Day 7 is here, and the Gyroboard is set up in the living room. This is a fun core training tool that tests your core strength, balance, proprioception and stability. Personally, I can’t think of anything better to train on to prepare people for the Christchurch earthquakes! Even better, it was invented right here in Canterbury (in Kaiapoi actually), by a good friend of mine, Graeme Dubar.
Warming Up on the Gyroboard
In the interests of full disclosure, I was involved in the early days with the business planning, research and development on the Gyroboard, as well as the marketing when the product was launched. So, I am a bit biased. However, that said, I have over the years used other gym equipment and find the Gyroboard is not only fun, but it is challenging for people of all levels.
When I was helping with the marketing, I worked with a personal trainer to put together an exercise routine for beginners. So I pulled out the poster, and then climbed onto the deck and started with a ten minute warm up.
The Gyroboard has a flat deck attached to a braking mechanism that sits on a steel spring. The board can rotate a full 360 degrees and at varying degrees depending if you have the brake on or released slightly (or fully). It also has a safety locking pin, and for today’s exercise routine, I have that locked in place! I haven’t been on the Gyroboard for quite some time, so I’m not going to take any risks yet.
The warm up I did was standing on the deck, feet spread at either end, and rocked back and forth. It’s a workout in itself as you try to maintain your balance, with the deck wobbling in all directions. The important thing to remember is to keep you belly button pulled in tight and to look straight ahead. If you look anywhere else, you tend to lose your balance.
After the warm up, I went through the exercises on the chart, which used the Gyroboard as a focus. These exercises included squats, tricep dips, press ups, lunges, leg extensions and some abdominal stretching. At the end of the routine I went through the warm down exercises. It took 30 minutes in total, and it certainly felt like I’d had a good fun core training workout by the end!
If you would like to buy a Gyroboard for yourself, and follow along with me as I train you can purchase one in New Zealand through Trade Me.
If you are in North America, Europe or South Africa, you can find out more information by visiting Gyroboard.com.
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