The Great Ones Have It...
Do you? Here's how to attain that fearless symmetry.

By Gary A. Poole

Remember that day when you first got the nerve to take your hands off the bars and were delighted to find out you could actually ride your bike around the block that way? Or that afternoon on the river when you were introduced to kayaking and felt like you'd been born in a shell? Experiences like these have a crucial, yet often overlooked, common thread: balance. The lingua franca of every sport—the ability to right yourself in dynamic situations—is what allows great athletes to quickly master new competitive activities.

Our bodies calibrate and improve balance in a number of ways, both physiologically and neurologically. Researchers who study balance focus on the stabilizer muscles, tiny strands of fibers that micromanage the movements of the spine, neck, and major joints such as the ankles, hips, and shoulders. These muscles work in concert with rapid-fire signals transmitted from the brain, which processes visual information—for instance, a pothole that suddenly appears ten feet in front of your whizzing in-line skates. Ignore the stablizer muscles for too long, and even if you have the innate balance of a Wallenda, you'll eventually falter.

Balance gurus such as Michael C. Meyers—director of the University of Houston's Human Performance Lab and a man who has trained U.S. Olympic gymnasts, tennis players, and equestrians—say these balancing muscles tire quickly during physical exertion. When that happens, your body loses its ability to make small but important course corrections on the fly. In short, you become a klutz. "Weekend climbers get so tired because the stabilizer muscles don't get used during the week," explains Meyers, an accomplished rock climber himself.

To complicate things, age doesn't do us any favors in matters of balance. By the time we hit 30 our ankles start to weaken, backs stiffen, and abdomens become less taut; the body's strength, flexibility, and symmetry become more difficult to maintain. Likewise, the march of years slowly deteriorates the stabilizer muscles. And piling on the hours in the weight room won't tone these diminutive fibers. The drawback to merely lifting is that it does nothing to enhance agility—the end result of balance and quickness. "You're turning a cat into a salamander," says Paul Chek, a San Diego–based fitness maven who trains, among others, the conditioning staff of the Chicago Bulls.

Chek's method employs a Swiss ball—one of those giant, industrial-strength orbs that are popping up in gyms everywhere. "When you do an exercise on a Swiss ball, it wants to squirt out from under you," he explains, "so you've got to constantly readjust to maintain your center of gravity."

Regardless of your sport or level of expertise, the program Chek outlines below will beef up your endurance, strength, and especially your sense of balance. At first you'll probably curse the big ball. But keep at it: The next time you, say, bunny-hop a ditch, it will all feel worthwhile.

On the Ball The spherical path to better balance To strengthen those all-important underpinnings of good balance, the stabilizer muscles, trainer Paul Chek advises a program utilizing the vaunted Swiss ball. He'd like you to run through four exercises three times a week, resting at least one full day between sessions. Alternate between series A and B each trip to the gym, and do three sets of each drill (unless otherwise specified). Stick with the program for eight weeks, following Chek's tips to make things harder as you grow accustomed to working with the ball. More important than quantity, however, is form. "These exercises put a huge drain on the nervous system," says Chek, who further details good technique in an 81-minute video guide titled Swiss Ball Exercises for Athletes ($40; 800-552-8789). "Stop before your form deteriorates or you'll be programmed with poor movement." SERIES A Cross Crunch Lay your back over the ball and hold your hands behind your head. Now twist your torso, crunching your left elbow toward your right knee and vice versa. Do ten repetitions per side. Harder? Lift the leg you're aiming at so that it's parallel to the ground, and touch the elbow to the knee. Supine Lateral Roll With your head and shoulders centered on the ball and your arms extended to the sides, palms up, roll right until only your left shoulder blade rests on the ball, and hold it for one count. Roll left. Repeat seven times. Harder? Roll to the edge of your torso. Back Extension Rest on your stomach, holding your legs in a push-up pose. Arms at your sides, lift your upper body to bring your back in line with your legs. Do ten reps. Harder? Extend your arms like wings. Torso Side Flexion Starting on your side, sit up straight with one hip pressed against the ball for support and extend your arms to the sides. Do seven reps on each side. Harder? Try it with your arms extended above your head. SERIES B The Kneel Placing both hands and knees on the ball, slowly rock forward until you're balanced. Raise up on your knees. Harder? After you can stay put for 30 seconds, try 30 seconds of shadowboxing. Prone Hip/Leg Extension Drape yourself over the ball and extend your legs until your body is parallel with the ground. Do ten reps. Harder? Plant your forehead on the floor and point your legs up in the air. Forward Roll From the altar-boy position, roll forward until your elbows rest atop the ball. Do ten reps. Harder? Use your feet, not your knees, as your base. Supine Hip Extension Starting from a low squat with your back pressed against the ball, roll backward until your torso is flat as a table top. Repeat ten times. Harder? Balance on one leg, holding the other parallel with the ground.

PHOTOS: David Roth