Adding Effective Balance Skills to Your Physical Fitness Training and Fighting Capabilities – Part 3: Balance PT With Specialized Equipment

What’s up, everyone?? As promised, I’m back with the next post of this mini-series on balance physical training (“balance PT”). The first post on balance PT covered the “why” of doing including balance PT in a workout, and provided a conceptual foundation to approach balance PT. The second post of the balance PT series reviewed the conceptual foundation of balance PT in order to apply it to minimalist/no-equipment balance PT work, along with suggesting various common off-the-shelf materials to use as balance training devices. For Part 3 of the balance PT series, we’ll cover some exceptionally high-quality, dedicated balance training devices that are worth owning for serious trainees. As with pretty much any consumer good these days, there are tons of options, so I’ll only cover those few pieces of balance PT equipment that I’ve used a lot and that have worked very well for me over the years.

We’ll continue from where we left off.

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Adding Balance Training Into the Exercise Program III: Balance PT With the Stability Ball

First up on the list of recommendations for specialized balance PT gear is the classic stability ball, which has been my main go-to core work and balance trainer for many years, and which I still use weekly, both for myself and for my personal training clients. The stability ball (pictured below) looks like a thick-walled, heavy-duty beach ball, and comes in a wide variety of different diameters, measured in centimeters for whatever weird reason – 45 cm, 55 cm, 65 cm, even 75 cm (and larger).

Stability Ball in 65 cm size

For most people, the 65 cm stability ball is the best, most versatile option that works for pretty much all general applications of balance PT. Occasionally, the smaller balls of 45 cm and 55 cm can be useful; for example, the 45 cm ball is useful for shorter people (some women, children) and even certain grappling balancing applications – like lying face down on the ball while maneuvering around the ball. Same goes for the 55 cm ball which, again, may be useful for smaller people and other specialized applications. But if you’re going to buy only one ball, get the 65 cm stability ball.

The main function of the stability ball is to provide an unstable surface, which as you recall, is the first of the four destabilizing methods of balance PT. The nice thing about the stability ball is that it provides a “plug and play” unstable surface from which you can do many, many different exercises – hundreds of them, even. Below is a list of possible uses for the stability ball, as well as a very brief list of exercise suggestions for each use:

• Roller/Torso Platform
  • Wall Squats (aka “Wall Sliders”) – place the stability ball at the belt line to start with, and move up and down in a squatting motion; can be done with or without dumbbells
  • Walk Outs – start out lying face down on the ball, and do a hand walk forwards and backwards with the legs (or just one leg) remaining on the ball during the movement
  • “Clock Walks” – start out lying face down on the ball, and do a hand walk in a circular pattern to either side with the legs (or just one leg) remaining on the ball during the movement
• Bench – can serve as a flat or incline bench, depending on bodily positioning
  • Flat Dumbbell/Barbell Bench Press – one or both arms for dumbbells; can also be done with two hands alternating when using dumbbells
  • Incline Dumbbell/Barbell Bench Press – one or both arms for dumbbells; can also be done with two hands alternating
  • Seated Overhead Dumbbell/Barbell Press (again, I’m not a fan of most exercises done sitting upright, but this is nevertheless an option with some balance PT benefits) – one or both arms for dumbbells; can also be done with two hands alternating when using dumbbells
  • Seated Dumbbell Curls – one or both arms for dumbbells; can also be done with two hands alternating when using dumbbells
  • Dumbbell/Barbell Pullovers – one or both arms for dumbbells; can also be done with two hands alternating when using dumbbells (very tough exercise!)
  • Dumbbell Rows – one (very tough) or both arms for dumbbells; can also be done with two hands alternating when using dumbbells
  • Dumbbell Flys – one or both arms for dumbbells; can also be done with two hands alternating when using dumbbells
  • Abdominal Crunches
  • Seated Diagonal Swings with Light Dumbbell, Kettlebell, or Slam Ball – from a twisted/rotated position, pull the iron weight/ball with both hands from the bottom of one side diagonally upwards to top of the other side, and then switch sides
  • Seated Side Swings with Light Dumbbell or Kettlebell – same as above, but with the iron weight in both hands at around chest level, side to side
• Hand/Arm Platform – as shown in the featured picture of the man doing an Elbow Plank on the stability ball
  • Push-Ups (feet on floor or feet elevated) – put hands on the stability ball and perform the exercise; use TWO stability balls (if you got ’em) – one under each hand – for added challenge!
  • Planks – elbow; arms extended; one arm only
  • One-Arm Dumbbell Rows with Stability Ball as Support – positioning the legs closer or farther from the ball will change the difficulty level and balance demands
• Kneeling/Foot Platform – for posting feet when doing floor-based hip, core, and other exercises
  • Hip Bridges – with one or two feet; with or without hand or elbow support (one of my personal favorites)
  • Leg Curls – same as above
  • Compound Hamstring – a combination of the Hip Bridges + Leg Curls in an “Up-Out-In-Down” pattern
  • Push-Ups – one or two legs; toes or top of feet (toes are harder)
  • Pike/Knee-Tuck Press – one or two legs

And that’s just a partial list! There are certainly tons of stability ball exercise possibilities, and YouTube is a good resource to find some creative uses of it. If I could only own one single piece of  specialized balance PT equipment, it would be the stability ball – hands down! You can’t beat its cost to benefit ratio, as well as its incredible versatility.

Again, the unstable surface provided by the stability ball is just the start of what you can do for good balance PT. For most exercises using the ball, you could probably add one or even several additional destabilizing methods. For example, you could do stability ball Push-Ups using the ball as a hand platform, and putting your hands 4 – 6″ apart instead of the typical shoulder-width spacing (reduced base of support), and that would make the Push-Ups even more challenging than with just the unstable surface alone provided by the ball using typical spacing. Using just one dumbbell (asymmetrical loading) for an exercise like Dumbbell Bench Press or Dumbbell Rows (with the ball as torso support) on the ball (already an unstable surface) will vastly increase the imposed balance demands. So you see – LOTS of possibilities, using the concepts provided.

It’s worth mentioning here once again that balance PT is very core-intensive in all cases, as you can deduce and even see from the exercise descriptions above. This is where regularly doing quality abdominal and lower back exercises are key, together with rotating/twisting movements, in basic form. While having a six-pack abdominals is good to go, the true main point of doing core exercises is for application towards better lifting, balance, and dynamic movement… don’t forget that.

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Adding Balance Training Into the Exercise Program IV: Balance PT With the “Bosu Ball”

Next up on the list of what I consider to be the best balance PT devices is the Bosu Ball (pictured below; eBay has some used options and imitations that are significantly cheaper), which is the proprietary name for a training device that is half stability ball, and half flat, hard disc-shaped backing.

Bosu Ball (Original Version; photo courtesy of Amazon.com)

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Attractive womyn on Bosu Ball (photo courtesy of Amazon.com)

The Bosu Ball can be used in some of the same formats as the stability ball – specifically, as an unstable hand/arm platform, and as a kneeling/foot platform as well. However… in my humble opinion, the Bosu Ball just does not serve very well as an unstable bench (for bench-based exercises, as described in the stability ball section above) due to how low it is to the ground; for any unstable bench exercise work, I just use the stability ball, as it’s much more ample for that type of application. Clearly, the Bosu Ball can’t be used as a roller either. As for using the Bosu Ball as a hand/arm platform, again, it can be done and isn’t a bad option, but it’s not the best tool for the job; it’s very low to the ground, and with one side being totally flat, it isn’t as unstable as a stability ball (which is cheaper too). You could theoretically use the Bosu Ball with hands or elbows on the flat side, but again, the stability ball handily covers this type of stuff.

But, where the Bosu Ball particularly excels “bigly” is as an unstable platform for pretty much any exercise done standing up, which covers a lot of exercises! The two-sided Bosu Ball has both the soft side to stand on, as well as the flat, hard side. Believe it or not, the soft side is the easier of the two sides to use for exercise, since it’s soft, doesn’t move at all (resting on the stable hard, flat side), and has a squishy “cushioning” effect that provides some stability, whereas the hard, flat side flops around mercilessly, as the semi-circular, rubber bottom wobbles around nonstop! I typically start my newbie trainees on the soft side, which gives them a big run for their money at first. Eventually, I progress to the hard, flat side to enhance the balance PT yet further. Standing balance PT on the Bosu Ball works the heck out of the Core-Hips-Ankle Balance Complex (especially the hard, flat side), making the Bosu Ball a must-have for the serious balance trainee.

When it comes to the Bosu Ball, you can also use additional destabilizing methods (as already covered) to layer more balance demands onto the unstable surface already provided by the Bosu Ball: asymmetrical positioning of the feet (makes a HUGE difference here); reduced base of support (although I confess that I’ve never been able to do any single-leg work on this bad boy LOL); and asymmetrical loading. Here are some balance PT standing exercise possibilities you can do with the Bosu Ball:

• Dumbbell/Barbell Overhead Presses – single-side, alternating, or simultaneous when using dumbbells
• Dumbbell/Barbell Romanian Deadlifts – single-side or or both hands, when using dumbbells
• Dumbbell/Barbell Rows (Bent-Over or Upright) – single-side, alternating, or simultaneous when using dumbbells
• Dumbbell/Barbell Squats – a balance PT classic; can be asymmetrically loaded on just one side when using dumbbells
• Dumbbell/Barbell Curls – single-side, alternating, or simultaneous when using dumbbells
• Calisthenics
  • Toe Touches – with or without a twist to the side of the foot, for extra balance demand
  • Side Bends – with or without load (dumbbells)
  • Trunk Twists w/ Broomstick
  • Woodchoppers w/ light ball (or other object, or none)
  • Rotating Trunk – turn in conical circles at the waist
  • Back and Forth Bowing
• Compound Movements (to name just a few possibilities; can be done in sequence with one exercise and then the next, or in a flow/blending of movements. Pro tip: can also be done without the Bosu Ball for great conditioning work!)
  • Dumbbell Squat + Dumbbell Overhead Press
  • Dumbbell Squat + Dumbbell Curls
  • Dumbbell Squat + Dumbbell Curls + Dumbbell Overhead Press
  • Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift + Dumbbell Overhead Press
  • Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift + Dumbbell Curls + Dumbbell Overhead Press
  • Twisting Dumbbell Toe Touches + Overhead Dumbbell Press
  • Twisting Dumbbell Toe Touches + Dumbbell Curls + Dumbbell Overhead Press

Now, if Partisans want to get REALLY hardcore about tactical balance PT… sling on your Kalashnikov or carbine, and try the Ready-Up and other DRY FIRE drills (obviously) while standing on the Bosu Ball. Steadying that sight picture while standing on the Bosu Ball for dry fire will help improve both your balance capabilities as well as your shooting mechanics, making the Bosu Ball well-suited towards this type of tactical cross-over work. Isn’t that cool? After all, you never know what unfavorable conditions may present when you have to take a shot, right?

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Adding Balance Training Into the Exercise Program V: Balance PT With Other Specialized Equipment

Aside from the stability ball and the Bosu Ball, there are other pieces of specialized balance equipment that can be used to create an unstable surface for balance PT. Among them are:

• Wobble/Rocker Boards – wobble boards are basically the same as the Bosu Ball’s flat, hard side (some have a twisting/rotating feature too); the rocker boards typically have a more side-to-side movement, and are a nice addition to the equipment lineup.
• Balance Pads/Wobble Cushions – balance pads and wobble cushions are similar to the soft side of the Bosu Ball; works nicely for single-leg work!

These are great training items that can added to your fitness gear at a reasonable price, although I think the stability ball and the super-sturdy and spacious Bosu Ball are well-worth the investment and provide more options than the above-mentioned pieces of equipment.

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And there you have it! Hopefully by now, Partisans have a good idea of how to conduct their own good balance PT, as well as what is needed to do it. The next and final post in the balance PT series will cover some advanced balance concepts to use for your workouts, as well as recommended best practices to use when doing balance PT. Thanks for reading!

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Balance PT Series

Adding Effective Balance Skills to Your Physical Fitness Training and Fighting Capabilities – Part 1: Introduction

Adding Effective Balance Skills to Your Physical Fitness Training and Fighting Capabilities – Part 2: Balance PT Without Specialized Equipment

Adding Effective Balance Skills to Your Physical Fitness Training and Fighting Capabilities – Part 3: Balance PT With Specialized Equipment