What could be better than exercising for fun? A fun set of exercises that will give you a great workout, each involving an active balance component. We often incorporate these types of exercises into the rehab gym because they resemble real-world movements that we perform every day.
One of the most telling aspects of functional tasks is that our attention to balance and mobility rests squarely behind our focus on whatever tasks we happen to be doing in the moment. Few of us can accurately recount the sum of our mobility throughout the course of our days—it’s just something we do. People with decreased strength, endurance, and balance tend to fall more—and almost always while they are either performing functional tasks or on their way to them.
Every fall you ever experience has the potential to cause catastrophic changes in your functional independence and quality of life—so let’s do something about it.
5 1-Foot Wonders for Balance and Mobility
The following exercises aren’t technically performed with only one foot on the floor so much as they are performed with one foot on the floor “at a time.” The reciprocal nature of the activities provides an excellent workout and also encourages your body to fine-tune its balance. Over the years, we’ve seen great success with our patients performing these activities, but I recommend consulting with your medical provider to ensure they are right for you.1. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
All deadlifts require balance, but the Romanians were in rare form when they decided to perform them with only one foot on the floor. This exercise will have you jiggling and wiggling, and will definitely help increase your balance.Step 1: Stand with your feet approximately 2 feet apart while holding a light to medium weight in your right hand.
Step 2: Slowly lower the weight to the ground while keeping your back straight and lifting your left foot off the ground, allowing it to rise as you touch the weight to or toward the floor. Keep your left leg in line with your trunk as you move downward.
Step 3: Rise back up into a standing position while lowering your left leg back down to the ground.
Step 4: Lowering the weight to the floor and lifting back up counts as one repetition. Try to perform three sets of 12 repetitions on both sides, either performing all movements on one side and then the other, or alternating sides as you go.
Modifications: Stand next to a wall for stability if you struggle to maintain your balance. If you can’t reach all the way to the floor while maintaining balance, just go as far as you can—alignment and stability are more important than reaching any one point.
Why I Like It: The balance-intensive single-leg Romanian deadlift also targets your hamstrings and back muscles.
2. Bulgarian Split Squat
Not to be outdone by their Romanian neighbors, the Bulgarians once developed a splendid exercise of their own. Where the Romanian deadlift focuses a lot of love on your back muscles and hamstrings, the Bulgarian split squat goes all in on your quadriceps and gluteal muscles. The final analysis? The Eastern Europeans weren’t being mean when they created these exercises—they were creating something beautiful. I think you’ll like this one.Step 1: Stand tall in front of a chair or other seating surface, facing away, with your feet hip-width apart. The chair will serve as a positioning assist for your back foot during the squat.
Step 2: Reach back with your right foot and place it onto the center of the chair. You can either place the top of your foot on the chair, or place the ball of your foot down like you would in a traditional lunge. Keep your rear foot hip-width apart, rather than placing it straight behind you, as this will further challenge your balance.
Step 3: Bend your left knee to 90 degrees of flexion. Allow your right knee and hip to bend at the same time to accommodate the movement.
Step 4: Push back to standing with your left leg, then repeat the movement with your right leg. Moving down and then back up is considered one repetition. Try to perform three sets of 12 repetitions per leg, alternating legs to allow your muscles to rest between sets.
Modification: Can’t squat very far down? Just do what you can, understanding that you should grow stronger over time.
Why I Like It: The Bulgarian split squat builds on the challenge of standing balance, with the added advantage of utilizing the rear leg for support, thereby enhancing balance and stability.
3. Single-Leg Glute Bridge
All glute bridge exercises are intensive, and they go straight for your core. Bridges that keep both feet on the floor at the same time work your body symmetrically, while single-leg bridges work your core deeply and asymmetrically, providing a whole different kind of goodness.Step 1: Lie on your back on a firm, supportive surface with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent to approximately 90 degrees. Place your arms by your sides with your palms down.
Step 2: Lift your right leg off the floor, and hold it straight—just lifting high enough that the knees align. Push down through your left foot and rise into the bridge position, ensuring your right leg and trunk are in a straight line. Hold for 10 seconds. Move back onto the floor and repeat the movement on the other side.
Step 3: Performing a single-leg bridge for 10 seconds counts as one repetition. Try to perform three sets of 10 repetitions per side.
Modifications: You can perform all sets on one side and then the other, or you can alternate sides as you go. If bridging all the way up isn’t possible, just move as high up as you can, understanding that you will grow stronger over time.
Why I Like It: You have to push up into the single-leg bridge asymmetrically, which increases the challenge and benefits.
4. Step-Up Knee-Lift
Like the Romanian deadlift, the step-up knee lifts get your free foot moving. Instead of straight up and to the rear, however, this exercise encourages you to lift your free leg high to the front at the end of the step before stepping back down. Offering balance, strengthening, and cardiovascular training all in one exercise, there’s a lot to like here.Step 1: Stand facing a step or staircase with your feet hip-width apart.
Step 2: In one movement, step onto the step with your left foot while bending your right knee and bringing your right foot up as high as you can.
Step 3: Next, step back down, first with your right foot and then your left. This counts as one repetition.
Step 4: Perform three sets of 20 repetitions per side, maintaining a steady pace throughout.
Modifications: If you can’t raise your legs high when you get onto the step, just lift them as high as you can. Also, be sure to slow your movement down enough that you can easily control the mechanics of the activity. Speeding things up too much can make the activity fall apart. If it does, stop and reset before resuming at a controlled pace.
Why I Like It: The step-up knee-lift is an everything-in-one-bucket type of exercise that offers a multitude of benefits.
5. Lateral Ski Jumps
Some ski jump exercises involve a foot-down component for the “airborne” foot, but this one keeps the floating foot in the air the whole time. This increases your need to use your balance and postural systems to counter movement momentum, adding extra cardiovascular exertion and muscular demands throughout the activity.Step 1: Stand with your feet close together and your hands clasped together in front of your stomach.
Step 2: Jump your right leg out about 2 feet and swing your left leg behind without touching your foot to the floor.
Step 3: Jump the same way back to the left.
Step 4: Jumping in one direction counts as one repetition. Try to complete three sets of 20 repetitions on both sides.
Modifications: If ski jumps prove too challenging, perform ski hops instead by decreasing your side-to-side movement distance down to approximately 1 foot. You can also hold your arms out further to the sides if you struggle to maintain your balance with your arms close to your body.
Why I Like It: Ski jumps are an excellent, rhythmic movement that most people can master, helping to improve their balance and coordination.
These fun exercises share a common thread of having one foot off the ground at almost all times, thereby adding an extra layer of challenge and requiring you to control your posture and balance. Combined, they can provide a great workout in both strength and endurance, while also improving your balance skills, making the mobility you use to get around and perform functional tasks safer and more effective.
I recommend performing this routine at least three times a week, and five days a week would be even better. I hope you find them beneficial.
About the Fitness Model: Aerowenn Hunter is a health editor and fitness model for The Epoch Times. Vibrant in her 60s, she’s an accredited yoga therapist who has dedicated three decades to teaching yoga.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.
