BEST BALANCE EXERCISES

Balance exercises can  work at any age. These exercises are movements to strengthen the core and improve stability, which can help you in a multitude of daily situations both while standing still and while moving.

Balance depends a lot on a person's genetics and morphology, age and other variables, but everyone can improve this quality. We have all heard about the importance of exercises to improve balance and stability for the elderly. And this is a great truth. Especially in the elderly, everything must be done to have good balance to prevent falls and maintain a certain independence. Any athlete will also benefit greatly from doing balance exercises. Remember that being able to move and carry out our activities requires good posture and balance. Improving balance is increasing quality of life.

What is balance?

Balance is your ability to control your body in space. This quality allows you to distribute your weight evenly and be able to stay upright. What are the two types of balance?

• Dynamic balance : It is the ability to move beyond the body's base of support while maintaining control of posture.
• Static balance : consists of maintaining the center of mass of the body on its base of support.

4 balance exercises without equipment

Do you want to start improving the balance of your body? Let's look at a few balance exercises that are very simple to perform. We start with these, since you do not require any materials to make them.

The dead beetle / bug

This is one of the best basic exercises. It will challenge your core and improve your stability. How to do it?

• Sit with your feet wide open and firmly on the floor.
• Slowly lower your back until you are lying down (low back).
• Contract your abs and extend your arms. Keep your knees bent at 90º with your legs in the air. This is the initial position. Your legs and arms should look like those of a dead insect.
• Now, slowly extend one leg and one arm at a time.
• When you extend your left leg, extend your right arm.
• When you extend your right leg, extend your left arm.

You can do this exercise on a Bosu gym ball to increase the difficulty.

Foothold change

This is one of the first  balance exercises you should try. How is the foothold change carried out?

• Start standing with your feet hip-width apart and distribute your weight evenly on both feet.
• Then, distribute your weight to the right by lifting your left leg off the ground.
• From this point, hold the position for as long as you can. For example, about 30 seconds.
• Return to the starting position and repeat, changing legs. As you improve your balance, you will increase the number of repetitions and the amount of time you can remain in one position.

Side steps

This is one of the balance exercises for seniors without any problem.

• Stand with your feet together and knees slightly bent.
• You have to step to the side slowly in a controlled way. Move one leg to the side first. For example, the right leg.
• Now, move your left leg to join it with the other. 
• Don't relax your hips as you take the steps.
• For example, you can take 10 lateral steps to the right and then another 10 steps to the left. You can also walk around the room from one end to the other taking lateral steps.

The tree pose

Here's another great exercise you can do on the floor (on a gym mat or Bosu ball). This exercise focuses on ankle strength, improves balance, and activates your core.

• Start standing with both feet together, back straight and arms extended. If you are on a Bosu ball, you can stand on either side of the ball (the round area or the flat area).
• Slowly lift your left leg toward the side of your calf and balance on just your right leg.
• Slowly raise your arms above your head as if you were forming the branches of a tree.
• Hold the position for about 30 seconds, then switch legs.

All of these  balance exercises are so intuitive and easy that even older people can do them .

4 exercise accessories to improve balance

If you already master the 4 exercises that we have explained, you can move on to other more advanced activities. Next, we will see some exercise objects  to improve people's stability .

Step platform

For this balance exercise, you need a support platform, such as a step, a wooden box or, preferably, a gymnastics "step" to train at home.

You can hold onto a railing or place the platform near a wall for support.

• Step forward with your right foot.
• Then, raise your left leg.
• Again, return to the starting position.

The key to maintaining balance is to go up and down slowly and in a controlled manner. Do not take more than 5 steps with each leg.

See recommendation

Bosu ball squats

To do this exercise, you need a Bosu ball . It is a half-moon-shaped gymnastics ball that you can buy at any specialized fitness store. The Bosu ball has an unstable surface and you can stand on it to perform strength and balance exercises . For example, by doing squats on this ball, you will train your body so that all the right muscles are activated at the right time.

• Stand on the round part of the Bosu ball with your feet hip-distance apart.
• Now, do a squat with your body weight on your heels.
• Engage your glutes and hamstring muscles as you push them into a standing position.
• Try doing 8 to 10 repetitions to start.

See recommendation

The balance disc

The balance disc is an accessory widely used in modalities such as martial arts to improve body balance, core strength, coordination and even posture. The object is in the shape of a flat plate, which is usually made of wood, and a smaller, unstable base. You have to stand on top of the puck to try to stay upright without falling. This exercise requires practice. 

This is one of the  exercises to have good balance that we recommend the most. In addition, you can use the disc to do even other exercises, such as the abdominal plank or push-ups, with the challenge of having to keep your body in balance.

However, this exercise may not be the most appropriate for older people due to the difficulty.

• Stand on the disc and try to maintain your balance.

See recommendation

The inflatable balance disc :

The inflatable disc is another version of the equipment suitable for seniors, children and all types of audiences. Additionally, this item allows you to adjust the difficulty of the training. Here are some tips:

• The more you inflate the disc, the harder it will be to keep your balance.
• If you use two discs, one for each foot, the training will be easier.
• If you stand on a single plate with both feet, the workout will be more difficult.
• The biggest challenge is staying on a disc using only one leg.

In addition, you can do a wide variety of exercises to improve body balance on the inflatable disc:

• Balance exercises with body weight.
• Exercises with dumbbells or weights.
• Squats and reverse lunges.
• Chest push-ups.
• Abdominal crunches.
• Balance exercises while sitting on the disc.
• Abdominal plank placing the forearms on the disc.

See recommendation

Balance exercise platform

This product is similar to the previous one (the disc), but has a large, rectangular wooden surface that some prefer. The object has non-slip coatings on both the base and the surface. 

What is the best thing about this product?  Which has two versions:

- One version only tilts left and right. This one is for the initiated.

- The other version can tilt in four directions: up, down, left and right, so it is for much more advanced users looking for additional challenges in exercising  coordination and balance .

Use this product to do a variety of standing or floor exercises. You can use the board to add difficulty to push-ups, for example.

See recommendation

5 coordination and balance exercises

Here are 5 other exercises to improve balance . Use them to  improve balance without having to use any materials.

Reverse lunges with balance

In principle, this exercise is designed to use the Bosu ball, but also place you on a folded gymnastics mat to create an unstable surface. Lunges require balance because you have to move your body while standing on one leg. Let's see how it's done:

• Stand on the Bosu ball (or folded mat), on the rounded side, with your feet together.
• Bend your right leg and slowly extend your left leg back to take a lunge touching the ground.
• Raise your right leg up and then return your left leg to the starting position on the ball or mat.
• Do 8 to 10 lunges with each leg.

Are you interested?:

Learn the reverse lunge

Learn the squat

Crossed feet

This consists of walking sideways crossing one leg over the other.

• Take a side step crossing your right foot over your left.
• Then, move your left foot laterally to cross both feet again.
• Try to take several crossing steps to each side. If you want more stability, you can place your toes against the wall. If the steps are short, you will work on balance even more.

One leg balance exercise

This is one of the simplest exercises to improve stability and balance that exists.

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Distribute your weight evenly on both feet.
• Put your hands on your hips. Then, take your left leg off the ground and bend it back at the knee. If this seems too difficult at first, you can stand on one leg while holding onto a stable object (for example, a large piece of furniture or a table).
• Hold the position for as long as you can maintain good form, for example, up to 30 seconds.
• Then, return to the starting position and repeat with the other side. As you improve your balance, increase the number of repetitions.
• For a change, you can extend your legs as far as you can without touching the ground.
• If you want an extra challenge, you can balance on one leg while standing on a pillow, folded gymnastics mat, Bosu, or other unstable surface.

Stand on one leg

Are you looking for  exercises to balance your legs ? This is simple and recommended: 

• Start by standing in front of a wall with your arms extended. Also, your fingertips should touch the wall.
• Raise your left leg, keeping your hips straight and a slight bend in the opposite leg. She gently places her foot back on the ground.
• Hold the leg lift for 5 to 10 seconds and do 3 repetitions for each side.
• This is a good exercise for older people.

Heel to toe walk

Let's see how the following movement is done:

• Stand up. Place your right heel on the floor directly in front of your left toe.
• Then, do the same with the left heel.
• Make sure you always look forward.
• If necessary, place your fingers against the wall for added stability.
• Take about 5 steps, moving away from the wall as you go.

Exercises for balance with dumbbells

The following movements are done with dumbbells . Use an appropriate weight that you can control. You can also use any object with a certain weight that you can grip well.

Single leg deadlift

You can do this exercise with or without dumbbells to strengthen your hamstrings and glutes. This will also be a challenge for balance and activating the abdominal wall.

The ideal is to hold a dumbbell in each hand or, at least, a dumbbell in the hand that will be in front of your straight leg.

• You can do this move on the BOSU ball or on the floor. Start standing, feet together, and distribute most of your weight over your right foot.
• Face a focal point on the floor in front of you and slowly lower your body toward the floor while lifting your left leg behind you. Keep your back neutral and stretch your arms toward the floor.
• You should stop when your back is parallel to the ground. Keep your right knee relaxed.
• You need to tighten your hamstrings, glutes, and abs as you slowly stand up and place your back foot back on the ground.
• Change sides. Try doing 8 deadlifts for each side of the body.

Biceps curl for balance

Weights or dumbbells can make balance exercises more difficult and activate your core muscles. Try the dumbbell biceps curl:

• Start standing, with your feet hip-width apart and your weight evenly distributed on both feet. Grab a dumbbell in your left hand with your palm facing up. Lift your right leg off the ground and bend it back at the knee.
• Hold the position for as long as you can with good form (up to 30 seconds).
• Return to the starting position and repeat with the other side. As you improve your balance and stability, increase the number of repetitions you can do.
• For an added challenge, try balancing your weight on the opposite leg or do it while standing on a pillow, folded mat, Bosu ball, or other unstable surface.

Are you interested?:

All about bicep curls

List of objects for stability and balance exercises

If you already know how to do all the proposed exercises, congratulations! But we still have another surprise for you. We finish with a list of objects that you can use to increase your balance . You will see some equipment that you had not even imagined for this purpose.

Balance disc

We have already seen this product, which tops our list. It is an object widely used in gym classes. Start by purchasing this basic accessory. You can use it to gain balance with both legs or on one leg. The balance disc is used in the preparation of surfing, boxing, gymnastics, etc.

Fitball

This one is very simple and effective. It is simply a gymnastic ball , which you can use in places like the gym, the field, the park or even at home. This product is also very cheap! Use the ball to perform stability exercises for the knee, glutes, rotational strength, core training or even coordination.

Bosu Ball

Here we are looking at a half sphere with a flat base and a round surface. The difficulty offered by a Bosu ball is intermediate. Definitely, the exercises will be more difficult than when using a Fitball, but easier than when using an Indo board (which we will see below). Use the round part of the object to practice rotational jumps. With this product, you can do a lot of single-leg exercises to improve your stability.

Indo Board

You're going to love this equipment. The object is made up of a board and a roller to do an exercise that simulates using a surfboard. We all know that surfing is one of the sports that most involves body balance. The Indo board fits people of all sizes. Use it to improve your balance in the upper and lower body.

Skateboard

Have you never thought that a classic skateboard could be the solution to practicing balance? Improve the balance and orientation of your entire body while riding the skateboard. It will take some practice, yes!

Inflatable balance pad

These little cushions are very cheap and can even be carried in a backpack. Make them your go-to for training with exercises to improve balance and coordination while you're traveling. When you stand on the pads with bare feet, the surface curves downward, strengthening the entire foot and ankle area, including the calves.

Rotary disc

This rotating disc allows you to do balance exercises with rotations. Therefore, it can be used for training sports that require turns such as surfing, boxing, gymnastics or dancing. Use this accessory to practice rotating your body or balancing on one leg. 

SI Board

This is a different balance board. On the SI board , the balance ball is placed on a kind of rail, which allows you to move to place your weight at either end of the board. It will be quite a challenge!

Slack rope

You need two trees or poles to tie each end of the rope. It is a fun exercise that requires walking over the rope without falling. This challenges your balance, orientation and vision skills. You may want to start with a thicker rope until you get used to it, then move on to a thinner rope.

Do martial arts help you have more balance?

Martial arts do work, since many  exercises are done in training to have stability . Therefore, preparations for martial arts and contact sports include activities to reduce the risk of falls. 

One of the best martial arts to improve balance with exercises is Tai Chi . Look for group classes at gyms in your city. Tai Chi is a great activity even in senior centers. If you don't have a gym nearby that offers this modality, you can watch some  Tai Chi videos or books . Of course, when you learn exercises from a book, it is difficult to ensure that you are using the correct techniques.

Are you interested?:

Muay Thai classes!

Who are exercises to improve balance useful for?

All people can benefit from balance training ,  as this is very important at all stages of life.

The athletes

Body balance training is used for rehabilitation and injury prevention. proprioception​ sensation of the position of the joints. By practicing balance exercises, an athlete gains control and awareness of their joints and their function in body movement.

Balance training routines also provide athletes with more strength and power. They can learn to use their center of gravity more effectively. If the abdominal muscles are stronger and more coordinated with the rest of the body, the athlete will be able to throw objects farther and even run faster.

Additionally, improving balance prevents injuries. For example, damage to the ankles. Ankle injuries are common among all athletes due to the large number of twists, turns, stops and starts they must perform. Even the strongest ankle can be injured. Therefore, you must train your neuromuscular system to make your ankles adapt to different surfaces.

The elderly

The consequences of a fall in an elderly person can be serious and even fatal when compared to a young person. Every year, thousands of older people die from hip fractures caused by falls. In other cases, people lose their mobility and independence after the fall. Therefore, balance training can improve the stability of the elderly. Different exercises will be necessary to help prevent falls and injuries. Of course, training programs must be adapted for older people. Various studies have shown that these exercise programs can significantly reduce the percentage of falls in elderly people (37% in falls, 43% in serious injuries and 61% in fractures).

Everybody

Balance training is suitable for everyone. Discover the benefits of balance and stability training :

• Improves balance, position and coordination of muscles.
• Improves neuromuscular coordination. The brain will better give orders to the muscles.
• You will teach your body to use the trunk to stabilize itself.

Now you have at your disposal an extensive repertoire of  exercises to improve gait and balance , as well as the best accessories to help you in this purpose. Incorporate simple balance training today. You can do it at home without problem. By the way! You can do balance exercise anywhere and with any everyday action. If you bend down to pick something up from the floor, contract your abs and stretch one of your legs behind you as if you were doing a deadlift. You can watch TV or use a computer while sitting on a stability ball. Or stand on one leg while brushing your teeth!