What if you could perform dozens of exercises at home with just a single piece of equipment? This is no longer wishful thinking: they are called fitness boards, multi-function boards, multi-trainers, or flex boards. They go by many names, but every name gives a hint about their function. Fitness boards are generally small, compact, and allow for maximum flexible use across a huge range of exercises through simple adjustments or position shifts of the entire board. Let's take a look at what such a compact, mobile piece of workout equipment looks like, what you can do with it, and what you should consider when buying one.
Structure of a multifunctional fitness board
A fitness board is somewhat of a cross between a home gym, an ab trainer, and a push-up board. You may have seen a push-up board before: it's a rectangular, sturdy board with various slots for push-up handles, allowing you to target a wide variety of shoulder and arm muscles. An ab trainer is often shaped like a rocker and supports you when training your abdominal muscles. Alternatively, it can be an ab wheel that you roll across the floor while maintaining tension in your abdominal muscles throughout the movement. All of these small accessories offer certain variations and are lightweight and portable, but they are often limited to just one body area. A home gym is a heavy construction – and needs to be – taking up a certain amount of space in your home. While these are often multi-gyms designed to fit as many exercise options as possible into a compact footprint, allowing for a wide range of exercises, they are not portable. The fitness board combines the best of both worlds: compact, but not as small as a push-up board. The surface can also be used for yoga or bodyweight exercises. The push-up handles can be aligned in different positions, bringing all the benefits of a dedicated push-up board. The additional resistance bands can be secured at various points on the board, serving as training aids for a vast array of exercises.
Benefits of a fitness board
The great thing about them is that they take up very little space and can easily be stowed away when folded, such as under a couch or in a narrow niche next to a closet. So a fitness board is not only multifunctional, but also space-saving to use and store. That makes them portable as well – if you're taking a road trip on vacation, for instance, you can easily slide your fitness board with all its accessories into the bottom of the trunk and stack your luggage on top. You can't do that with a heavy, non-portable multi home gym. Yet, thanks to its size and sturdy construction, the fitness board is much more than just a push-up board. Thanks to its dimensions, it has a bit more weight – which in this case is intentional and a good thing. It provides a stable, secure foundation for executing a wide range of exercises on the board using the resistance bands.
What exercises can you do on a fitness board?
A whole lot – the manual for the FB1 from AsVIVA features no less than 106 exercise suggestions. Thanks to the versatile plug-in positions, various push-up exercises targeting different muscle groups are possible. The resistance bands in different lengths allow for various rowing exercises when combined with the rowing handle, again in many variations. In addition, numerous bodyweight exercises are possible. In some cases, the push-up handles can serve as a foot anchor. That's clever and makes exercises like crunches or Russian twists much easier, especially for beginners. The multi-board can also be flipped over and, thanks to the handles repurposed as feet, serves as an inclined surface for performing abdominal exercises. The comprehensive user manual with countless exercise descriptions helps you assemble your own personalized workout plan.
What to look for when buying a fitness board?
First of all, the basic consideration should be what type of multi-functional equipment you would like. A very affordable multi-functional board like a push-up board is simply very limited in its options. And, unfortunately, often mediocre in quality at best. On the flip side, they fit into any larger gym bag or suitcase—great if you really want to take it along on every vacation. A very large multi-functional machine like a home gym offers a vast array of possibilities, including training with weight plates and barbells on many models. In return, they are stationary in the sense of being too large to travel with or quickly stow under the couch. And they are often found in higher price tiers, especially when crafted with premium build quality. So pay attention to which functions you want a fitness board to fulfill. Flexibility, mobility, or a fixed spot, easy to store, maximum exercise variety? Look for quality craftsmanship and accessory selection, the sturdiness of attachment points for additional accessories, material choices, and yes, the space the board will ultimately require. And, of course, the price segment you want to target with your budget.
The AsVIVA FB1 Multifunctional Fitness Board
A fitness board like the FB1 from AsVIVA is the perfect middle ground between isolated individual exercises and a large home gym. It enables a wide variety of different exercises for virtually every major muscle group in the body. In addition, it is lightweight enough to remain portable, yet heavy enough to provide a solid and stable base for all exercises. It comes with a comprehensive product manual containing a whopping 106 possible exercises, complete with compact descriptions and diagrams for each exercise. The fitness board folds in half and features holders on the underside for the accessories. Speaking of accessories: a pair of push-up handles is included, which can also serve other purposes depending on the selected position. Additionally, three pairs of resistance bands are supplied, which can be attached to various points on the board, making many different exercises possible. Due to their varying lengths, they offer different resistance levels and allow for versatile use across countless exercises. The compact, folded shape allows for space-saving storage, for instance under the couch. Additional accessories include a rowing handle, leg straps, and a pair of pull handles. Thanks to its clever design and versatile accessories, it is a true multi-functional unit that will bring you joy for a long time during your home workouts. Or at your vacation home in Denmark or wherever you'd like to take it.
