← EXERCISE LIBRARYBalance
Weight-Shift Drill
Slow, deliberate transfer of body weight side to side and front to back within a stable stance. The starting point for anyone not yet ready to unload a foot from the floor.
- 01Stand behind a sturdy chair with the hands resting lightly on the backrest and the feet hip width apart.
- 02Shift the weight slowly onto the right foot until the left foot is almost unweighted, and hold three seconds.
- 03Shift back through centre to the left foot in the same slow, controlled way.
- 04Complete ten shifts side to side, then ten shifts forward onto the toes and back onto the heels.
- 05Regression: keep both hands firmly on the chair and shift only halfway toward each foot.
- 06Progression: use fingertips only, then no hands, and finally shift with the eyes closed while standing near the chair.
- 01Chair in front of you at all times, hands ready to land on it.
- 02Move slowly enough that you could stop halfway.
- 03Keep both feet flat — shift the weight, do not lift the foot.
- 01Leaning the shoulders instead of moving the hips — the weight barely transfers and the hips do not load.
- 02Shifting fast — the drill turns into swaying and no single-leg loading happens.
- 03Working without a chair or counter in reach — the whole point of this entry is a safe first step.
Note: Reference material, not a prescription. Load, volume and whether this movement suits you at all depends on your assessment — if something hurts, stop and get it looked at.