The wobble board is a popular piece of fitness equipment. Known for its alternate workout methods, it is popular in balancing, strengthening and conditioning workouts. Also known as a balance board or rocker board, its main focus in core strength and stability. Wobble boards use an unstable bottom to promote balance and coordination, and are favorites in yoga and aerobic exercises.
Often designed as a rounded plate, a wobble board is a platform that an exerciser steps on while he or she is performing their fitness routine. The wobble board features a flat surface on top with a saucer-shaped piece underneath that is rounded on the bottom. This bottom piece occupies only the center of the rounded bottom of the platform, and forces the board to wobble and rock as the weight shifts on top of the board.
Wobble boards promote core strength by forcing a person to maintain balance throughout his or her body as he or she engages in their fitness routine. As weight shifts from one part of the body to another, the board also will shift, throwing the person off balance. As a person is thrown off balance, he or she must compensate in the other direction, forcing muscle to strain in both directions. While the wobble board specifically targets the core, it also provides a workout for the arms as they remain outstretched, attempting to balance the body. The legs are also strained, pushing the body from side to side as the board wobbles.
Yoga exercises can be completed on the wobble board, forcing a person to maintain extra balance and posture while carrying out the poses. Weight-lifting workouts can be completed with light weights, as the wobble board is used to isolate the correct muscles, forcing the person to get maximum use of the muscles that are supposed to be used, while keeping the rest of the body focused on staying upright.
The wobble board can be used like a surfboard to strengthen legs. It can be tilted in a circular motion, always keeping one edge on the ground as the legs and upper body reposition weight. It can be used as an abdominal workout, using the abdomen to keep the body straight for as long as possible without using other muscles.
In addition to lightweight workouts, the wobble board is popular as a rehabilitation tool and can be used to get an ankle used to rolling to prevent it from spraining. The typical wobble board exercise, training regimen or workout is completed in increments of no higher than two minutes and often must begin much shorter than that as balance is established.