Single Leg Balance Circuit
Trying to strike a balance?✨
Balance training has huge benefits for performance, everyday life, and injury prevention (hello + good morning little ankle, knee + hip stabilizer muscles!). Balance is AMAZING because on top of muscular work, it requires lots of nervous system + visual work. It is HARD for your brain - so by challenging it, your body will devote resources to adapt and improve.
Balance training can help:
Performance for many activities - hiking, running, paddleboarding, martial arts, dance, yoga…so many more.
Everyday living tasks - most of the time, we are moving on one leg at a time.
Reduce fall risk (able to catch your balance, increased strength of stabilizing muscles, faster reaction time for your balance system to “adjust/respond” when you loose your footing).
Reduce injury risk from falls (by being able to “fall better” or catch your balance)
The post below includes a 5-movement single-leg balance routine and suggestions on how to advance/progress it. For the base circuit (30s on / 10s transition), each round will takes about 6 minutes (you CAN fit this into your day!). Start with 1-2 rounds, then build using the tips on the "Progressions" slide.
PS: This routine or combination is not magic - any one of these moves can also be done on it's own - while you're waiting for coffee to brew, during commercial breaks, waiting in line at the grocery store (if you see someone getting weird in the Trader Joe's line here in Burlington, might be me 😂)
Disclaimer: Not all exercises are suitable for everyone and this or any other exercise program may result in injury. To reduce any injury, please consult with your doctor before beginning this, or any other physical fitness program. The user of this program assumes full risk of injury resulting from performing the routines presented in this video.
How to Train Single Leg Balance
Simply put - what doesn’t challenge you doesn’t change you. The goal is to find a level of balance exercises that is challenging but do-able for the brain and body. Think: like a Jell-o mold that jiggles buts doesn’t slide off the plate - you want to find a “controlled wobble”.
STEP 1
The first step is to find the level of these exercises that is your “controlled wobble” point. The slides have suggestions on how to progress (make harder) or regress (make easier) each move. In general, balance exercises can be be progressed by:
Challenging the visual (eye) or vestibular (inner ear) systems by shifting your gaze, moving your head (left/right, up/down), or closing your eyes.
Challenging your propioception system (where is the body in space? how stable is it)? by modifying your stance (narrow two-legged, stagged, tander, or a single leg stance), or standing on a less stable surface (barefoot, grass, sand, pillows, foam pads, wobble discs, BOSU trainers).
Challenging your center of gravity (leaning forward such as in a single leg RDL, passing a weight (or a water bottle, bag of apples…) from one hand to the other while on one leg…or passing it around your body).
Challenging the cognitive system. Balance takes a LOT of brain work and focus - so by asking the brain to do something else (say the ABCs, say names of people you know, say words that start w/ a certain letter, states you’ve traveled to….) - it makes the mind divert a little of that focus, then come back and stabilize.
STEP 2
Start by training in 30s intervals - 10s transition timer (lots of free apps to do this) - the circuit will be 6-6.5 min total. Aim for 1-3 rounds depending on time. Write down what version you started with, what interval time you used, and how it felt (so you can compare + contrast).
Practice this 3 times per week for 4 weeks and see how you progress.
If an exercise starts to feel easy, progress it or increase the duration of the work period to 40s, 50s, 60s…
STEP 3
Rinse + repeat - there are endless ways to keep changing and challenging the balance system.
Similar to your muscles, you want to progressively overload the system overtime. By continuing to bump up either the volume/duration, variation, surface instability, or cognitive challenge - you’ll help your body to keep adapting. Apply the methods described in the “Progressions” slide or get creative and build yourself a new routine.
