What are Balance Exercises?

Take a moment and think back to a time in your life where your body caught you by surprise. 

Maybe your toe caught an unruly crack in the pavement on your walk, a sneaky patch of ice sent you sliding, or a bump into a loved one almost knocked you over, but didn’t. 

Think about a time when your body could find equilibrium without you having to think about it, where it felt unbelievable that you didn’t end up on the floor. This incredible sense of balance is something that we all carry, that we all utilize, and can all strengthen over time with practice.

To get you in the mindset of working on your sense of balance control, we will cover the basics of dynamic balance training exercises: what they are and what are some of the different types that you can practice.

What are Balance Exercises?

Balance exercises are, to nobody’s surprise, exercises that work our sense of balance. 

And when we talk about balance, we aren’t just talking about incredible yoga poses that have you locked in a handstand; having a good sense of balance is important for every single aspect of your physical life. 

Walking on uneven surfaces, carrying things, even trying new forms of exercise training all require the adaptability that comes with having a good sense of balance.

Now that we’ve covered the intro to balance exercises and what they can do to improve your life, let’s break them down into a few different categories so you can introduce a variety of movements to your workout routine: dynamic, static, standing, and sitting.

While you can undoubtedly find exercises that utilize combinations of these four types, it can be a more approachable idea when you have options that are already broken down.

Sitting Balance Exercises

Sitting balance exercises provide a world of variety with little consequences, so whether you’re a balance expert or you’re brand new to balance exercises, this is a wonderful place to start. 

If you’ve found that your sense of balance is slipping a bit, sit on a couch, hold your arms straight out to each side and try tilting in each direction, and sitting back up straight without tottering over. For those who want to work their balance in an ab-forward way, v-ups are an awesome way to get your core firing to improve your sense of balance on the ground! 

Standing Balance Exercises

Standing balance exercises are—you guessed it—standing. 

There are an infinite number of standing movements that can work your sense of balance, so finding the right ones for you depends entirely on your skill level and what you’re comfortable with. Trust your body but always work your way up when there’s a risk of falling to the floor. 

A simple standing balance exercise could be marching in place, while a more challenging one could be alternating jumping lunges with your legs bending to 90-degree angles and your knees never going forward past your toes.

Static Balance Exercises 

Static balance exercises are generally the most straightforward, the easiest to support, and a great way to introduce balance exercises to your workouts. 

You know that a balance exercise is static when you get into a position and do your best to maintain it—for example, standing still (doing this with your eyes closed is a great challenge), standing on one leg, or contorting into a crow pose for the yogis at heart. 

Dynamic Balance Exercises

Dynamic balance exercises are characterized by movement: they require lots of it. 

This type of exercise is easily the most translatable to your everyday life. Dynamic movements are functional movements; your body can’t tell the difference between stepping up onto a bench in the gym or stepping up a flight of stairs in your home. 

Examples of dynamic balance exercises include walking backward, holding a plank on a stability ball, and single-leg Romanian deadlifts. 

No matter where you begin your balance journey, you are in the right place. You can practice balance exercise training at any of our locations, or follow our amazing instructors as they take you through balance exercise on iChuze Fitness, our online fitness platform. Start small, work your way into more challenging movements, and don’t forget to have fun!