I saw the Bally Total Fitness Twist Board on Amazon.com, and thought it was worth a shot, especially since it was only $9.99. For all the exercise equipment I’ve tried lately, this is the only one that I can’t wait until I use again. The Twist board has two outer disks – one of which has excellent traction on the bottom and goes on the floor (rug or hardwood – it stayed steady on both), and move with a ball-bearing motion in the middle. The bumpy blue surface actually feels really good on your feet, providing a nice traction that gives you the feeling that you definitely won’t fall off – you can concentrate on your form.
When I first stepped on it, I wasn’t sure if I would have balance issues, but it is sturdy enough that balance isn’t an issue. Without particularly knowing how to work the thing, I generically turned to one side, then the other. The motion of the board was fluid and easy. So easy, in fact, that I didn’t actually know what muscles I was actually working. But it was a lot of fun – skiing motions, “doing the twist”, squatting and twisting – so I kept doing it. After about 20 minutes, I got off the board, eventually stopped laughing, and went about my day.
About an hour later, I sure knew each and every muscle it worked – boy was I sore! Interestingly, the muscles it worked really were isolated to hips, waist, and abs. I was immediately standing taller and my stomach felt tighter. A whole lot more fun than doing crunches – and a whole lot less work. No neck pain or knee pain like with other “targeted” exercises – this just works on the muscles you engage, without overworking injured muscles or ones that are sore from other workouts.
My arms got a great workout with simply adding some movement, like swinging them to the opposite side of the way my body was going, or holding a weighted medicine ball while twisting. I also tried just putting one foot on the board and doing internal and external hip rotations, which gave my lower thighs and calves a toned look in just a few days.
Just to be clear, I hate exercising. But to keep in shape and to keep a few old injuries from getting worse, I have to. The Bally Total Fitness Twist Board is one of the few things I look forward to doing. So much so, in fact, that I had to put it somewhere out of my eyeline so I wouldn’t be tempted to use it on my exercise rest days. I think it would also be good under a work desk while one is sitting – ankle rotations are easy on the board – just act like your toe is the needle on an LP player. That’s a great lower calf workout too.
The kit also comes with a two week free pass to a Bally’s Gym (a $30 value), and a sheet of four exercises with detailed instructions and what muscle groups it tones. On the whole, a highly recommended piece of equipment – cheap, easy, and great fun.
