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Core Boards

Why would you get in line to play with a wobble board with springs? Because you can tone your tum, boost your balance and avoid getting crocked at that forthcoming sporting challenge, that's why.

The core board is a development of the old wobble board - a board with half a football stuck on the bottom. By adding springs the core board gives you the instability of the wobble board, but also fights back by trying to return itself to where it wants to be just as you are trying to get it to go somewhere else. The result is a heroic and dynamic struggle between man and inanimate object with the result that you get to build up the stabilising and balancing muscles of your torso. And fall off from time to time, naturally.

Core boards have a major advantage over Swiss balls or wobble balls. If you try to rotate your body in a vertical axis the core board will try to push you back the other way. To combat that you have to use muscular force to counter the turning action as well as keep your balance. It makes for a varied and active workout but is still quite gentle - the core board was created by the physical therapist to Canada 's national soccer team to help rehabilitate injured football players. OK, OK, so none of us can name a single Canadian football player, but on the other hand you've never heard of any of them staying injured either, right? The idea now is that not only does the board help build up core strength by recruiting as many muscles as possible to help balance, it also reduces your risk of getting crocked at that company five-a-side/netball tournament. By gently 'surprising' your muscles with its twists and turns it strengthens them and makes them much less likely to be shocked or injured when you make that desperate lunge to get away from that nippy young defender from Bought Ledger.

Plus it's fun. It's really fun - giggle-out-loud sort of fun, and when was the last time you did that in an abs class?

WHAT CAN I EXPECT?

You'll start off with some stretches to loosen the hamstrings, hip flexors and calves, then a few simple balances on the board. Next you'll move on to a little bit of rhythmic movement (don't worry, there's nothing you could call choreography here) interrupted with stationary balances. Expect to spend a fair amount of time on the end of the board with one leg in the air doing squats and delivering slow motion (and very wobbly) kicks sideways, forwards and backwards. Imagine a Bruce Lee film acted out by Grandpa Simpson.

After lateral balances and forward balances you'll move on to a bit of upper body and obliques work, possibly kneeling on the floor with one arm balanced on the board and twisting away for all you're worth. It sounds silly, it looks silly.it feels great.

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