Having great balance and coordination is underrated. First, it’s valuable in daily life as you do all kinds of different activities. Second, when you’re physically active, it prevents injuries and accidents and massively improves your athletic performance. (If you watch sports, you’ll notice that athletes with lots of balance and coordination can overcome athletes who seem more muscular because they can use their strength to the fullest.) Last but not least, you tend to lose your balance as you age so it’s important to maintain it. That’s why we’ve rounded up five of the best balance workouts to improve your coordination that you can seamlessly work into your routine.
You may be wondering, how exactly do you train balance? The best way is to train your body to have balance from left to right and top to bottom (instead of any asymmetries between sides) and to safely create instability in your workout. Below, you’ll find five awesome workouts to tremendously enhance your coordination and balance. Each one has a common theme so you can have a well-rounded approach and take your body to new heights.
Whether you’re an aspiring athlete or a busy parent, try doing these routines once or twice a week (or more if you need to improve your balance for your well-being). For these exercises, prioritize your movement quality and technique above everything else. In other words, it’s far more valuable to use less weight and do each exercise perfectly than to use bad technique just to push a few extra pounds of weight.
Keep reading to learn all about our five best balance workouts to improve your coordination. And for more fitness inspiration, check out the 10 Best Total-Body Exercises To Look 10 Years Younger After 40.
Workout #1: Crawling Patterns
A1) Forward Bear Crawls, Sets: 4, Reps: 10 yards
These balance workouts to improve coordination kick off with the forward bear crawl. Get on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips; keep your knees an inch above the ground. Crawl forward by taking a small step with your right arm and left leg at the same time and alternate. Keep your hips low and your head up.
A2) Backward Bear Crawls, Sets: 4, Reps: 10 yards
Get on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips; keep your knees an inch above the ground. Crawl backward by taking a small step with your right arm and left leg at the same time, and alternate. Keep your hips low and your head up.
A3) Crab Walks, Sets: 4, Reps: 10 yards
Start in the “crab position:” hands and feet flat on the ground, chest facing up, knees bent, hips an inch from the ground, arms straight, hands directly underneath your shoulders, and fingers pointing behind you. Crawl forward by taking a tiny step with your right arm and left leg at the same time, and then another step with your left arm and right leg. Alternate while keeping your hips low and your chest up.
A4) Underswitches, Sets: 4, Reps: 5 each way
From the crab position, lift your right arm and left leg at the same time, and pull your left leg underneath you while rotating your body over the leg and reaching over to your left with your right hand. Land on all fours. Switch sides.
Workout #2: Suspension Trainer
A1) TRX Bulgarian Split Squats, Sets: 4, Reps: 8 per leg
Stand facing away from a TRX, and put one foot in a TRX handle. Squat down with the forward leg, and keep that shin vertical. Lean forward as you go down, and keep all the weight on the heel of your forward foot.
A2) TRX Pushups, Sets: 4, Reps: 10
Face away from the anchor point with TRX handles in each hand. Get into a pushup position with your hands about shoulder-width apart. Keep your lower back flat, and don’t let your hips sag. Lower yourself, and keep your elbows close to your body as you descend.
A3) TRX Inverted Rows, Sets: 4, Reps: 10
Grab TRX straps from underneath with your feet closer to the anchor point. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, and pull yourself up while keeping your body straight like a plank.
A4) TRX Pushup Holds, Sets: 4, Reps: 20 seconds
Get in a TRX pushup position, and hold this position for time. Keep your lower back flat and don’t let your hips sag.
Workout #3: Single-Leg
A1) Single-Leg Medial/Lateral Hop, Sets: 4, Reps: 3 per side
Sit back into your hip, and jump explosively to the side. Land in the same position you jumped from, and land as quietly as you can. Pause briefly, and repeat.
A2) Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts, Sets: 4, Reps: 8 per side
With dumbbells in your hand, slowly bend forward and pull one leg behind. Once the weights are below your knees, drive back up, and squeeze with your glute. Don’t twist your hips to the side—keep them square and facing forward.
A3) Single-Leg, Single-Arm Cable Row, Sets: 4, Reps: 10 per side
Set a cable handle to chest height. Grab the handle, take a step back, and stand facing the cable. On the side holding the handle, bend your foot back behind you. Start the movement by pulling your shoulder blade toward your midline, and row without twisting your torso. Once you finish all your reps, switch sides.
A4) Single-Leg Pushups, Sets: 4, Reps: 10
Get in a pushup position with your hands about shoulder-width apart. Keep your lower back flat, and don’t let your hips sag. Bend one knee to keep one foot off the ground throughout. Lower yourself, and keep your elbows close to your body as you descend. To make it harder, wear a weight vest.
Workout #4: Strength
A1) Lateral Heidens, Sets: 4, Reps: 5 per side
Start in an athletic position. Jump as far and as high as you can toward one side (perpendicular to you), and land softly on that leg in a controlled manner. Pause briefly, and repeat in the opposite direction. Repeat.
A2) Bulgarian Split Squats, Sets: 5, Reps: 5 per side
Grab two dumbbells, stand facing away from a bench, and rest one foot behind you on the bench. Squat down with the forward leg and keep that shin vertical. Lean forward as you go down, and keep all the weight on the heel of your forward foot.
A3) Single-Arm Dumbbell Bench Press, Sets: 5, Reps: 5 per side
Lie on a flat bench with your feet firmly planted into the ground and your shoulder blades squeezed together. Hold a dumbbell on one side with your wrist straight, and press above. Repeat on the other side.
A4) Low Split Stance Single-Arm Cable Rows, Sets: 5, Reps: 5 per side
Set a cable handle to the lowest position. Get into a split stance, and bend forward at your hips so that your torso is perpendicular to the cable. Hold the handle in with the leg that’s behind. Row, and focus on squeezing the glute on your back leg.
Workout #5: Kettlebells
A1) Waiter’s Walk, Sets: 4, Reps: 20 yards
The last of these balance workouts to improve coordination is all about kettlebells. This final routine starts with the waiter’s walk. Grab a kettlebell in one hand, and hold it overhead. Keep your shoulder down and back, and walk while keeping your hips and shoulders level. Keep your wrists as straight as you can.
A2) Goblet Split Squats, Sets: 4, Reps: 10 per side
Grab the handle of one kettlebell in both hands, and hold it by your chest with your elbows underneath. Stand with one foot about three feet in front of the other so that your knees make two 90-degree angles at the bottom. Drop straight down, and drive with your front heel. Don’t let your front knee drift past your toe.
A3) Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Overhead Presses, Sets: 4, Reps: 10 per side
Get on one knee with your front foot in line with your back foot. Hold a kettlebell in the rack position on the side with your knee on the ground; the weight should be held at your chest with the kettlebell on the outside of your arms and your hands underneath your chin. Keep your chest up, pull your shoulders back, and crush your armpits. Keep your wrists straight, tense your body, squeeze your back glute, and drive the kettlebell directly overhead.
A4) Renegade Rows, Sets: 4, Reps: 6
Set two kettlebells about shoulder-width apart. Get into a pushup position with your hands grabbing the handles and your feet very wide. (Perform an optional pushup.) Then, row one kettlebell, set it down, then row with the other arm. That’s one rep.
