If you think about it, many of our daily movements require us to balance on one leg. When you start jogging lightly to catch the bus or catch up with your co-workers in the hallway, each step will have a short period of time when you balance on one foot. When you climb stairs, you push up with one foot at a time. The last time you jumped over a puddle or curb, you landed on one foot.
For athletes — I mean anyone involved in any sport or physical endeavor, from the novice to the elite — the need for perfect balance is even greater. bigger. Runners obviously spend a lot of time on one leg, but so do hikers, dancers, and aerobics buffs. Sports like basketball, tennis, ultimate discus, rugby, squash, and soccer add to the difficulty by introducing internal movements where you move in one direction, landing with one foot, then juggle in the other direction.
As bipedal creatures, you’d think balance would come naturally to us. And it certainly did for our ancestors, who moved on a daily basis, climbing over rocks and walking on uneven terrain, running and sprinting as needed. They inevitably stumble sometimes and succumb to fall-related injuries, but they train their balance every day to carry out the simple acts of life.
We modern humans don’t have to stumble all day, but we certainly don’t push ourselves the way our ancestors did. Chairs, cars, and paved sidewalks made us soft. Even super-fit athletes often struggle with the type of single-leg stability and balance exercise we’re covering today.
Just as we need to lift weights to develop the strength our ancestors were able to naturally develop, we need to intentionally cultivate excellent balance. That’s what the exercises below, presented by my friend and collaborator Brad Kearns.
6 Functional Balance Exercises (Moderate to Advanced Difficulty)
Before doing these exercises, you should feel comfortable balancing on one leg while standing still. Those still trying to build that solid foundation must first start with the beginner balance exercises and work your way up to these more advanced movements.
That said, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself! You may be surprised at how wobbly you are the first time you do these exercises. Stick with it. If you’re serious about balance, do the following exercises a few times a week.
Before getting into the specifics, here are some guidelines that will make these exercises safer and more effective:
- Keep your core engaged throughout the exercise.
- When you bend your knee (eg wobble), keep the knee track on your foot. Do not allow them to point inward or outward.
- Land gently as you jump.
- When you’re just starting out, have a wall or pole nearby that you can grab for support, but don’t cling to it. Use a light touch if you need to.
- Do these exercises barefoot or wearing as minimal shoes as possible. Remember, balance starts with the feet.
You can do all six of the exercises below as a dedicated balance exercise. Do one or two sets of each exercise as described. Or like Brad, incorporate a few of them into your morning routine or as part of a microwave workout.
Lower down with body touch
This is similar to the walking foot shake you may be familiar with. The difference here is that with each forward lunge, you’re bringing your torso toward the front thigh. Focus on form over speed. Make your movements intentional as you lunge forward with your front knee tracking on your toes, twist forward with your hips without rounding back, then push up to perform. take the next step while keeping your glutes and core.
Take 10 to 15 steps in one direction, then turn around and return to the starting point.
Lift step with one leg
Place your left foot on a bench, step, or box. Work your glutes and push through your left leg to stand up on the bench. Bring your right foot to the left. Make sure your body is straight up into the air instead of leaning forward and backward to harness momentum.
Do 12 to 15 on the left foot, then switch and do the same with the right number.
For a more advanced variation, raise your left knee up to hip level while raising your arms in the air with each step up.
Elevate the soft foot jump
Place one foot on the bench, step, or box behind you. You can bend the back foot so that the toes anchor to the bench or point the toes so that the top of the foot rests on the bench. Jump on a standing leg, keeping a micro-motion at the knee. These jumps should be small, with the feet barely leaving the ground. Increase the speed from one exercise to the next to play with different stimuli.
Do 10 to 15 on the first turn, then switch to and do the same on the second turn.
Jumping from side to side
Jump sideways from one foot to the other. The knee will be fixed when you land, so be sure to keep the track knee on the foot.
One set is 10 to 20 jumps.
Bulgarian Squatting
Place one foot on the bench, step, or box behind you. Nearly all of your weight is on your standing leg. Squat down, then stand up and finish with full hip extension, hip forward.
This is a difficult exercise, so 8 reps per leg should suffice. If you want an extra challenge, hold weights in one or both hands or at chest height.
Birds drink wine
Stand on your left foot, keeping the knee soft. Stretch forward by your hips and lower your torso toward the ground while lifting your right leg straight behind. Imagine your head, torso, and right leg are connected in a straight line and move as a single unit. Bring your right hand forward toward the ground for balance. Contract your left glutes and hamstrings to reverse the movement and return to standing. Tap your right foot into the ground if needed, but try to keep your right foot elevated throughout the entire movement.
Tip: Make sure your head stays firmly on your neck so your gaze moves up and down with your upper body. When standing, you are looking straight ahead, and when crouching, you are looking at the ground. Aim for 15 to 20 reps on each side.
For a full demonstration of all these moves, plus other helpful tips from Brad, check out the video on YouTube:
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