Balance

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I did the “Balance Traing for Runners” and it wasn’t pretty. Is there a more basic balance training that I could start with or should I just keep at this one? I clearly need to improve my balance. Thanks in advance for advice.

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There are some balance exercises in the Full Body strength and mobility workouts.
You might try just the mobility exercises in the workout and see how it goes.

As I am sure you noted, the “Balance Training for Runners” is an intermediate level workout.

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Thanks. Maybe we can get @abicarver to do a “Balance For Boomers” video :blush:.

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If you were wearing shoes, you can reduced the difficulty of balance exercises by going barefoot.
If you are on a soft floor surface like a yoga mat, rubber gym flooring or carpet you can reduce difficulty by doing the exercises on a hard floor.

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Thanks. Will try bare feet and see how it goes.

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Balance for Boomers! Love it.

Another thing that you can do it take the video step by step, pausing on each part to practice it individually. Then you can build up fluency over time.

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Thanks. Will try in bare feet and will break it down step by step.

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Let us know how you get on…

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@Mecons - hang in there. It was pretty awful to watch when I started but Abi got me through it! She’s awesome! The Cycling Pre-ride has some balance exercises that combine some core work as well. It’ll come - best thing I found - find that point on the floor and act like a laser goat!!

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Thanks. Will give pre-ride a go and will definitely stick with it.

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You can also try out the Balance and Agility I & II yoga sessions. I think that you’ll see some improvement over time by doing a range of exercises that challenge your balance.

I’m pretty sure Abi mentions in at least one of the workouts that you can expect to have better balance on one side than the other. I also find that the quality of my balance can vary from day to day.

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The problem with those workouts is that they are on an advanced level.
As I know from experience, if your balance is not great, those are too hard to do.

Fortunately, at least for me, the balance exercise is the Strength training are much more accessible.

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Agreed. I don’t think advanced yoga is realistic for me. The intermediate is a stretch.

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I’ve done the pre ride video and am doing balance training for runners in bare feet. I’ve done it 10 times. I’m still putting a foot down now and then, but less than when I started so I think that is progress. Will stay with it. Hopefully, this will help me when I get on the stand up paddle board now that the weather is getting better. Thanks to everyone for your advice.

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FWIW: Boomer here and I practice balancing on each foot every time I put on socks, shoes, pants. Hiking in rough uneven terrain is good to.

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16

That’s great progress! The crucial thing is to concentrate as hard as you can…and believe in yourself! You can hold these poses longer than you think. I promise!

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in addition to the above pointers, i’ve also found certain physical cues to be super helpful. Specifically:

  • spread the toes to get a strong, stable platform. Being barefoot helps but if you spend all your time in shoes with a narrow toe box, you may need a little activation to get the piggies working. Strong stable platform in turn helps keep the knees from collapsing inward (good for squats and single-leg squats, too)
  • brace and/tight the core. i’m not sure exactly why, but my whole body feels more in my control when i do this.

I used to think just getting in position would activate all the muscles as needed, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.

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Thanks to everyone who has provided these helpful tips. I am continuing to work on balance. It will take time, but I’m seeing some improvement.

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Same here. I’ve found that my balance has improved over time. However, I have to stop breaking things!