Regular workouts on a hockey balance board are great for the body’s core. It is hard to imagine how much good can come from just a little board. The best thing about training on a balance board is that the entire time that you are balancing yourself on it, your core is engaged. When the core is engaged for extended periods of time it gains strength. As you are engaging your core, you can take advantage of the rest of the muscles left that aren’t being engaged and build them up as well. Try these four training drills and see how they feel. You won’t be disappointed.

1 Structured Squat

The first leg blaster that you can try is the structured squat. We like to call it that because it takes a certain amount of structure in order do to one. It is not extremely difficult if you already know how to balance yourself on the board. All you have to do is get yourself balanced, then take it down nice and slow until your thighs are in a 90-degree angle with your spine. You don’t want to squat so low that you damage your knees, so just to where your spine is straight and your thighs are level like a table. Bring yourself down, then rise back up again. Repeat between 8 and 10 times.

2 Balanced Squat

When you do a balanced squat you can put your arms out forward and concentrate on the way that you engaging your core. Be mindful of where your body is and how you are standing. Do a squat, but keep your arms out straight forward. If you have to balance, use your body and not your arms. Keep yourself steady and squat down, then back up. Repeat this 8 to 10 times.

3 Tippy Toes

With this exercise, you want to do a squat while you keep yourself balanced on your tippy-toes. Just to make sure that you have it right, balance on the board while standing on your tippy-toes for a moment. Once you find your center, remain on your tippy-toes, but go down for a squat nice and slow. Slowly squat down, then slowly raise up again. Repeat this exercise 8 to 10 times, or until you can’t do it anymore, whichever comes first.

4 Ankle Blasters

Strengthening your ankles on a hockey balance board just goes with the territory. It takes a lot of ankle strength in the first place just to stand on the board without falling down. However, you can force yourself to gain ankle strength by manipulating the board with the way you stand on it. The best way to blast your ankles is to get yourself balanced on the board so that you are centered. Next, allow one of the sides of the board to lower towards the ground as far down as you can without actually touching the ground. Hold that stance and count to 10. Once you get to 10 slowly reposition your stance so taht the opposite side is low to the ground, and the other foot is upward in the air. Hold that stance for 10 seconds. Repeat this exercise 5 times so that each foot is low to the ground 5 times a piece. This will strengthen your ankles, your calves, and your core.

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