Average Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Total Number of Reviews: 19
Editorial Review: THE BALANCE TRAINER is a fun, high energy workout that uses balance to its advantage to creatue unique exercises that keep your abs engaged during upper body, lower body, and cardio moves---so you sculpt your abs throughout the entire workout. It's a safe and versatile training tool that helps develop core muscle groups while improving posture and balance. Includes the trainer and DVD with two workout options: A full-length workout and an Express Workout for when your time is limited.
Disappointed firmie 1 out of 5
I first wanted to buy this product after seeing an advertisement for it on the firm website. I'm always looking for new things to add to my routine and I thought this looked fun and challenging. The warm up wasn't a good start to this workout. It was mostly stepping around the balance trainer for beginners, and if your more advanced, you can step on the ball itself. Here's my problem. It's too hard. I'm an advanced exerciser, so I don't say this as it's too challenging, but Tina goes so quickly onto and off the balance trainer it hurts my ankles. Perhaps I just have weak ankles, I must say I've never put too much thought into it, but you just can't stabilize yourself when she goes so fast. I found myself not getting a good enough workout because I couldn't keep my form on this while keeping up with the trainers. The camera angles hinder your workout, because many of them focus on the stationary upper body while leaving out the footwork. The one thing I really loved about this workout was the abs segment.
I would've stayed with this workout; sucked it up because I love the Firm and assumed that I'd get the hang of it. But what makes me so angry is that after using it twice, it popped. It didn't exploding creating a black hole sucking up my house, but the hole which you use to pump air in comes with no plugs, and the ball completely deflated with in thirty minutes with no pressure. Within a couple minutes while standing on it. HUGE letdown. Don't waste your money on this, but don't let it deter you from other Firm products, despite a wasted twenty bucks I'm still a loyal firmie.
The FIRM Balance Trainer Kit from Amazon.com 5 out of 5
Good product. Haven't used it long enough to have a real opinion. But it seems to do what it's touted to do in these early days of using it.
Great Challenge 5 out of 5
I am a FIRM fanatic, I have a lot of their DVDs. This one may not seem like it would be hard since you are only using the disc and no weights, but it is. The disc forces you to engage your core in order to maintain your balance and unless you are used to working out this way all the time it is a real challenge. The ab portion is crazy hard since you are able to extend back over the disc to increase your range of motion and it will burn them out (well at least if you have had two children)! Like I said I do the FIRM 5-6 days a week so I am very familiar with their stuff and this is a good workout, but different.
ALWAYS A HIT 5 out of 5
THE FIRM VIDEOS ALWAYS PACK A PUNCH AND ARE VERY EASY TO FOLLOW. ALTHOUGH EASY TO FOLLOW, NOT EASY TO DO, WHAT A WORKOUT!!!
Not so easy workout 3 out of 5
I have several FIRM dvds and I wanted to try something different so I got this workout with the balance footpad. This workout takes good balance, which I don't have, so I didn't feel like I got a good burn because I couldn't do most of the moves correctly. This dvd is more of a toning exercise for your core with some mild cardio. The "balance trainer" is basically a hard plastic balloon that you have to inflate(there is a hand pump included), that's a workout in it's self. I would say it's the size of a standard dinner plate, about 10 inches in diameter. I thought maybe it had a base on the bottom and only the top part was the balloon part. That's not the case, it is rounded on both sides, so it's basically like standing on a whoopie cushion.
There are moves where you have to balance on one leg on the footpad which is difficult because the surface is not flat. I wouldn't reccomend this workout for anyone who has knee or ankle problems because you have to balance your whole body weight on this "green balloon", which can put a strain on the body. There is also a move where you have to hop up on the footpad and step down. There are some lunges with one foot on the pad and the other leg lunging back on the floor, it was hard to keep my balance on those. Then you have to stand on the footpad with both feet and squat down; that's a killer. Then there are the push-ups with one hand on the balance trainer and one hand on the floor. And of course everyone's favorite, the plank position with your arms resting on the balance trainer(OUCH).
It was fun even though it was a struggle, I had to laugh at myself because I fell of the footpad several times. I will put it in my rotation and hopefully over time I will be able to perfect the moves. I would say it's worth a try.
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