Total body fitness: 5 exercises to get you there
What's the story
Indo Board exercises are a fun and challenging way to enhance balance, core strength, and overall fitness.
While they originated in the surfing community to mimic the balance needed on a surfboard, they are suitable and advantageous for anyone aiming to improve their physical abilities.
In this article, we will look at five beneficial Indo Board exercises that are tailored to various skill levels and goals.
Foundation
Starting with the basics
Before attempting advanced tricks, it's essential to master the basic stance on an Indo Board.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and your gaze focused forward.
Try to hold this position as steadily as possible for 30 seconds to one minute.
This fundamental exercise strengthens your core stability and readies your body for more complex movements.
Core activation
Engaging the core with tilts
Once you're comfortable with static balance, it's time to add tilts.
Slowly rock your weight from side to side or front to back, taking care not to let the edges of the board touch the ground.
These small shifts require deep core engagement and significantly improve proprioception - your body's awareness of its position in space.
Coordination challenge
Adding upper body movements
Incorporating upper body movements while maintaining balance increases difficulty.
Start by holding a lightweight object in one hand, transferring it behind your back to the other hand while staying balanced.
This exercise not only tests coordination but also encourages upper body mobility and stability through dynamic movement, improving both balance and physical agility.
Strength building
Incorporating squats
Squats on an Indo Board seriously amp up leg strengthening.
Start by lowering into a squat position as you would on stable ground, but this time, keep your balance in check on the wobbly board.
Try for three sets of 10 reps each.
By engaging your leg muscles more dynamically (thanks to the whole not-falling-over thing), you'll be boosting strength, tone, and endurance all at once.
Balance mastery
Advancing with single-leg balances
For those looking for a more advanced challenge, single-leg balances will really push your balance to the limit!
Simply lift one foot off the board while keeping the other rooted like a tree. Try to hold this position for 15-30 seconds before switching to the other leg.
Not only will this exercise sharpen your balance, but it will also strengthen each leg individually, helping to correct any muscular imbalances.