Also known as a balance disc, balance cushions are a simple and unsuspecting way to challenge your balance, target core muscles and add a little fun to your daily routine. They are exactly what they sound like: small, round blow-up cushions that can be used pretty much anytime anywhere. They are great for all levels of fitness as they can be used with simple activities like sitting, all the way to plyometrics.
Here, we’ve rounded up the many benefits of a balance cushion as well as our favorite ways to utilize them. Remember, perform balance activities near a wall or counter for safety and if you have any preexisting conditions, previous falls or no exercise experience, make sure to talk to your physician or physical therapist prior to starting any new exercises.
The benefits of using a balance cushion
Improved balance
It’s no secret that a balance cushion can help improve your balance. By standing on a compliant or squishy, surface our balance systems are required to work harder to keep us off of the floor. To get more technical, we have three systems responsible for balance, the visual system (eyes), somatosensory system (think touch and proprioception) and vestibular systems (inner ear). They are all constantly working together to take in information about where our body is in space in order to allow our bodies to react accordingly.
While most of the time all of the systems are at least partially active, there are ways that we can target and train each specific system. By adding a balance cushion under us, we take away some of the somatosensory system’s input. This means that the visual and vestibular systems are working extra hard to keep us upright. If you take it a step further and close your eyes, then the vestibular system is doing a lot of the work! By varying the exercises you do, you can ensure you are getting well rounded balance training.
Lower body strength
Knowing that all of these balance systems are working is great, but what is it that actually keeps you upright? Your muscles of course! After your brain receives feedback about what’s happening under you, it tells your muscles what to do in response. If you are sitting on the balance disc your hip and trunk muscles, like the gluteals, transverse abdominus and obliques, are kicking in. If you are standing on the disc your ankle and hip muscles, like the tibialis anterior, peroneals, gastroc-soleus and gluteals will be doing most of the work. On top of that, all the tiny (but very important!) muscles in your feet will get a great workout.
Core strength
Sitting or standing on an uneven surface requires your core stabilizing muscles to kick in. Whether you’re just sitting on the disc or doing lunges, your deep core muscles, like the transverse abdominus, multifi, gluteals and obliques are activated. The more unstable the movement, the harder your core muscles will work. But if you are a beginner, then just sitting on the cushion will start to get your muscles activated and ready for more advanced moves.
They’re portable
There are many tools that can be used to improve balance, but none are quite as portable as a balance cushion. It’s easy to travel with as you can just deflate it, bring a small pump, and reinflate it whenever you reach your destination. On top of that, it is relatively easy to clean if you find yourself putting it on a lot of different surfaces.
How to use a balance cushion
Fill it up
The first step of using your new balance cushion is blowing it up. How much air you put in it makes quite a difference for how difficult your activities are. Less air typically feels easier and more air will make balancing a bit harder. So, try starting with less air and then pump it up more as you get used to it.
Sit on it
The simplest way to use a balance cushion is to place it on your chair and sit on it. If you work long hours from a desk, the addition of the balance cushion can make a difference throughout the day. While it hasn’t been shown to significantly increase muscle strength, it helps keep your pelvis and spine in a more optimal alignment, so you may find that your back hurts less at the end of a long day. Start by sitting on it for an hour during the day and then increase the time as tolerated.
Stand on it
Once you get the hang of sitting on this thing, go ahead and try it on your feet. Set up your balance cushion in a corner so you have two walls to rely on for safety just in case you start to wobble. Follow this progression of standing balance exercises to improve your balance slowly and safely. Once you can maintain one of the positions for 30 seconds without a lot of swaying, try moving on to the next level. All exercises can be tried with eyes closed for a bigger challenge (but be safe!)
- One foot on one foot off: Start with one foot on the disc and one on solid ground. Once you get the feel for this try shifting your weight from one foot to the other, gradually putting more and more weight into the leg on the disc. You can play around with closing your eyes as you weight shift to add a little extra challenge.
- One foot on each: If you have two discs, put one foot on each disc. Start by just trying to maintain your balance and then you can challenge yourself by weight shifting side to side and closing your eyes.
- Both feet, wide stance: Stand on the disc with as wide a stance as possible. Try to maintain your balance.
- Both feet, narrow stance: Now step your feet together until they are touching. Here is where it gets challenging!
- Tandem stance: Now place your feet heel to toe, or as close as you can to that, while maintaining your feet on the disc.
- Single leg balance: You are ready for the final challenge! Now with just one foot on the cushion, try to keep your balance for as long as you can.
Move on it
Now that you have a good feel for what the balance disc is like, it is time to get a little creative. Below we have listed out a few of our favorite exercises to perform on a balance cushion that will work muscles you didn’t even know you had! They are listed in order of difficulty so start off slow and work your way up to some of the more challenging moves.
- Bicep curl to shoulder press: Stand on the balance cushion with both feet. Using two weights, bend your elbows to curl the weight and then press them both overhead. Lower the weights using the same movements in reverse order.
- Front raises: Stand with both feet on the disc. With a weight in each hand, keep elbows slightly bent and raise arms forward until shoulder height. Slowly lower back to starting position.
- Alternating lateral raises: Stand with both feet on the disc. Using two weights, keep elbows slightly bent, palms down and raise your arm out to the side until shoulder height. Lower and switch sides. If alternating is too challenging to your balance you can lift both weights at the same time.
- Reverse lunge: With one foot on the balance cushion, step back into a lunge with the opposite leg. After one set, switch which foot is on the disc.
- Balance plank: Get into a plank position, either on hands or elbows, with both feet balancing on the disc. Hold for as long as you can.
- Offset pushups: Get into a plank position with one hand on the floor and one hand on the balance cushion. Perform pushups. After one set, switch which hand is on the balance cushion.
- In and out jump squats: Start in a squat position with both feet on the floor and the balance disc in between your legs. Jump out of your squat while bringing your legs together and land softly into a squat with both feet on the disc. Now jump again, separating your legs and dropping back into a squat with both feet on the floor. That is one repetition.
- Get creative: Try out any of your favorite exercises while standing on the disc or with one arm or leg balancing on the disc. Just make sure to start easy with light weights (or no weights!) and progress from there.
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