alternating Leg Lift
Benefits: This exercise strengthens the abdominal stabilizers and enhances spinal stability during alternating leg movements.

Procedure: Lie on a foam roller with your spine aligned with the roller, your knees sharply bent and your feet flat on the floor. Rest your hands on your chest. Extend your right leg fully (without changing the angle of your thigh) and hold this position for five
seconds. Engage your abdominal muscles to maintain balance on the foam roller. Return to the start position and extend your left leg. Repeat the exercise three to five times with each leg.

Wobble to Win (Back to Top)
No doubt about it, bettering your balance works. In a matter of weeks, you should feel more stable while performing these exercises, because you’ll have decreased the amount of time that it takes your body to react to an unreliable surface. That applies to sports performance — and to everyday life — by helping you recover and maintain balance in challenging situations that, prior to proprioceptive training, might have resulted in an injury or, at the least, a nasty spill.

As your balance, coordination, stability and strength improve, you can stimulate further gains by modifying your exercises to make them more difficult (see this article’s Web Extra! for suggestions).

Matt Fitzgerald is the author of several books for runners and triathletes, including Performance Nutrition for Runners (Rodale, 2006).

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For suggestions on how to make each of the exercises above more challenging, plus an additional BOSU exercise, see the Web Extras! at the top right of this page.

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