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by Vicky Paraxismos Waite
I recently had one of our customers contact me on another fitness piece. I had already reviewed her cycle 360 trainer in my department in one of our issues. Nancy had just purchased a Gibbon Slackboard. As soon as she mentioned it to me, I was a bit taken back. It's just that I have been seeing it all over and sometimes when you see something repeatedly it can become stale, but Nancy convinced me that I would love the Gibbon Slackboard and that it's a great piece to review. So sure enough I was at her house the following week.
Well to my surprise Nancy was right. This is a great piece to review and it's easy to use. And no, you do not have to be a tightrope walker to slackline. Its shape and material make a loose bouncing effect as you do active moves but easy on your joints. This solid design with the unique line system gives you more control during balancing with no steadiness or moving parts. Safe for beginners and advanced. All age groups can use the slackboard. As I learn how to slackline, my first step is to master how to balance on the slackline on one foot. With doing so I have to prepare to stand on one leg keeping back straight and arms in the air while breathing deeply. When standing in one place at ease on my right and left leg, then I can take it further. What I am aiming for is to keep my core strong and hips stable as I use my shoulders to make adjustments.
When starting out your leg may be a bit shaky but it's normal. With the instability of the surface below your foot muscles get overextended. Breathing deeply while keeping your knees bent and practicing will set you to quiet your standing leg. It will take a little practice in the beginning but will turn fast into a fun and challenging activity for everyone. To maintain healthy aging, it's so important to keep involved in life activities, many of which depend on having good balance. As a complete balance trainer that can be used for a variety of activities from family fun, standing desk exercises to intense core workouts and athletic agility training.
The Gibbon Slackboard is a stylish piece of equipment made from American wood. It has a 400 lb weight capacity to accommodate the entire family. For the fitness enthusiasts it’s a great piece for core workouts, activating the lower back, obliques and abdominal muscles in a manner that static exercises cannot match. Great for Pilates and Yoga poses for focus and stability. Balancing board that the parents can feel secure using because of its built-in safety features and strong design. Balance board training can help to reduce the risk of injury as it strengthens the muscles and tendons responsible for stabilizing and supporting the joints. Balance exercises improve one's ability to control and support body position. Gibbon balance training productiveness enhances joint capacity mobility decreasing the risk of injury or falling. The Gibbon Slackboard offers a low impact full body workout that improves cardiovascular health, builds strength and heightens lateral movement and balance.
There's the one-line set up and there is the most common layout, and it is best for intermediate to advance users as it offers the most unsteadiness for challenging balance and core workouts. Some Gibbons balance models offer a two-line layout which is easier and provides more assurance. It's recommended for beginners and for physical therapy and injury recovery or for the users with reliability issues. I'm trying some squats and lunges. I'm getting more used to it as I go. When you begin to get used to these two exercises you then can comfortably move on to more vigorous exercises. I even tried some yoga poses for the heck of it. This doesn't feel like a workout, too much fun! This is a great way to get the kids off the couch away from their digital devices and having fun while getting some physical activity. It’s best just to play around with it at first. Try it holding weights and with no weights. Get into strange imaginative positions all while staying balanced on one foot.
Balance training gives you full body benefits. Slackboard exercises challenge and strengthen the deep core muscles which help alleviate lower back pain and improve posture. This reduces muscle imbalances and provides better support for the hips and spine by improving overall knee movement and neuromuscular control. Slackboard training can help prevent serious knee injuries like ACL tears which are common in sports that require sharp cuts and changes in direction. It's a great rehabilitation tool too. It's useful for physical and occupational therapy helping users regain ankle strength and balance after an injury.
Nancy made a good point that it’s best not to slackline while wearing socks. It can make the line slippery. The Gibbon Slackboard is used for everything from injury recovery to general fitness. It’s best to keep the line relatively tight. As you improve you can make it less taunt to increase the challenge. A tighter line has less deflection making it easier to balance. It may be a good idea to make it easier to start slacklining barefoot to get a better feel for the line. Focusing on position, place one foot on the line with the ball of your foot on the webbing and your heel off to the side. You want to hold your arms out to the sides or slightly bent to help steadiness. Once you feel stable bring the other foot on its toes or slightly sideways. You can find the user manual and other support videos on the official given Gibbons website: www.gibbon-usa.com. Gibbon’s Youtube channel offers video tutorials covering assembly, retensioning and converting the board to different setups. Just a reminder: A one-hour workout is only 4% of your day. Be stronger than your excuses!
It’s important to start gradually and consult a healthcare professional before starting slackboarding if you have any underlying health conditions.